The effect of hairstyle on the perceptions of

black women’s personality and earning potential
Malyn Pope & Merry Sleigh, Ph.D.

Winthrop University

Abstract

Take Home Messages

Warmth Similar Across Conditions
The current study addressed a gap in the literature by examining if a black

woman’s hairstyle impacted perceptions of her personality and earning potential.

Participants were presented with an image of a black woman with one of four

hairstyles and asked to assess aspects of her personality and career. Results

revealed that regardless of hairstyle, participants had similar perceptions of the

woman’s warmth, attractiveness and professionalism. There were no gender

differences; however, black participants found the afro condition to reflect the

highest competence levels, while white participants preferred the curly condition.

Perceived Profession

An extensive body of research has focused on how skin tone, hair length, and

body type affect perceptions of attractiveness in black women (Capodilupo, 2015).

In general, the results reveal that features that align with Eurocentric beauty

standards (i.e. lighter skin, longer hair) are considered to be more attractive

(Robinson-Moore, 2008). Attractiveness is an important variable because

observers use it to predict personality and earning potential (Dion, Berscheid, &

Walster 1972; Kramer 2007). For example, Sheppard, Goffin, Lewis, and Olson

(2011) found that observers rated attractive targets’ personalities both more

positively and more accurately than unattractive targets. Umberson and Hughes

(1987) also found that attractiveness helps to predict personal income for those

who are employed.

Although previous research has examined multiple factors related to black

women’s attractiveness, specific hairstyles have not been explored. Thus, the

current study examined whether the hairstyle of a black woman would influence

perceptions of her personality and earning potential. We hypothesized that

participants would rate the straight hair condition as having the highest warmth

and competence scores. We hypothesized that men, compared to women, would be

more likely to rate the straight hair condition as professional.

Method

Race Predicts Competence Ratings

We ran a 2(gender) X 4(condition) ANOVA and found no significant difference on the woman’s competence

ratings. However, another 2 X 4 ANOVA revealed an interaction between race and condition for competence,

F(3, 195) = 2.54, p = .05. In general, black participants preferred the afro condition followed by the curly

condition, and they least preferred the dreadlock condition. White participants preferred the curly condition

followed by the straight condition, and they least preferred the afro condition.

Identification with one’s own race did not predict how participants evaluated the woman. Acceptance of

stereotyping behavior also failed to predict how participants evaluated the woman.

A 2 (gender) X 4 (conditions) ANOVA revealed no significant warmth differences. A 2 (race) by

4(conditions) ANOVA also revealed no warmth differences. In other words, participants, regardless of their

gender or race, perceived all four hairstyle conditions to have similar levels of warmth.

A One-Way ANOVA also revealed no differences across the four conditions on other perceptions. On five-

point scales, participants found all four women to be moderately attractive, 3.55 (SD = .78); professional,

3.73 (SD = .82); and to have an earning potential that matches the national average, 3.22 (SD = .67).
1) Regardless of hairstyle, participants rated the woman as being

attractive, professional, and an average earner. The curly condition

was perceived to be a company director, while the other women were

assumed to be secretaries.

2) The participants rated all hairstyle conditions similarly on warmth, a

variable that included factors such as happiness, tolerance, and patience.

3) Participant gender did not predict how participants responded to

the four hairstyle conditions.

4) The competence ratings differed across four hairstyles between races.

In general, black participants rated the afro condition as most competent

and the dreadlock condition as least competent. White participants rated

the curly condition as most and the afro condition as least competent.

5) Although race predicted perceptions, how much participants

identified with their own race and how much participants accepted

stereotyping behaviors did not predict perceptions.

Participants ranked jobs that the woman was likely to hold. The curly

condition was more likely to be perceived as the company director than any

other condition, F(3, 232) = 3.60, p =.014.The lighter the skin tone of the

participants, the less they perceived the woman as a professor, r(225) = -.16,

p = .016.

Participants

Participants were 105 men and 128 women recruited through college classrooms

and social media. Participants self-reported their race as 49% white, 32.5% black,

and 18.5% other ethnicities. The mean age was 22.16 (SD = 5.24), with a range of

18 to 57. Participant race, age, and gender were similar across conditions.

Materials

Participants responded to an online survey. We took a single image of a black

woman, age 35, and using Adobe Photoshop®, incorporated four hairstyles onto

the image: dreadlocks, straight hair, curly hair, and an afro. One photograph was

randomly generated for each participant to view. While the image was visible,

participants assessed the target individual’s warmth and competence (Fiske,

Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002). Next, participants evaluated the woman’s earning

potential and her likely career (methodology based on Nash et al, 2006). The

image was removed, and participants completed the Acceptability of Stereotyping

Behavior Scale (Carter, Hall, Carney, & Rosip, 2006), the Multiple Ethnicity

Identification Measure to assess identification with members of their racial or

ethnic group (Phinney, 1992), and the Skin Tone Scale which asked participants to

match their own skin tone to pictures in the scale (Massey & Martin, 2003). Last,

participants responded to demographic questions.

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References
Capodilupo. C. M. (2015). One size does not fit all: Using variables other than the thin ideal to understand black women’s

body image. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 21(2), 268-278.

Carter, J. D., Hall J.A., Carney, D.R., & Rosip, J.C. (2006). Individual differences in the acceptability of stereotyping.

Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 1103-1108.

Dion, K., Berscheid, E., & Walster, E. (1972). What is beautiful is good. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology, 24(3), 285.

Fiske, S. T., Cuddy, A. J. C., Glick, P., & Xu, J. (2002). A model of (often mixed) stereotype content: Competence and

warmth respectively follow from status and competition. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 878 –902.

Kramer, A. E. (2007). The effect of female physical attractiveness when managers rank candidate resumes for a traditional

male-oriented manufacturing role (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).

Massey, D. S., & Martin J.A., (2003). The NIS skin color scale. Office of Population Research, Princeton.

Nash, R., Fieldman, G., Hussey, T., Leveque, J.L., & Pineau, P. (2006). Cosmetics: They influence more than Caucasian

female facial attractiveness. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36, 493-504.

Phinney, J. (1992). The multigroup ethnic identity measure: A new scale for use with adolescents and young adults from

diverse groups. Journal of Adolescent Research, 7, 156-176.

Robinson-Moore, C. L. (2008). Beauty standards reflect Eurocentric paradigms–So what? Skin color, identity, and black female

beauty. Journal of Race & Policy, 4(1), 66-85.

Sheppard, L. D., Goffin, R.D., Lewis R.J., & Olson, J. (2011). The effect of target attractiveness and rating method on the

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1 = Company Director

2 = Administrative Assistant

3 = Professor

1 = Administrative Assistant / 2 = Professor / 3 = Company Director