Women in sexy outfits perceived as incompetent: Study

Females who dressed sexily at their graduation, according to a study, were perceived as less competent.

Photograph*: Kim Kyung-Hoo/Reuters

According to a recent study, female graduates who wear sexy clothes at their graduation are perceived to be less capable than female graduates who dress professionally by their counterparts.

This distinctive study was published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology.

It was seen that females who dress sexily at their graduation were perceived as less competent and it was believed that they performed worse in their degree than their peers who dress more professionally.

The researchers investigated the perceptions of female clothing at university graduations in Italy.

Participants were presented with 24 photographs of females who had recently graduated, 12 of these photographs involved sexy outfits consisting of short dresses or skirts, low necklines and high heels, and 12 photographs of females in a professional outfit of a jacket and trousers.

Participants were then asked to estimate the final mark of the females in the pictures and, to rate their sexiness, competence and outfit appropriateness.

Female graduates who dressed more professionally were perceived by participants as having a higher final mark and thesis points and to be more competent than their peers who dressed in short dresses and skirts.

Participants also deemed professional attire more appropriate for graduation.

Trying to understand this further, the researchers exposed an additional group of 573 participants, namely female students, university professors and members of the general population, to photographs of 37 female students who were asked to wear two outfits, one professional and one sexy.

Participants were asked to rate the students' performance, future career success and whether they would have worn the outfits they were presented with.

Similar to previous results, participants viewed students who dressed more professionally to be more competent and as having achieved a higher final mark.

Fascinatingly, female student peers perceived the professionally dressed students as more likely to find a job and to have a successful career than when the same students were dressed in a sexy outfit.

On the other hand, adult participants judged the students wearing a sexy outfit as having an advantage, and having higher chances of success in the job market.

Also when asked which outfit they would have chosen, professional or sexy, male participants were more likely than female participants to claim that they would have chosen to wear the sexy outfit if they were the student.

Fabio Fasoli, the lead researcher said, "The intelligence and competence of females is unfairly linked to how they present themselves."

"A top student who decides to wear a short dress to her graduation is perceived to be less capable than another who chooses to wear trousers and a jacket."

"It is often thought that how we dress is a reflection of our personality but this may not be the case for women, given that they are constantly scrutinised for their appearance and that unmerited conclusions are drawn about them, including their intelligence and professional capability."

 Lead image published for representational purposes only.