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Women’s Perceptions of Sexual Exploitability Cues and Their Link to Sexual Attractiveness

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Abstract

Two studies examined women’s perception of the relationship between sexual exploitability and sexual attractiveness and women’s use of cues to sexual exploitability to signal sexual accessibility. Study 1 (N = 77) found that women accurately assessed other women displaying cues to sexual exploitability both as sexually exploitable and sexually attractive to men. Study 2 (N = 74) tested the predictions that women who were dispositionally inclined toward short-term mating, who were not in a committed relationship, and who perceived themselves to be low in mate value would be more likely to display cues to sexual exploitability as a mate attraction tactic. Results supported the first prediction. These results suggest that a subset of women, those dispositionally inclined toward a short-term mating strategy, employ the risky strategy of signaling sexual accessibility using cues to exploitability to advance their mating goals.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, 108 E. Dean Keeton Stop A8000, Austin, TX, 78712-1043, USA

    Cari D. Goetz & David M. Buss

  2. Psychology Department, Undergraduate Academic Center, Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, TX, USA

    Judith A. Easton

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  1. Cari D. Goetz
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  2. Judith A. Easton
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  3. David M. Buss
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Correspondence to Cari D. Goetz.

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Goetz, C.D., Easton, J.A. & Buss, D.M. Women’s Perceptions of Sexual Exploitability Cues and Their Link to Sexual Attractiveness. Arch Sex Behav 43, 999–1008 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0188-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0188-8

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