Influence of Age, Body Type, Fashion, and Garment Type on Women's Professional Image

doi:10.1177/1077727X9001900204

Paper

Influence of Age, Body Type, Fashion, and Garment Type on Women's Professional Image

Published Dec 1, 1990 · Jane Larkin Thurston, S. Lennon, R. Clayton

Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal

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37

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0

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Abstract

The purpose of this research was to extend implicit personality theory in an attempt to explain further the inferred relationship between a person's physical characteristics and personal traits. Specifically, this study examined business and professional men's and women's perceptions of the professional image of women as a function of the women's physical characteristics, the type of garment worn, and the fashion detail of the garment. Participants (N = 207) viewed six black-and-white photographs of females wearing either suits or dresses. Re sponses to six 7-point, unipolar adjective checklists were then summed to obtain a score indicating the degree of professional image perceived. A 3 (age of model) × 3 (body type of model) × 3 (fashion detail) incomplete randomized block design was used. Men's and women's responses to models in suits and dresses were analyzed separately using analysis of variance. Results indicate that (a) suits convey a stronger professional image than dresses for women of any age or body type; (b) when judged by business and professional men, older women convey a stronger professional image than younger women when wearing dresses; (c) gar ments with innovative fashion detail contribute to a weaker professional image than garments with contemporary or classic fashion detail; and (d) thin women convey a stronger professional image than larger women.

Non-RCT

Study Snapshot

Suits convey a stronger professional image than dresses for women of any age or body type, older women convey a stronger professional image than younger women, and thin women convey a stronger professional image than larger women.

PopulationOlder adults (50-71 years)

Sample size24

MethodsObservational

OutcomesBody Mass Index projections

ResultsSocial networks mitigate obesity in older groups.

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Influence of Age, Body Type, Fashion, and Garment Type on Women's Professional Image

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References

Physical Attractiveness, Age, And Body Type

Younger models are perceived as more attractive than older models and thinner models are perceived as more attractive than heavier models, affecting people's judgments of physical attractiveness.

Diversity in product symbolism: The case of female executive clothing

Female executive clothing symbols are influenced by role-related variables, aesthetic versus instrumental attitudes, and information sources, leading to ambiguity in product identification.

Effect of Sex, Inferred Sex-Role and Occupational Sex-Linkage on Perceptions of Occupational Success

Masculine clothing is perceived as more successful in both masculine and feminine (business) occupations, while sex-neutral occupations show no differences.

Dressing for success: Effects of color and layering on perceptions of women in business

Wearing blue or a jacket in traditional business attire is perceived as more competent and properly dressed than red or no jacket, with more impact on male targets than female targets.

Women's adoption of a business uniform: A content analysis of magazine advertisements

The skirted suit is increasingly being portrayed as the business uniform for women, but it is a relatively new standard and has not yet replaced all other acceptable attire for women.

Citations

Novelty seeking as driving factor for fashion apparel innovators: A qualitative investigation

Novelty seeking drives innovative behavior in the fashion industry, with sensory appeal, finding a niche, clothes-aholic, and socially bound being key dimensions.

The (Female) Graduate: Choice and Consequences of Women’s Clothing

Professionally dressed female students are perceived as more competent, have put more effort in their thesis, and have received better scores than those dressed sexy, with this effect mediated by perceived incompetence.

Businesswomen’s choice of professional dress: Model development for dress perception

Businesswomen's choice of professional dress is influenced by comfort, appearance labor, availability, age, and education, as well as factors such as comfort, appearance labor, and store availability.

The effect of images of saleswomen on customer satisfaction and revisiting intention by uniform and body type

Saleswomen's uniforms and body types significantly impact customer satisfaction and revisiting intention, with attractive and kind images positively influencing satisfaction and revisiting intention.

A Study of Impression Formation According to Men's Accessories Wearing and Hairstyle

Men's accessories and hairstyles influence impression formation, with eyeglasses indicating intelligence, neckties indicating intelligence, and sports hairstyles indicating progressiveness, conspicuousness, and attractiveness.