Influence of Cosmetics on the Confidence of College

Influence of Cosmetics on the Confidence of College Women: An Exploratory Study Sarah Scott Hanover College

Background n Historically, research on women’s self-esteem has been focused on body image n n “A number of experimental studies have found that exposure to images of physically attractive women may indeed have detrimental effects on selfevaluation. ” (Trampe, Stapel, & Siero, 2007) Women’s confidence linked to their feelings about physical appearance

General issues n Self is invoked through appearance practices (La. Belle, 1988) n Mark of womanhood and femininity (Beausoleil, 1992; Peiss, 1990) Enhances social interactions (Miller & Cox, 1982) n Illusion; looks can be altered per situation n Media influence and societal/cultural standards of beauty (Kelson, Kearney-Cooke, & Lansky, 1990) n

“Women who are beautiful or who achieve beauty according to the imposed standards are rewarded; those who cannot or choose not to be beautiful are punished, economically and socially. ” –Naomi Wolf

How it makes them feel n Wearing more makeup has been positively correlated with women’s public selfconsciousness (Miller & Cox, 1982) n Cosmetics allow women to feel better about themselves (Cash, 1987, 1988) n Self-esteem increases (Wright et al. , 1970)

Research Question n Does the presence of makeup and the extent to which it is applied affect a woman’s confidence in a given situation? n Specifically, do women match their make-up to situations?

Participants n 4 women attending a small Midwestern liberal arts college 2 freshmen and 2 juniors n Ages 19 -20 n All Caucasian n

Materials Consent and debriefing form n Revised version of Cash Cosmetics use Inventory (CCUI) (Cash, 1985) n

Materials n Spielberger’s State-Trait Anxiety survey n I felt nervous. - Not at all (+0) Somewhat (+1) Moderately so (+2) Very much so (+3) 10 out of 20 were reverse-scored according to standard procedures n Participants completed one after each situation n

Materials n Use survey developed by researcher n Used to record the situation and style of makeup worn, as well as a series of before questions n e. g. “How do you think your makeup will make you feel today while (circle one) at class/out with friends? ” n and questions responded to after the situation n e. g. “Did you receive any comments/reactions from others? If so, please list any you can recall. ”

Procedure n Participants wore makeup in 3 different ways in 2 actual situations

Procedure n At the beginning of each week, participants were given: n 3 state-trait anxiety surveys n 3 before/after surveys n Week 1=class n Week 2=out with girlfriends

Influence on Anxiety

Results n Participants felt the need to offset their makeup usage n n “I thought that I would feel overdone so I kind of dressed up to compensate. ” Anxiety levels may be due to awareness of action n “I put eyeshadow on which I don’t usually waste my time with. ”

Conclusions No significant relationship found between makeup and situation n Anxiety levels may be due to extra thought given to makeup n Participants were made self-aware of actions n “Because I was wearing more makeup, I thought I would attract more attention considering I normally wear minimal makeup” n

Future Research This topic deserves further attention n Significant results may be obtained with: n Greater number of participants n Differing method, such as picture study or openended survey n More control over amount/type of cosmetics used n Revised cosmetic survey – more specific n

Any questions/comments? ?