Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6038-9394
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1662-6089
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-29-2024
Publication Title
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X24000031
Abstract
Research finds that individuals of dark complexions are more likely to face prejudice or be discriminated against in a variety of contexts. Referred to as colorism, skin-tone-based discrimination has major implications for various life outcomes. Research on social interactions suggests that lighter skin tones are associated with a higher level of physical attractiveness, which is of particular interest for this study. This study uses quantitative survey data collected from undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States to explore the relationship between colorism, gender, and perceived physical attraction via a modified version of Harvey, Tennial, and Bank’s In-Group Colorism Scale (ICS). Analyses measured the relationship between a participant’s own skin tone, which was self-assessed via comparison to images modeled after make-up swatches, and results on a subscale of the ICS which measures attraction to lighter skin tones. Our results suggest that gender has a significant impact on perceived physical attractiveness, with male-identifying participants placing more weight on the significance of skin tone when determining physical attraction. Implications for future research and translational implications are also discussed.
Recommended Citation
Vitro, Callie and Carter, Talisa J., "Sex Matters The Impact of Skin Tone on Perceived Levels of Attraction" (2024). Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications. 294.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/criminaljusticefacpub/294
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
This article was published under the Open Access Publishing Agreement between the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Cambridge University Press.
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use.