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Signs of status in bridal portraits

Sociological Forum

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Abstract

Subjects were shown a series of 17 portraits of brides whose educational levels were known. Brides with a baccalaurate degree are assumed here to be of higher social class than brides who did not attend or complete college. Subjects could usually guess the social class of the brides who were pictured. Facially beautiful brides, and those with particular hair and hat styles, were especially likely to be regarded as belonging to the upper class. When the brides' facial features were blanked out, subjects could still usually guess their social class, apparently on the basis of hair and hat styles.

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Mazur, A. Signs of status in bridal portraits. Sociol Forum 8, 273–283 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01115493

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