The Role of Power, Social Dominance Orientation, and Masculinity in Shaping Endorsement of Prescriptive Beauty Norms

This research examined why prescriptive beauty norms (PBN)—the belief that women should invest time, effort, and resources into their appearance—remain so powerful in contemporary societies. Across two studies conducted in Türkiye, we investigated whether these norms are anchored in traditional masculinity ideology and hierarchy-enhancing motives. In Study 1 (N = 381), traditional masculinity ideology predicted stronger endorsement of PBN, even after controlling for hostile and benevolent sexism and other components of the beauty myth. In Study 2 (N = 239), a gender-atypical feedback manipulation successfully elicited discomfort among men, consistent with precarious manhood theory, but did not change their endorsement of social dominance orientation (SDO), power values, or PBN. Together, these findings suggest that while masculinity-related beliefs and hierarchy-enhancing values may be associated with the endorsement of prescriptive beauty expectations, situational threats to masculinity do not necessarily produce immediate shifts in these beliefs. In the second study, power values emerged as a modest predictor of PBN, whereas the experimental manipulation itself did not influence these attitudes. These results suggest that men’s endorsement of prescriptive beauty expectations may be associated with broader gender-role expectations and status-related motives, while also appearing relatively resistant to change following a brief situational manipulation. Understanding beauty norms may inform the work of therapists, educators, activists, and policymakers seeking to reduce appearance-related pressures and promote more equitable gender relations.