Women with ‘sexy’ profiles considered less competent

Young women who post revealing photos on social media sites are viewed by their female peers as less physically and socially attractive and less competent to perform tasks, a new study suggests.

The findings are based on an experiment conducted using a fictitious Facebook profile. “This is a clear indictment of sexy social media photos,” said Elizabeth Daniels, an assistant professor of psychology at the Oregon State University.

“There is so much pressure on teen girls and young women to portray themselves as sexy, but sharing those sexy photos on-line may have more negative consequences than positive,” Ms Daniels said.

Girls and young women are in a “no-win” situation when it comes to their Facebook photos, Daniels said. Those who post sexy photos may risk negative reactions from their peers, but those who post more wholesome photos may lose out on social rewards, including attention from boys and men, she said.

“Social media is where the youth are. We need to understand what they're doing on-line and how that affects their self-concept and their self-esteem,” she said.