Gendered prototypes relate to aesthetic evaluation of sport movements and judgments of female athletes

Abstract Despite increasing visibility of women in sport, athletes are often evaluated relative to gendered expectations that may shape how their performances are perceived. The present study examined whether aesthetic evaluations of sport movements differ systematically as a function of athlete sex and sport gender-typing. Drawing on processing fluency theory, we tested whether performances that align with gendered prototypes are evaluated differently than those that deviate from them. A total of 117 participants first categorized 15 sports as masculine, feminine, or gender-neutral and subsequently evaluated 60 video clips showing female and male athletes performing prototypical movements. In addition to rating aesthetic appeal, participants completed a forced-choice task selecting the most aesthetically pleasing performance within each sport. Aesthetic evaluations varied as a function of athlete sex and sport gender-typing. Movements performed by female athletes received higher aesthetic ratings in feminine and neutral sports, whereas no significant differences in aesthetic ratings emerged in masculine sports. Forced-choice judgments showed stronger alignment with gender-typical expectations, favoring male athletes in masculine sports. These findings suggest that aesthetic evaluations of sport movements vary by athlete sex and sport gender-typing, although the mechanisms underlying these differences remain to be established.