A psychologist from Oregon State University found that women with racy Facebook profile pics also appear less attractive to their female peers.
Getty Images/iStockphoto A new study suggests a woman’s peers may view her differently if she posts sexy selfies on social media.Sharing sexy or provocative photos on Facebook might give you a bad reputation.
A new study published Monday in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture claims that young women who post revealing pictures are seen as less competent, and less physically and socially attractive by their female peers
“There is so much pressure on teen girls and young women to portray themselves as sexy, but sharing those sexy photos online may have more negative consequences than positive,” psychologist and study author Elizabeth Daniels said in a release.
Daniels, who is now an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Colorado, conducted the research when she was on staff at Oregon State University.
For the study, she asked 58 teenage girls and 60 young women (aged 17 to 25) questions about a 20-year-old woman’s Facebook profile.
Half of the participants were shown a provocative pic in which the woman was wearing a low-cut red dress with a slit up one leg that made her garter belt visible. The others saw a photo of the fictitious Amanda Johnson covered up in jeans, a short-sleeved shirt and a scarf.
The participants who were shown the non-sexy picture thought Amanda was prettier and would make a better friend compared to those who saw the sexy photo.
The largest disparity involved the question “I have confidence in her ability to get a job done.
”Amanda received lower competence scores among the people who were shown the racy picture, according to the study.
These views put young women and girls in a “no-win” situation, Daniels said.
If they post more wholesome pictures, the women may lose what she called social rewards, like the attention of boys and men. However, if they do use sexy pictures, they risk being harshly judged by their peers.
“Why is it we focus so heavily on girls’ appearances?” she said. “What does this tell us about gender? Those conversations should be part of everyday life.”
Daniels suggests females choose social media photos that showcase instead of feeling pressured to take a sultry selfie.