women agress against sexy peer

[Grand Admiral Crunch]

Almost all women aggress against a sexy peer - ScienceBlog.com

A study published in the journal Aggressive Behavior confirms what is often seen on the popular reality show The Bachelor: that most women aggress against sexual rivals.

Although it is well documented that males of different species, including humans, aggressively compete with one another for sexual access to females (intrasexual competition), far less is known about how females compete with one another for the attention of males. University of Ottawa professor Tracy Vaillancourt’s research supports the idea that women do engage in intrasexual competition through the use of aggression.

The Bachelor provides insight into the cut-throat tactics women use to “compete” and demonstrates that vying for the affections of an eligible bachelor tends to bring out the worst in women. It often leads them to gossip about a rival’s level of promiscuity or disparage her appearance, so as to reduce her “mate value.” Professor Vaillancourt’s study demonstrates that this type of behaviour is not only a TV phenomenon, but also a reality in our schools, workplaces, etc.

Researchers conducted two experiments to examine this phenomenon. In the first, women were paired with a friend or stranger and randomly placed in one of two situations: in the first, participants were exposed to an attractive female peer who was dressed in a sexy outfit (Figure 1); in the second, women were exposed to the same peer, with the difference that she was dressed conservatively (Figure 2). In both situations, participants were secretly videotaped to capture their reactions to the peer. Independent female raters blind to the experimental condition were asked to rate each participant’s reaction in terms of aggression. “We asked women who knew nothing about the context or reason for the person’s reaction to rate how “bitchy” (or not) they thought she was being,” says Vaillancourt.

Results showed that almost all women were aggressive toward the attractive female whose only indiscretion was to dress in a sexually provocative manner. The women in this situation were more likely to roll their eyes at their peer, stare her up and down and show anger while she was in the room. When she left the room, many of them laughed at her, ridiculed her appearance, and/or suggested that she was sexually available. By contrast, when the same attractive peer was dressed conservatively, the group of women assigned to this second scenario barely noticed her, and none of them discussed her when she left the room.

A second experiment confirmed that the sexy colleague was indeed seen as a sexual rival by women. Results indicated that women did not want to introduce her to their boyfriend, allow him to spend time alone with her, or be friends with her.

Collectively, these results provide support for the idea that women do engage in intrasexual competition by aggressing towards sexy female counterparts.

Are women really mean to overtly sexy peers? Or are they nastier to slobs? Do women like having pretty friends?

 

[Starry]

If a chick is prettier than I am she's goin down (whoops, sexier).

haha. No, this was money well spent is all I can say... especially when considering these life-altering research findings.

 

[Norrsken]

I'm no supermodel, but I've been exposed to female aggression one too many times before. I'm not even one to wear tons of makeup and wear provocative clothing, nor do I engage in flirtatious behavior with strange men for favors, not that I'm saying that women who do that are inherently bad per say, but I do wonder if perhaps people in general just do not find it acceptable for a woman to go around exposing her body so casually. There's dressing attractively, and then there's dressing like you just walked out of the red light district. Even some men out there can dress provocatively, and its just awkward depending on the context. I don't want to see people's junk in public.

People get envious and they'll act stupid. Not much you can do about it, but definitely do try and mind how you come across to other people. That's my motto, anyway.

 

[OrangeAppled]

Pretty sure we need the standard qualifier of "individual women are different", so it may be true for some, but not all, and maybe not many.

I have no doubt sexual competition exists across the sexes. As for the suggestion that this is internalized misogyny or that women primarily drive misogyny - well, I disagree. When men compete with one another, is it out of misandry?

In my personal experience...

I do not regularly see women being intentionally mean to overtly sexy peers. I have heard and seen subtle cattiness at times, but no one being ruthlessly targeted or ostracized. Not saying it doesn't happen or can't get really bad, but I don't think it is rampant.

Not all criticism is out of cattiness. There are times "sexy" really does look desperate or inappropriate. I think criticism towards that can truly be about a sense of social appropriateness that some are seeking to uphold. While I don't think this shaming works very well, I think it is a mistake to always attribute it to jealousy or competition. It may not be a good motive, but it could be a control thing or a self-righteous thing - not necessarily a competitive spirit. This is similar to criticism that may be given to "slobs". There is a desire in some to make everyone fit within particular for "appropriateness", or to at least read into appearance choices as attitudes. They take certain behaviors, including appearance choices, as a signal as to how someone feels internally. So certain appearances may seem to be disrespectful or thoughtless. Personally, I think that interpretation is justified at times, and other times it is too narrow and rigid and taken too far.

I also think people like to associate with those who make them look good, and a slob is actually worse company than someone more attractive. Hanging out with more attractive people is probably more likely to make you look better, not the other way around. The very attractive person may be the one to actually "lose" by associating with much less attractive people :X.

That said, I think a lot of women don't choose friends based on how pretty they are. I think like draws like, and that includes interests, beliefs, personalities, etc. As noted above, people probably benefit from associating with someone perceived as very attractive, and I think many do like having pretty friends for a variety of reasons (the most innocent just being a natural appreciation of beauty), although I think most people want to relate more than admire or compete with friends.

When it comes to the more shallow, competitive, juvenile types, they may want to surround themselves with others who are perceived as attractive and successful (think HS clique mentality). First of all - there's no one to compete with if you are far and away the most attractive. Second - as noted above, it can make you seem more attractive if in a group considered to be generally attractive (HS mentality again - the "hot, popular girls", who depend upon their group status for their individual appeal).

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I didn't think it was any surprise or news that this happens to some degree with people of either sex. What I'm really interested in is studying mating rituals and competition in gay communities. Have there been any major studies on that topic? I've had trouble finding anything on this.

 

[Bush]

Cue MRA activists using this as fodder, not realizing (or blocking out) that

Although it is well documented that males of different species, including humans, aggressively compete with one another for sexual access to females (intrasexual competition), far less is known about how females compete with one another for the attention of males.

So there was an unknown and researchers sought it out.

And their conclusion on women was similar to what's already been well documented on men. Soo.. there's yet another way in which women and men are on equal footing.

It turns out that people can feel threatened by other people whom they may perceive as more attractive.

edit:

-- at least if they're competing in the same arena. Straight folks are competing for the opposite sex; women for men. And it may feel like an attractive (or dolled up) woman is more of a bitch than her counterparts because that threatening instinct kicks in. At the instinctual level, we retain correlations (e.g. "fire bad") but causation tends to go out the window. If anything, pattern recognition is the real bitch.

 

[Grand Admiral Crunch]

After I watched the video, I was like "so women have a problem with my glittery eye shadow? Bitches!" But then, looking at the study, it has a pic of the lab assistant. She's dressed like a hooker, so that changes things. It is as [MENTION=22264]Bush Did 9/11[/MENTION] said, they were aiming for certain results.

 

[Norrsken]

She's dressed like a hooker, so that changes things.

Yes.
There's sexy, and then there's the red light district. A very fine line.

Speaking of glitter eye shadow, I actually like it when women go out of their way to celebrate their own femininity. It's so much fun to be girly.

Oh god, I saw the pictures. She's cute but that really is an overkill on what the researchers did to her look. xD

 

[Starry]

Yes.
There's sexy, and then there's the red light district. A very fine line.

Speaking of glitter eye shadow, I actually like it when women go out of their way to celebrate their own femininity. It's so much fun to be girly.

Oh god, I saw the pictures. She's cute but that really is an overkill on what the researchers did to her look. xD

This question might seem so left field to you but if you would humor me for just a moment it would mean the world to me... How did you know you were FJ? Did you test that way and you felt it fit? I'm asking because you've got it right and yet it's not always easy to do at e2.

 

[Norrsken]

This question might seem so left field to you but if you would humor me for just a moment it would mean the world to me... How did you know you were FJ? Did you test that way and you felt it fit? I'm asking because you've got it right and yet it's not always easy to do at e2.

I answered those long questionnaires and asked people for their input. They thus typed me as IxFJ and then it progressed to INFJ.
I don't know what you're trying to convey about being an e2, can you elaborate?

 

[Starry]

I answered those long questionnaires and asked people for their input. They thus typed me as IxFJ and then it progressed to INFJ.
I don't know what you're trying to convey about being an e2, can you elaborate?

Thank you so much theforsaken...you don't know how fortunate I feel to have had an opportunity to ask an FJ e2 that question. It's just part of a mystery I've been wondering about for some time now. In short (I don't want to take too much away from this thread and would be happy to explain better in VM, PM or maybe a different thread if you would like)...but what I think primarily happens is the positive outlook of e2 often causes FJs to mistype as FPs and so I was so excited to encounter you and ask. Again, thank you as it helps so much in my understanding.

 

[Coriolis]

Almost all women aggress against a sexy peer - ScienceBlog.com

Are women really mean to overtly sexy peers? Or are they nastier to slobs? Do women like having pretty friends?

In the circles where I generally find myself, women dressed like that (or their male counterparts) tend to be ignored, not taken seriously, and occasionally ridiculed once they are gone. There is a time and a place, and "this" isn't it.

 

[Grand Admiral Crunch]

In the circles where I generally find myself, women dressed like that (or their male counterparts) tend to be ignored, not taken seriously, and occasionally ridiculed once they are gone. There is a time and a place, and "this" isn't it.

I thought you worked at the DMV

 

[Coriolis]

I thought you worked at the DMV

Whatever gave you that impression?

 

[Mole]

Usually we are far too polite to say so, but like most species of mammal or marsupial, we compete for the attention of the opposite gender.

And just as with species of mammal or marsupial, our competition for the attention of the opposite gender, drives natural selection.

And sometimes our competition shades over into aggression, particularly when we feel we are losing the competition.

 

[kyuuei]

I'd say as a general principle that if someone is a competitor for something you desire, aggressive instincts of some sort kick in.. I mean. It's something you desire--whether those desires are something that can be obtained, need to be obtained, or something more idealistic or delusional.. so, yeah, you're going to step up and try to reach for it. Part of reaching up is, sometimes, to recognize your competition .. uuuusually with knocking the competition out being not too far behind.

I don't see how it's much debated because it's a basic animal instinct. It isn't just with sexual partners, it's a basic instinct for anything which is desired. Certainly not the best or only way to go about things all the time, but of course all women do it.. People do it all the time.

 

[Grand Admiral Crunch]

Whatever gave you that impression?

You're cheerfulness.

jk. I've always imagined you as a professor in the mechanical engineering department. Coudl be far off, but that's what i picture. I never saw many women professors in those sorts of science departments, so I wouldn't know how they dress.

The age and skill of a worker makes a difference in how much she can get away with, imo. Younger people with flashy make-up and attire appear to be unserious. When an older more skilled worker does it, she seems well-established.

 

[Tilt]

You're cheerfulness.

jk. I've always imagined you as a professor in the mechanical engineering department. Coudl be far off, but that's what i picture. I never saw many women professors in those sorts of science departments, so I wouldn't know how they dress.

The age and skill of a worker makes a difference in how much she can get away with, imo. Younger people with flashy make-up and attire appear to be unserious. When an older more skilled worker does it, she seems well-established.

What is considered flashy? Just curious.

 

[Grand Admiral Crunch]

What is considered flashy? Just curious.

There's a good bit of variance, even within one profession. A high school student in Beverly Hills probably is much flashier than what would be accepted in the mid-west, just as an example of variance. I always look at Hannah from Pretty Little Liars and think she'd overdone it, but maybe there is some place where it works. I guess in the workplace, it depends on your boss' ideas, clients, nature of the work, etc.

 

[Coriolis]

I've always imagined you as a professor in the mechanical engineering department. Coudl be far off, but that's what i picture. I never saw many women professors in those sorts of science departments, so I wouldn't know how they dress.

The age and skill of a worker makes a difference in how much she can get away with, imo. Younger people with flashy make-up and attire appear to be unserious. When an older more skilled worker does it, she seems well-established.

Close, but not quite. I am a physicist, and do not work in academia. Dress at my workplace tends to be casual for both men and women in technical jobs. Jeans and sneakers are not uncommon, especially among the younger folks. When I have taught at uni, the dress was about the same for faculty, and even more casual for students. Of course we do dress up for formal presentations, etc. The two groups of people more inclined to dress up on an ordinary day are managers (mostly male, might wear a dress shirt and tie), and the female secretaries. We do have one male secretary, who usually wears jeans and polo shirts.