New insights into how women influence each other in appearance choices
Researchers from Charles Sturt University in Australia have explored an unsettling pattern: women sometimes give harmful hairstyle advice to other women in ways that could dim the target’s perceived attractiveness to men and shrink competition. The findings, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, prompt a closer look at how social dynamics around beauty operate in real life and online.
Experts note that this behaviour can occur even among women who do not know each other well. The implication is that a tendency to undermine potential rivals may be present beyond recognizable personal conflicts, hinting at a deeper, perhaps instinctive, mechanism that shapes social competition among women.
The study aimed to test whether sexual selection pressures among women would surface in the context of giving appearance advice to hypothetical salon customers. The goal was to see if women would advise others to alter their hair in ways that could reduce perceived attractiveness, and under what conditions such advice would be most likely to occur.
One researcher explained that what might seem like a minor topic actually reveals important dynamics about subtle social sabotage. Female aggression often does not come as open threats or physical confrontation; it can be understated and indirect. That subtlety makes it harder to recognize yet essential to understand when evaluating social interactions and dating marketplace dynamics.
The research used two separate studies involving 450 women aged 17 to 67. Participants were shown pretend beauty salon clients whose portraits varied in attractiveness and hair length preferences. They were asked to recommend how much hair should be cut in each scenario, offering a window into how perceived competition could shape seemingly casual feedback.
Results indicated that women who reported greater cross gender competition were more prone to suggest shorter haircuts for rivals. The driving idea appears to be a strategic attempt to shape the rival’s appearance in a way that could tilt the dating or social playing field. The effect was most pronounced when the participant and the imagined client had a similar level of attractiveness, suggesting that direct comparison heightens competitive pressures.
As the lead researcher noted, the finding points to a broader reality: some women may engage in sabotage of other women for reasons that are not immediately obvious. The study contributes to a growing conversation about how subtle social cues and gendered expectations influence everyday interactions, including casual conversations about grooming and style. These dynamics matter because they reflect how people navigate social hierarchy and perceived threat in intimate and social contexts in modern life [PID study, 2023].
In the broader conversation about impression management, this line of inquiry helps explain why some discussions about appearance can feel loaded or competitive. Retouched or edited images in dating profiles, for instance, can further complicate trust and credibility, underscoring the impact of appearance-related advice and the biases that accompany it. The research invites reflection on the roles people play in shaping others’ beauty choices and the subtle power plays that can accompany everyday recommendations [PID study, 2023].
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