Once again, science is doing god’s work and letting us know what is and is not hot.
The findings published in Sex Role: A Journal of Research found that a super sexualised vibe in the profile pic ain’t it, and that women rated a man lower in competence and more prone to risky sexual behaviours when his Tinder Profile features a shirtless photo or indicated an interest in casual sex.
The authors of the study wanted to focus on perceptions of sexualised images of men, as there is a plethora of the studies research on women’s image.
“I’m interested in how sexualised pictures of men and women in the media can impact our attitudes and behaviours,” said study co-author JoAnna Dieker, clinical psychology postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado.
“For this study, it was fascinating to consider how a man’s sexy dating profile can impact our reactions to the man and how we judge his positive or negative characteristics.”
The study took 567 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 25 in the United States, with 57% being women and 43% men.
Each participant was then randomly assigned one of eight mock Tinder profiles; each image manipulated based on three markers of sexualisation.
1. Muscularity (muscular vs. non-muscular)
2. Sexualised appearance (shirtless vs. wearing a shirt)
3. Relationship motivation (interest in casual sex vs. a committed relationship)
After each participant took it all in (we can’t confirm if any “PHWOAR!” noises were heard), they answered various questions about their perceptions of the man, including his physical attractiveness, social appeal, and competence.
And low and behold, women judged the topless man as higher in risky sexual behaviour, lower in social appeal, and lower in competence than the man wearing a shirt. Sorry, Bae.
Men also judged the shirtless man as higher in risky sexual behaviour and lower in social appeal, but not in competence.
“A man with a sexy presentation on his online dating profile (e.g., describing his relationship goal as seeking casual sex, showing off his body with a shirtless photo) risks being viewed as less competent, less likeable, and as a sexual risk-taker by others, compared to a man with a non-sexy profile (e.g., describing his relationship goal as seeking a committed relationship, having a picture with his shirt on),” said Dieker.
“In practical terms, women respond negatively to men with a sexy dating profile, and it’s actually contrary to what women like on a dating profile. Our study showed that men react negatively to a man with a sexy appearance on his profile as well. A sexy presentation on a dating profile may not be the best choice for men wanting to make a positive impression on women.”
That’s science talk for “Whump whump”.
Dieker also clarified that more research was needed, as the image of the man was limited to a white guy.
“We can’t assume that these findings are relevant to men of other racial/ethnic backgrounds and other sexual orientations. The man in our dating profile was rated as having average physical attractiveness by viewers, which means more research is needed to determine whether the man’s level of physical attractiveness may influence attitudes. Finally, our target profile and viewers were younger adults in a college setting. Older age may influence attitudes toward a sexy appearance. We still need to address whether older age (of both the profile owner and viewer), sexual orientation, the profile owner’s attractiveness, and race/ethnicity influence reactions to a man’s sexy dating profile.”
Yes. This is important work, and much more must be done before everyone continues choosing the wrong pics for their Tinder profiles. Then, those scientists will tell us exactly what to do, and we shall celebrate them like the gods they are.
Horniness for the win.
