Popularity and Gender Prototypicality: An Experimental Approach

Abstract

These studies investigate links between conformity to gender norms and adolescents’ peer popularity. Previous research has established that popularity is associated with physical attractiveness in both boys and girls, as well as with gender-specific behaviors and activities (e.g., physical aggression and athletic involvement for boys, relational aggression and having stylish clothes for girls; (Vaillancourt & Hymel, 2005)) that often reflect gender-based expectations. However, research linking gender conformity with popularity is largely correlational in nature. Thus, the goal of the current studies was to examine the link between popularity and gender conformity experimentally. After being exposed to either a popularity priming condition or a neutral control, participants rated photographs (Study 1) and vignettes (Study 2) depicting gender-conforming and gender-nonconforming adolescents’ appearance and behavior on a number of popularity-related characteristics. Results indicate that gender typicality in appearance, but not behavior, is associated with popularity. Gender typicality may be a key predictor of adolescent popularity, but only as it pertains to physical appearance.