Welcome to 2017, ladies; where women are still judged by what they wear, and how they wear it.
A study by Dr. Alfredo Gaitan, from the University of Bedfordshire, has revealed that women who wear more 'sexualised' clothing are deemed to be more intelligent - *eye-roll*
The study in question polled 64 students, with an average age of 21, and asked them to rank a picture of the same woman in two different outfits on her intelligence, as well as a number of other factors such as faithfulness, job status, morality, and personality.
In the first picture, the woman in question was wearing a low-cut top and a short skirt and jacket. In the second picture, the same woman wore a longer skirt and a more skin-covering top.
Contrary to a number of previous studies which claim revealing clothing makes women appear less intelligent, the results of Dr. Gaitan's study found that it was the ‘sexualised’ clothing which resulted in higher intelligence and faithfulness ratings.
So, basically; the shorter skirt, the higher the IQ - makes sense, right?! There was no significant change in the other factors based on what the woman was wearing.
While we appreciate that this is positive in many ways, as it is the exact opposite to the theory of slut-shaming, and women who dress provocatively being deemed as less intelligent; it is sad that we are still being judged by what we wear.
It should not be clothing that defines us, and how other people perceive our levels of intelligence.
Dr. Gaitan's research is based on the question: "Have attitudes changed so much that people are not making negative judgements based on a woman's dress?"
He claims that, "We think there are still negative attitudes out there, but perhaps people are seeing the sexy look more positively."
Mums - wear whatever you want, and don't let anyone ever judge you for it.
