(Image source: Vaillancourt and Sharma / Box.com)
BY STEVEN SPARKMAN
Ever wondered why the ladies on “The Bachelor” are so cutthroat? Could it be genetics? New research suggests these women are just reacting the way nearly all women do in the presence of a rival.
“A new study of competition among women suggests that they are ‘bitchy’ towards each other because they are evolutionarily programmed to be that way. ..That is, that women are ‘particularly intolerant of sexy attractive peers.’”
The study was authored by University of Ottawa professor Tracy Vaillancourt. In the experiment, researchers told college-age women they were participating in a study on conflict, then sent pairs of women into a waiting area.
While they were waiting, an assistant reports are calling “Lisa” briefly visited the room. She was wearing either chinos and a plain shirt, or a mini-skirt and low-cut shirt. Everything she did was scripted to be sure her appearance was the only difference. (Image source: Vaillancourt and Sharma / Box.com)
The test subjects’ reactions to Lisa were recorded, both during and after her visit. An independent group of women, who couldn’t see the Lisa, watched the videos and rated the subjects’ ... well, bitchiness. Researchers words, not ours.
The results were almost universal. Here’s the Vancouver Sun.
“Results showed that almost all women were aggressive toward the attractive peer. The women in this situation were more likely to roll their eyes at their peer, stare her up and down and show anger while she was in the room. When she left the room, many of them laughed at her, ridiculed her appearance, and/or suggested that she was sexually available.”
When Lisa was dressed conservatively, few of the subjects even noticed her at all. When she was dressed provocatively, they often made disparaging comments, sometimes to her face. Vaillancourt told the Globe and Mail her experiment shows how women attack sexual rivals.
“ We have this instinctual response to people who defy social conventions in a way that threatens the group. … It’s women who suppress the sexuality of other women.”
But a writer for the Ottawa Citizen thinks the study’s authors are going overboard with their conclusions. She says instead of sexual rivalry and evolutionary programming, maybe it’s just about professionalism?
“Now, I’m not dismissing the idea that women compete in overt and subconscious ways for men. … What I do ask is this: Who the hell dresses like this for work? … I would suggest that at least some women rolled their eyes because they don’t approve of women dressing so provocatively at the office... That may be judgemental, but it’s not the same as seeing Sexy Lisa as a rival.”
The authors followed up the study by showing women photos of either Conservative Lisa or Sexy Lisa and asking whether they would trust her around their boyfriends. You can probably guess the results.
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