Exploitation of aesthetic capital – disapproved by whom?

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gendered double standards of exploiting physical appearance in Finland. Drawing from literature on physical appearance as a form of capital, four hypotheses on role of gender in endorsing double standards are put forth, and then empirically tested. The focus is on whether women or men are more disapproving of women exploiting their appearance. The paper also explores whether self-perceived attractiveness has an influence on the gendered endorsement of double standards. Design/methodology/approach The study utilises unique survey data with a split-ballot design to study gendered double standards at a societal level by means of ordered logistic regression. The data are nationally representative of 15-74-year-old Finns (n=1,600). Findings The main finding is that women are more prone to endorse the double standards against each other. It is particularly women who do not perceive themselves as attractive who are likely to hold double standards. Experienced unattractiveness is associated with disapproving attitudes towards the exploitation of physical appearance-related assets for both women and men. Men are overall more approving compared to women, and do not generally hold double standards. Originality/value Research on double standards in different spheres of life in a relatively gender equal country like Finland gives an intriguing example of gendered social inequality. The information provided by this paper deepens our understanding of gendered social stratification related to physical appearance.

Peer Feedback in Aesthetic Labour: Forms, Logics and Responses

“…A general distinction can be made between general societal norms and situational norms that are different for (and sometimes even within) particular organisations. Recurring general norms in the interviews are stylistic consistency and authenticity, and, in addition to that, the clearly gendered norm that looking sexy is not suitable for work (see also Entwistle, 2000; Kukkonen et al, 2018; Sarpila and Erola, 2016). It appears there is much ambiguity and disagreement regarding the specific content of these norms.…”

Introduction

“…Furthermore, men are less easily evaluated by strictly aesthetic standards than are women (Kuipers, 2015). In addition, strict social norms regulate the accumulation of economic advantage from one's physical appearance, particularly for women (Kukkonen et al, 2018;Sarpila et al, 2010). Indeed, it seems that the value of physical appearance in social exchange is not universal, but malleable, relational and contextual: always shaped in multiple, intersecting power relations.…”

“…These interventions include hair dye, makeup and surgical or non-surgical cosmetic procedures (Hurd Clarke & Griffin, 2007). It has been stated that Finland hardly differs from other countries in its attitudes regarding ageing (Ojala et al, 2016), so investing in anti-ageing practices and hiding the signs of ageing is expected, especially from women (Kukkonen et al, 2018). The appearance issues and norms of older people may achieve dominance in the culture if they are in the majority, but not this is not necessarily the case if the public imagery and discourse still favour presenting younger appearances more often.…”

A Novel Method for Discovering Process Based on the Network Analysis Approach in the Context of Social Commerce Systems

“…Aesthetic values explain how a person reacts based on their experience of the surrounding of a beautiful or serene landscape, clean and tidy room, or even soothing sound of music. It has been proven that aesthetic values could be converted to social or economic advantages [46] that affect an individual's decisión to invest in crowdfunding projects. According to [40], a project possesses aesthetic value if it is able to provoke positive feelings when experienced aesthetically hence crowdfund project developers have to strategically tailor their marketing communication plan [3] to attract individuals to fund an investment.…”