Gendered Experiences of Appearance-related Perks and Penalties in Finnish Labor Markets

Physical appearance is generally associated with considerable labor-market sanctions, and appearances are thought to be of particular importance in the feminine service sector. However, little is known about workers’ experiences of appearance-based perks and penalties in Nordic labor markets. Drawing on literature on aesthetic capital and labor, this study aims to fill this research gap. The study uses a nationally representative survey (N = 1600) fielded in Finland and multinomial regression to determine whether subjective experiences of appearance-related perks and penalties are gendered, dependent on the field of work or daily work on appearances. Our main finding is that while both men and women experience looks-based perks and penalties, men are more likely to have experienced appearance having a say in salary negotiations. Our results shed light on the gendered logics of aesthetic capital and labor, and question economic understandings of beauty work as a pathway to labor market success for wome

Viideltä saunaan ja kuudelta kuorintaan? : miesten ulkonäöstä huolehtiminen ja ulkonäköön kuluttaminen 2000-luvun Suomessa

Siirretty Doriast

Suomi 2014 – kulutus ja elämäntapa: Tutkimusseloste ja aineistojen 1999–2014 vertailua

Julkaisussa tarkastellaan syksyllä 2014 kerättyä Suomi 2014 – kulutus ja elämäntapa -postikyselyaineistoa. Kyselylomake lähetettiin kaikkiaan 3000 suomenkieliselle 18–74-vuotiaalle Suomessa asuvalle. Otantamenetelmänä käytettiin yksinkertaista satun-naisotantaa. Aineistossa olevien tapausten lukumäärä on 1 354 ja aineiston lopullinen vastausprosentti 46. Aineiston keruusta ja tallennuksesta vastasi Turun yliopiston taloussosiologian oppiaine. Aineiston keruun kustannuksiin osallistuivat lisäksi Turun yliopiston ja Jyväskylän yliopiston sosiologian oppiaineet. Julkaisussa esitellään aluksi aineiston keräämisprosessi sekä arvioidaan aineiston katoa ja sen vaikutusta aineiston edustavuuteen. Sen jälkeen esitellään Suomi 2014 -kyselyssä käytettyjä uusia kysymystyyppejä. Julkaisun lopussa tarkastellaan sitä, miten suomalaisten kulutukseen ja elämäntapaan viittaavat asenteet, arvomaailma ja poliittinen suuntautuminen ovat muuttuneet vuosina 1999–2014.This publication describes the data from Finland 2014 – consumption and lifestyle postal survey. Questionnaires were sent to a total of 3,000 18-74-year-old Finnish-speakers during autumn 2014. The final sample was 1,354 (with a minimum response rate of 46%). The participants were selected using simple random sampling from the Finnish Population Register Database. The first section of this research report describes the data collection procedures, followed by an analysis on non-response, and non-respondents impact on the data representativeness. The second part of the report focuses on the new modules introduced in this latest wave of the survey. The final section of the report examines how attitudes addressing consumption and the way of life, general values, and political orientation have changed in Finland between 1999 and 2014.Siirretty Doriast

Occupation-congruent appearance: a measuremental approach

In this article we introduce a novel measure, which we call ‘occupation-congruent appearance’ (OCA). We argue that the measure captures the appearance norms of looking ‘right’ for a particular occupation. Using a combination of large-scale photograph data (N=1,411) and rating data (N=7,920) from Finland, including 387,542 individual ratings, we show that shared cultural standards for OCA exist, and rate of agreement compares with agreement on beauty standards. We systematically compare the relationship between OCA, attractiveness, and masculinity/femininity in male-dominated, gender-balanced, and female-dominated occupational fields for men and for women. We conclude that occupation-congruent appearance is independent from other typically used measures in studies on appearance and social inequalities. Thus, it seems that OCA can capture the kind of elements of appearance that are not reducible to attractiveness, femininity, and masculinity. We discuss the possibilities for using OCA as a complementary measure for researchers interested in appearance and social inequalities.</p

From double to triple standards of ageing. Perceptions of physical appearance at the intersections of age, gender and class.

Since the 1970s, when Susan Sontag coined the term, discussions on the double standard of ageing has continued to evolve. Recently, scholars of feminist gerontology have called for an intersectional approach to address cultural norms of physical appearance and ageing. In this paper, we aim to investigate whether men and women internalise ageist norms differently; that is, double standards of ageing exist. Second, we explore whether self-identified social class affects the internalisation of these norms. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to examine the double and triple standards of ageing with nationally representative data (N = 1600).Drawing from Bourdieusian capital theory, sociology of the body, consumer culture, and feminist gerontology, we suggest that the double standard of ageing exists for women who feel that ageing erodes their appearance, give more importance to their appearance than men, and fear looking old from an early age. Further, a ‘triple standard’ is also traced. Our results indicate that ageing working-class women are less confident about their appearances than upper-class women. Thus, upper-middle-class women seem less vulnerable to the negative aspects of ageing than women who have less social, cultural, and economic capital to enhance their ageing appearance. The triple standard extends to men as well: appearance is evaluated as equally important by upper-middle-class middle-aged men as by women of similar age and social background. Alternatively, our results could be interpreted as upper-middle-class people experiencing more restrictive norms regarding ageing; that is, such people are compelled to seek anti-ageing solutions and are not allowed to surrender to the natural ageing process.</div

Social Computing and Social Media. Participation, User Experience, Consumer Experience, and Applications of Social Computing

This study examines norms concerning appearance-related commenting on social media. More specifically, the focus of this study is on the approvability of positively commenting on other people’s physical appearance, commenting on other people’s dressing style and commenting on the appearance of public figures. We examined how these norms are predicted by gender and social media usage patterns, while considering also a set of control variables, including age. We approach these questions with unique data, which is nationally representative of the Finnish population aged 18–74 (N = 3,724). Our study offers insights into the discussion on the relationship between social media and appearance-related norms. Our findings suggest a generally positive attitude towards commenting on other people’s appearance if the comment is positive, with almost half of the respondents approving such commenting. By contrast, commenting on someone’s clothing or commenting on the appearance of public figures is considerably less acceptable, with only 20% approving. Our findings reveal that gender, preferred social networking site and age are associated with appearance commenting norms. Women are more likely to approve of positive appearance commentary on social media. However, the propensity to agree on the approvability of appearance commentary is higher for men when it comes to commenting on other people’s dressing or public figures’ appearances. Overall, the users of Instagram and Facebook seem more liberal towards appearance-related comments as compared to those who do not use social media or use other platforms. Additionally, young people were more positive about appearance commenting in all of these aspects.</p