The Influence of Clothing Fashion and Race on the Perceived Socioeconomic Status and Person Perception of College Students - Abstract and Key Findings

Sep 11, 2026

College students (N=168) evaluated photographs of African-American or Caucasian female models wearing grey sweatshirts labeled with Kmart, Abercrombie & Fitch, or no logo. Ratings showed the Caucasian model was judged more favorably overall. The AF sweatshirt received the highest perceived socioeconomic status (SES) ratings, while Kmart received the lowest. Additional person-perception outcomes, including sociability patterns, are discussed alongside model-race and dress-condition interactions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPosters

FormatPDF

Pages1

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Introduction

Current Study Hypotheses

Method

Participants

Materials & Procedure

Results

Perceived model SES

Success, importance, and sociability

Discussion

The Influence of Clothing Fashion and Race on the Perceived Socioeconomic Status and Person Perception of College Students Lauren A. McDermott Terry F. Pettijohn II U.S. Census Bureau Coastal Carolina University, Conway, South Carolina | Abstract | | --- | | College students (N=168) viewed photographs of African-American or Caucasian female models wearing grey sweatshirts with Kmart, Abercrombie & Fitch (AF), or no logo. Participants rated the Caucasian model more favorably overall. The AF sweatshirt was rated highest and Kmart was rated lowest in SES. Other person perception results, including sociability rating interactions with model race and dress, are discussed. | | Introduction | | The field of social psychology has a vast literature related to person perception, attribution, categorization, and impression formation (Davis & Lennon, 1988; Gilovich, Keltner, & Nisbett, 2011) . When meeting a stranger, skin color and clothing are two important characteristics used to formulate a first impression.
There have been many interesting studies considering the influence of clothing on the judgments of strangers. Johnson, Francis, and Burns (2007) explain the importance of clothing in revealing a person’s personality. For example, clothing is very important to job candidates going on interviews.
Choice in clothing can communicate responsibility, status, power, and the ability to be successful (Turner-Bowker, 2001) . When teachers dress more formally, they are rated as more competent (Morris et al. , 1996) . Designer/name brand clothing also carries social perceptions related to status. Owning store brand jeans led to more negative person perceptions than designer/name brand jeans in a study of college students (Workman, 1988) . Clothing can also be used to stereotype and discriminate. Shoppers wearing pro-gay slogan shirts were less likely to receive help than shoppers wearing unmarked shirts (Cray, Russell,& Blockley, 1991) . | | Current Study Hypotheses | | In the current research, models wearing a low status sweatshirt logo were predicted to be rated as low socioeconomic status (SES) and models wearing a high status sweatshirt logo were predicted to berated as high SES. In addition, an interaction effect was predicted between model race and sweatshirt status. Caucasian models wearing the high status sweatshirt were predicted to be rated most positively and the African-American models wearing the low status sweatshirt were predicted to be rated least positively on potential success, attractiveness, and other interpersonal dimensions. | | Method | | --- | | Participants
One hundred and sixty eight (68 men, 100 women) undergraduates from a small, private college participated in this study. The average age of the participants was 20 .29 (SD=4 .06; range=18-50) . The majority of participants were Caucasian (84 .3%), but also included African-American (3 .6%), Hispanic (6%), Asian American (4 .3%) and“other” (1 .8%) ethnicities. Participants were enrolled in psychology courses and completed the research for partial fulfillment of a research participation requirement.
Materials & Procedure
Participants were randomly assigned to view oneof six model/clothing photograph combinationsand complete a series of ratings. Models included either a Caucasian or an African-American college student, matched for level of attractiveness, SES, and age. Clothing conditions included a grey hooded sweatshirt with a Kmart (low status), Abercrombie & Fitch (AF; high status), or no logo (see Model Photographs) . The sweatshirts were created for the study with iron-on logos.
Participants rated the photo on SES using a 9-point Likert scale (1=Lower Class, 5=Middle Class, and 9=Upper Class) . Several other dimensions related to status, intelligence, attractiveness, and sociability were also rated using a 5-point Likert scale (1=Strongly Disagree and 5=Strongly Agree) . | | Model Photographs | | | | Results | | --- | | A 3 (sweatshir

FAQs

How did the sweatshirt brand affect perceived socioeconomic status (SES)?

Participants rated the Abercrombie & Fitch (AF) sweatshirt highest in SES and the Kmart sweatshirt lowest. No significant interaction between sweatshirt status and model race was reported for the SES analysis.

Did model race influence overall person perception?

Yes. The Caucasian model was rated higher in SES and also evaluated as more successful, attractive, and intelligent overall compared with the African-American model.

What sociability patterns were observed across model race and sweatshirt condition?

When wearing the Kmart sweatshirt, the Caucasian model was believed to have the least friends, while the African-American model was believed to have the most. Participants’ willingness to befriend followed similar patterns across the plain, Kmart, and AF conditions.

Sep 11, 2026

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