Can success deflect racism? Clothing and perceptions of African American men

We examined the effect of different clothing styles on the perceptions of African American men. Using a between-group design, we tested whether participants perception of African American models wearing sweatpants and sweatshirts ("swagger"), clothing showing they won an event, or formal clothing, would vary. Participants (N = 143) viewed four African American models in one of three conditions. Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) with Symbolic Racism Scale scores as a covariate revealed that participants rated models in Formal clothing significantly higher than models in winning clothing in intelligence, p <.001, trustworthiness, p <.001, and warmth p =.005. Models wearing formal clothing or winning clothing were also rated significantly higher than models wearing swagger clothing on several traits. Participant's Symbolic Racism Score significantly affected their ratings of models. Results suggest that the clothing that an African American wears, as well as viewer prejudice, affects the impression that the viewer makes.

SOCIAL COGNITION AND THE STUDY OF CLOTHING AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR

This paper integrates theoretical and methodological perspective involved with research in social cognition with literature from the clothing and human behavior area. It is found that theory and research from cognitive psychology serve as a suitable and relevant framework for the study of clothing and human behavior. Recommendations are made to researchers with regards to the effective integration of these two areas.

Stereotypes of athletes

To ascertain whether racial and sexual stereotypes of athletes exist, 140 female junior high school students rated six descriptions of athletes which were presented as pertaining to a male or female Black, Chicano, or Anglo athlete. No evidence for ethnic or sexual stereotyping was found, although descriptions of athletes in different sports were rated differently.