You look “mahvelous”: The pursuit of beauty and the marketing concept

Research has repeatedly shown that substantial benefits accrue to those who are attractive. Knowledge of such benefits seems to be shared by the general public, and billions of dollars annually are spent on appearance-enhancing products. This article examines the functions of adornments and their linkage to attractiveness assessments. In addition, a number of influences on level of adornment usage are described. Finally, consequences for marketers are discussed along with a proposed research agenda.

[1]  G. I. Schulman,et al.  Perceiving The Male Versus The Female Face , 1986 .

[2]  Marsha L. Richins.  Social Comparison and the Idealized Images of Advertising , 1991 .

[3]  Gordon L. Patzer,et al.  The Physical Attractiveness Phenomena , 1985 .

[4]  A. C. Downs,et al.  Embarrassing age spots or just plain ugly? Physical attractiveness stereotyping as an instrument of sexism on american television commercials , 1985 .

[5]  Lori A. Roggman,et al.  Infant preferences for attractive faces: Rudiments of a stereotype? , 1987 .

[6]  K. Dion,et al.  The Incentive Value of Physical Attractiveness for Young Children , 1976 .

[7]  G. Adams,et al.  Personality and Social Influence Styles of Attractive and Unattractive College Women , 1983 .

[8]  Peter M. Gollwitzer,et al.  Symbolic self-completion , 1982 .

[9]  P. N. Hamid.  Style of Dress as a Perceptual Cue in Impression Formation , 1968, Perceptual and motor skills.

[10]  E. T. Wright,et al.  Some Psychological Effects of Cosmetics , 1970, Perceptual and motor skills.

[11]  William H. Glick,et al.  Resume evaluations and cosmetics use: When more is not better , 1986 .

[12]  R. Brain.  The Decorated Body , 1979 .

[13]  D Byrne,et al.  The effects of physical attractiveness, sex, and attitude similarity on interpersonal attraction. , 1968, Journal of personality.

[14]  Barbara B. Stern,et al.  Gender schema and fashion consciousness , 1989 .

[15]  T. Hoult.  Experimental Measurement of Clothing as a Factor in Some Social Ratings of Selected American Men , 1954 .

[16]  Rebecca H. Holman,et al.  A Sociological Approach to Brand Choice: the Concept of Situational Self Image , 1980 .

[17]  T. F. Cash.  The Psychology of Cosmetics: A Research Bibliography , 1988 .

[18]  T. F. Cash,et al.  Women's use of cosmetics: psychosocial correlates and consequences , 1982, International journal of cosmetic science.

[19]  R. Freedman.  Reflections on beauty as it relates to health in adolescent females. , 1984, Women & health.

[20]  T. F. Cash,et al.  Not Just Another Pretty Face , 1985 .

[21]  E. Hirschman,et al.  Hedonic Consumption: Emerging Concepts, Methods and Propositions , 1982 .

[22]  M. Sirgy,et al.  Self-Concept in Consumer Behavior: A Critical Review , 1982 .

[23]  Jean Baudrillard,et al.  3 For a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign , 1980, Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings.

[24]  P. S. Raju.  Optimum Stimulation Level: Its Relationship to Personality, Demographics, and Exploratory Behavior , 1980 .

[25]  Rebecca H. Holman.  Apparel As Communication , 1981 .

[26]  P. Lewis,et al.  Beautiful is good: Evidence that the physically attractive are more socially skillful , 1977 .

[27]  T. Brown,et al.  Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness Among College Students: Selected Determinants and Methodological Matters , 1986 .

[28]  Gerald R. Adams,et al.  Physical Attractiveness Research , 1977 .

[29]  S. Franzoi,et al.  Judging Physical Attractiveness , 1987 .

[30]  Arnie Cann,et al.  Forced attention to specific applicant qualifications: Impact on physical attractiveness and sex of applicant biases. , 1981 .

[31]  K. J. Bindas,et al.  Adorned in Dreams: Fashion and Modernity , 1990 .

[32]  R. Peterson.  Bulemia and anorexia in an advertising context , 1987 .

[33]  Alexis S. Tan.  TV Beauty Ads and Role Expectations of Adolescent Female Viewers , 1979 .

[34]  A. Kernaleguen,et al.  Importance of Cosmetics Related to Aspects of the Self , 1979 .

[35]  J. Graham,et al.  The effects of cosmetics on person perception , 1981, International journal of cosmetic science.

[36]  M. R. Solomon.  The Role of Products as Social Stimuli: A Symbolic Interactionism Perspective , 1983 .

[37]  J. B. Kernan,et al.  Meaning, value, and the theory of promotion. , 1967, The Journal of communication.

[38]  B. Barak,et al.  Public Self-Consciousness and Consumption Behavior , 1988 .

[39]  Michael R. Solomon,et al.  Self-Consciousness and Clothing , 1982 .

[40]  J. Hewitt,et al.  Attire and Attractiveness , 1987 .

[41]  L. C. Miller,et al.  For Appearances' Sake , 1982 .

[42]  P. N. Hamid.  Some Effects of Dress Cues on Observational Accuracy, a Perceptual Estimate, and Impression Formation , 1972 .

[43]  D. D. Cahoon,et al.  Female clothes preference related to male sexual interest , 1984 .

[44]  D. Garner,et al.  Cultural Expectations of Thinness in Women , 1980, Psychological reports.