Title
Style Semiotics: The Influence of Levels of Professional Style of Dress on Perceived Competency
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Date
Spring 5-8-2017
Abstract
In a consumerist world, where people are regularly bombarded with advertisements promoting products and lifestyles, the public is often convinced that they need to buy a certain product, wear specific clothes, and live a particular life in order to be happy and feel accepted by peers and strangers. The media convinces young girls and women that they need to show off and enhance their feminine features to be well-liked (Goodin, Van Demburg, Murnen, & Smolak, 2001). More and more clothing stores for girls and teens, sell provocative clothing (Goodin, Van Demburg, Murnen, & Smolak, 2001). Although some girls and women are convinced that dressing in sexier clothing will lead to acceptance, research suggests that quite the opposite is true (Goodin, Van Demburg, Murnen, & Smolak, 2001). Girls and women who dress in provocative styles, are judged more harshly than those who dress in a neutral style (Graff, Murnen, and Smolack, 2012). There is a detachment between media portrayal of the ideal trendy woman, versus how the public actually perceives this style of dress. What happens when these impressionable girls grow up into women seeking professional careers? What is not yet known, is how well a femininely enhanced style of dress would translate into the professional world of corporate America in relation to perceptions of competency.
Recommended Citation
Esparza, Brianna, "Style Semiotics: The Influence of Levels of Professional Style of Dress on Perceived Competency" (2017). Psychology. 3.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/psychology/3