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ACT I - Study shows women view flashy men as short-term mate seekers
A prairie chicken displaying bright colors. For men it would be the equivalent of displaying a flashy status symbol like expensive jewelry, loud designer clothes, or a fancy car (preferrably red).
by Joseph Earnest April 18, 2012
Newscast Media NEW YORK—A study done by Houston's very own Rice university shows that men who demonstrate conspicuous(visible) consumption do so as a mating strategy, and this strategy is triggered specifically by short-term (vs. long-term) mating motives.
Another term for conspicuous consumption is referred to as "peacocking", which is the process by which a man attempts to attract a woman's attention by wearing a flashy bright-colored piece of clothing, or driving a fancy car that stands out like a Porsche or Lamborghini. Overall, these findings suggest that flaunting flashy materialistic goods to potential mates is not simply about displaying economic resources. Instead, conspicuous consumption appears to be part of a more precise signaling system focused on short-term mating.
Looking at conspicuous consumption from an evolutionary angle, the behavior mirrors that which is displayed in the animal kingdom. Male peacocks are known for the display of their beautiful tail feathers, the purpose of which is to exhibit value toward the female peacock.
In the animal kingdom, the lions with the larger manes tend to attract more lionesses. The lionesses view the size of the mane as a sign of potency and strength because the large mane protects the lion from lethal neck wounds during a fight. If a lion is more likely to survive in a fight, then there is a high likelihood that it is a potent male and is able to continue the bloodline. In the animal kingdom, it is therefore the males that tend to have more feathers or fur than the females, because the more the feathers or fur, the more spectacular the display will be during the mating dance.
The study suggests that males that display conspicuous consumption may be chosen by females for the short-term, while those that do not display conspicuous consumption are likely to be chosen for the long-term. This is because men who are viewed as long-term material have already developed the necessary traits to attract females and do not need to resort to peacocking to get a woman's attention.
Yet despite such behavioral displays on the male side, women too, are very conscious about the way they look and how they are perceived based on external factors. A week ago Ashley Judd, the actress, wrote a column in which she said she was upset about being criticized for having let her face become puffy.
In her article on the Daily Beast that went viral, Judd said, "I choose to address it because the conversation was pointedly nasty, gendered, and misogynistic and embodies what all girls and women in our culture, to a greater or lesser degree, endure every day, in ways both outrageous and subtle. The assault on our body image, the hypersexualization of girls and women and subsequent degradation of our sexuality as we walk through the decades, and the general incessant objectification is what this conversation allegedly about my face is really about."
The most poignant statement she made in the article was that people are now saying: “Ashley has lost her familiar beauty audiences loved her for.” You may read the entire article here. (pop-up)
However, women can be the most cruel and critical toward each other in regard to physical appearance. A week before Ashley Judd lamented about being valued only for the physical aspect of who she truly is, Joy Behar called the very pregnant Jessica Simpson "fat" on the ABC show The View on Tuesday April 3. About Simpson, the co-host said: "Remember the time that Jessica Simpson was criticized because she didn't know the difference between chicken and tuna? That kind of thing is more fun to criticize than the fact that the girl is fat."
Sarah Palin's reaction to Joy Behar's criticism was swift: "I would have wanted to punch [Jessica's critics] in the neck. It's none of anybody else's business how much weight I would gain," said the former Alaska governor on the TODAY show. The interchange was carried by US Weekly in this article. (pop-up)
There is a common thread throughout the dialogue, and it appears that much more than anything else, these women want is to be treated with respect for their inconspicuous value. While that is the way every human should be treated regardless of gender, women have confused men in regard to how they should be approached. ACT II - Find out how men approach women>>
Related articles:
ACT II - How women view men-the act of approaching
ACT III- How women view men-the evidence of beauty in invisible realm
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