Looking the Part: How Appearance and Media Coverage Affect Success in the Masculine World of Politics
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Date
2016-06
Authors
Bartruff, Olivia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
This thesis examines the role of appearance in candidate electability. particularly
for women who entre the male-dominated political realm. It primarily studies the
national political arena and inspects how the media influence the political discussion
through appearance-based coverage. This thesis was mainly an analysis of recent
political science and media studies literature as well as primary news and new media
sources. The literature findings were supplemented by a study on the effect of outfit to
public perceptions of candidates. This thesis combines the appearance-political research
with the appearance-media research to present a holistic picture of the role of
appearance in the political landscape and revealed the importance of media to
appearance-based judgments.
Research review revealed that split-second appearance-based character
judgments of political candidates are indicative of actual election outcomes. particularly
determinations of competence. Male faces are often rated as more competent than
female faces, indicating a bias toward masculinity in political candidates. However. the
study conducted for this thesis showed that female candidates may not be inherently at a
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disadvantage because of their femaleness, regardless of the femininity of their outfit. It
also found that a suit does not necessarily make a candidate more electable. While the
strength of inherent bias against female candidates is not conclusive, the media’s
discussion of female candidate appearance disadvantages women vying for political
office and discourages them from running.
Description
67 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Journalism and Communications and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2016.
Keywords
Media studies, Politics, Gender, Appearance, Bias, Visual media, Clothing