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The Roles of Stereotypes and Group Norms on Perceptions of Bodily Attractiveness

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The Body Beautiful

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Abstract

Research on social stereotypes has enjoyed a long history in psychology and related fields. Although many definitions of a stereotype exist, researchers generally believe that ‘stereotypes are qualities perceived to be associated with particular groups or categories of people’ (Schneider, 2004: 24). Many have used stereotypes to understand the impact of attractiveness on social situations or personality (Eagly, Ashmore, Makhijani, & Longo, 1991;Feingold, 1992). The overwhelming majority of research on the attractiveness stereotype has focused on how individuals perceive attractive people or how well attractiveness correlates with a range of traits or behaviours. However, the social processes that contribute to attractiveness stereotyping are of equal theoretical importance.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mount Sinai School of Medicine, USA

    Tom Hildebrandt (Assistant Professor of Psychiatry of the Eating and Weight Disorders Program)

  2. University of Hawaii, USA

    Janet D. Latner (Assistant Professor of Psychology)

Authors
  1. Tom Hildebrandt
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  2. Janet D. Latner
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Liverpool, UK

    Viren Swami (Research Associate) (Research Associate)

  2. University College London, UK

    Adrian Furnham (Professor of Psychology) (Professor of Psychology)

Copyright information

© 2007 Tom Hildebrandt and Janet D. Latner

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Hildebrandt, T., Latner, J.D. (2007). The Roles of Stereotypes and Group Norms on Perceptions of Bodily Attractiveness. In: Swami, V., Furnham, A. (eds) The Body Beautiful. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230596887_11

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