Beauty, Effort, and Misrepresentation: How Beauty Work Affects Judgments of Moral Character and Consumer Preferences

Abstract

Women engage in a variety of beauty practices, or “beauty work,” to enhance their physical appearance, such as applying cosmetics, tanning, or exercising. Although the rewards of physical attractiveness are well documented, perceptions of both the women who engage in efforts to enhance their appearance and the high-effort beauty products marketed to them are not well understood. Across seven studies, we demonstrate that consumers judge women who engage in certain types of extensive beauty work as possessing poorer moral character. These judgments occur only for effortful beauty work perceived as transformative (significantly altering appearance) and transient (lasting a relatively short time), such that they emerge within cosmetics and tanning, yet not skincare or exercise. This effect is mediated by the perception that putting high effort into one’s appearance signals a willingness to misrepresent one’s true self, and translates into lower purchase intentions for higher-effort cosmetics. We identify several boundary conditions, including the attractiveness of the woman performing the beauty work and whether the effort is attributed to external norms or causes. In examining how beauty work elicits moral judgments, we also shed light on why effortful cosmetic use is viewed negatively, yet effortful products continue to be commercially successful.

The Faces of Success: Beauty and Ugliness Premiums in e-Commerce Platforms

“…However, male respondents do not reciprocate a greater beauty premium on attractive female sellers, perhaps because online purchases do not involve social selection like dating or hiring. It is not uncommon for attractive women to be viewed negatively for certain products or professions (Heilman et al 2004; Ruffle and Shtudiner 2015; Samper, Yang, and Daniels 2018) or to draw suspicion for their appearance in online forums (Lo, Hsieh, and Chiu 2013).…”

“…Recent trends in collaborative consumption increase the already large number of selection decisions facing consumers; this could further contribute to information overload and potentially increase reliance on the physical and facial appearances of sellers. Although poor-quality pictures may dampen consumer confidence, attempts by sellers to make themselves appear more attractive may backfire if they appear otherwise incompetent or suspicious (Lo, Hsieh, and Chiu 2013; Samper, Yang, and Daniels 2018). Although consumers may consider the attractiveness of sellers in their decision making, they should not allow a seller’s appearance to cloud their judgment of source credibility and product quality.…”

“…Faces are known to bias decisions (Wheeler and Petty 2001). We form first impressions of others and make judgments about their social traits almost instantaneously on the basis of face perceptions (Samper, Yang, and Daniels 2018; Todorov et al 2005; Willis and Todorov 2006). The neural mechanism underlying trait impressions of faces involves the amygdala, a subcortical brain region crucial in coding the value of stimuli (e.g., Engell, Haxby, and Todorov 2007).…”

Extending Diderot unities: How cosmetic surgery changes consumption

“…The academic literature has also explored how the quest for beauty drives consumers to engage with body transformative practices in pursuing personal and social ideals (Madan et al, 2018; Samper et al, 2018). The body is seen as the continuation of the individual, as the self is exhibited to others via its embodiment (Borelli & Casotti, 2012; Giddens, 2002).…”

Moral tribalism and its discontents: How intuitive theories of ethics shape consumers' deference to experts

“…Second, many researchers are interested in moral judgment and behavior in consumption contexts (e.g., Reczek, Irwin, Zane, & Ehrich, 2018; Samper, Yang, & Daniels, 2018; White & Simpson, 2015; among many others). Separately, social psychology and cognitive psychology have been experiencing a revolution in research on moral judgment.…”