Men Who Value Power and Traditional Masculinity Are More Likely to Support Strict Beauty Standards
The study, titled “The Role of Power, Social Dominance Orientation, and Masculinity in Shaping Endorsement of Prescriptive Beauty Norms,” adds to growing evidence that expectations surrounding women's appearance extend well beyond personal taste. The findings suggest that beauty standards are closely connected to beliefs about power, status and traditional gender roles, helping reinforce social hierarchies rather than simply reflecting individual preferences.
Men who place a stronger value on social power and traditional masculinity are more likely to believe that women should devote considerable time, money and effort to maintaining their appearance, according to the research. Rather than representing simple aesthetic preferences, these expectations appear to form part of a broader belief system that supports traditional gender hierarchies and male authority.
The study, led by psychologist Ece Akca of Ege University in Türkiye and published in the journal Sex Roles, examined why beauty pressure on women remains so persistent. It suggests that expectations surrounding makeup, hair removal, anti-aging routines and other appearance-related practices are closely intertwined with beliefs about masculinity, status and social dominance.
Beauty norms as a form of social control
Akca focused on what researchers call prescriptive beauty norms—the widespread belief that women are expected not only to value beauty but also to invest substantial time, money and effort in achieving it. These expectations go far beyond basic hygiene and include daily makeup, elaborate skincare routines, cosmetic procedures, hair removal and numerous other appearance-focused practices.
The researcher became interested in the topic after observing how social media increasingly portrays intensive beauty routines as normal, even for very young girls. According to Akca, these behaviors are often framed as personal choices, yet they may also reflect powerful social expectations that shape how women are expected to present themselves.
Feminist and psychological theories have long argued that treating beauty as an essential part of womanhood reinforces gender essentialism—the belief that differences between men and women are natural, fixed and deeply meaningful. Such beliefs can be used to justify traditional gender roles and unequal power structures by portraying them as inevitable rather than socially constructed.
Examining masculinity, dominance and beauty expectations
To explore these relationships, Akca examined traditional masculinity ideology, a set of beliefs linking masculinity with toughness, emotional restraint, independence and social authority. She also measured social dominance orientation, which reflects the extent to which people believe some social groups should naturally hold more power than others.
The first study included 183 male university students in Türkiye. Participants completed questionnaires measuring traditional masculinity beliefs, social dominance orientation, hostile sexism, benevolent sexism and support for prescriptive beauty norms.
Hostile sexism reflects openly negative attitudes toward women, whereas benevolent sexism involves seemingly positive but ultimately patronizing beliefs that portray women as needing men's protection while reinforcing traditional gender roles.
The results revealed a clear pattern. Men who more strongly endorsed traditional masculinity were also significantly more likely to support strict beauty expectations for women.
Importantly, this relationship remained even after researchers statistically accounted for both hostile and benevolent sexism. In other words, traditional masculinity itself predicted stronger support for appearance expectations independently of other sexist attitudes.
One finding surprised the researchers. Although social dominance orientation was associated with several attitudes measured in the study, it did not explain why men with stronger traditional masculinity beliefs were more likely to endorse beauty norms.
This suggests that expectations surrounding women's appearance are tied directly to ideals of masculinity rather than simply reflecting a broader preference for inequality between social groups.
Testing whether threatened masculinity changes attitudes
To move beyond simple correlations, Akca conducted a second study involving 163 men recruited online.
The experiment was based on precarious manhood theory, which proposes that masculinity is viewed as a social status that must constantly be demonstrated and defended. According to this theory, men may react strongly when they feel their masculinity has been questioned or threatened.
Participants first completed what they believed was an artificial intelligence personality assessment that would generate an image representing their inner characteristics.
In reality, the feedback was randomly assigned.
Half of the participants received an image of a king and were told their responses reflected confidence, authority and traditionally masculine qualities.
The remaining participants were shown a princess and told their personality reflected sensitivity, delicacy and stereotypically feminine characteristics.
As expected, men who received the feminine feedback reported greater discomfort and were significantly less satisfied with the results, indicating that the manipulation successfully challenged their sense of masculinity.
Afterward, all participants completed additional questionnaires assessing social dominance orientation, personal values related to power and their endorsement of prescriptive beauty norms.
Power values remained an important factor
Although the experimental manipulation did not change attitudes in the short term, the second study revealed another consistent finding.
Across the entire sample, men who placed greater importance on social power and authority were significantly more likely to endorse prescriptive beauty norms for women.
This suggests that long-standing beliefs about status and power are closely connected to expectations that women should devote substantial effort to their appearance. Men who view themselves as entitled to a dominant social position also appear more likely to support appearance standards that place disproportionate demands on women.
Akca cautions that the findings do not establish a clear cause-and-effect relationship. The studies demonstrate that power values, traditional masculinity and beauty expectations are closely linked, but they cannot determine whether one consistently causes the others. Beauty norms may reinforce traditional masculine power just as much as masculinity beliefs encourage stricter expectations about women's appearance.
Cultural context and study limitations
The research was conducted exclusively among men in Türkiye, and the authors note that cultural and religious traditions can strongly influence both gender roles and beauty expectations.
In some societies, appearance-related practices are viewed largely as forms of personal expression. In others, they function as social obligations, where failing to meet accepted beauty standards may carry meaningful social consequences.
Another limitation is that participants completed the study online. Responding anonymously to questionnaires may not create the same psychological pressures as real-life situations where masculinity or social status is publicly challenged.
Researchers suggest that more realistic experimental designs, including face-to-face interactions or public status threats, may produce stronger effects and provide a better understanding of how masculinity influences attitudes toward women's appearance.
Future studies should also include participants from different countries and cultural backgrounds to determine whether these patterns are universal or shaped by local social norms.
Scientists are also becoming increasingly interested in appearance pressure experienced by men themselves, particularly as fitness culture, cosmetic procedures and the men's grooming industry continue to expand.
Akca plans to refine her experimental methods and broaden her research to examine beauty-related pressures affecting both women and men. She argues that understanding how appearance standards reinforce social power structures could help therapists, educators and policymakers develop more effective strategies for reducing appearance-based pressure and promoting greater gender equality.
Article prepared by Victoria Caldwell.
