Gender, Gender Role, and Physical Appearance

Abstract

The relations among gender, gender role, and self-perceptions of physical appearance were examined in this research. Women and men who differed in their gender roles rated the attractiveness of, importance of, and desire to change their physique and facial appearance. Results indicated that women considered all components of appearance except height to be more important than did men and were more interested in changing their appearance than were men. Masculine women perceived themselves as “too large” but were more satisfied with their facial appearance than were traditional (feminine) women. Few physical attributes distinguished among the male gender-role groups. Directions for future research on the relation among gender, gender role, and physical appearance are discussed.