In May 2018 researchers from the USA published the results of their study to assess whether wearing clothes in line with “society clothing rules” made a woman appear more professional and competent. A total of 89 university students were involved in the study. Ten pictures of women in different forms of clothing, taken from the internet, were rated for positive attributes (intelligent, competent, powerful, organized, efficient, and professional). Results showed that women in less revealing and less tight clothing were rated more positively than women in more revealing and tighter clothes. It was noted that an individual’s rating was not in line with their own self-reported levels of sexism and that gender had no influence on the rating given.
Gurung RAR et al. Dressing “in code”: Clothing rules, propriety, and perceptions. J Soc Psychol. 2018;158(5):553-557