Sexy social media photos disproportionately penalize female candidates’ professional outcomes: Evidence of a sexual double standard

Social media accounts are built primarily to bolster social connections. But decision makers increasingly use information on candidates’ social media to make professional selection decisions. The present work documents a sexual double standard (SDS) in how candidates’ “sexy” social media photos shape professional selection decisions. Across four studies (N = 813; American and Chinese university students in Studies 1a and 1b, respectively; American adults with hiring experience in Studies 2-3), participants evaluated candidates for a desirable scholarship or job position. When participants saw candidates’ self-sexualized social media photos (vs. semi-professional photos, or other non-sexual photos unrelated to work), they were significantly less likely to choose the female candidate. The penalty to female candidates occurred even for candidates with unequivocally strong qualifications. The robust evidence of SDS in how sexy social media photos bias professional selection decisions has implications for organizations seeking to promote equity, diversity, and inclusion.