MENS RELATIONS TO HYPOTHETICAL FEMALE SEXUAL ADVANCES - A BEAUTY BIASIN RESPONSE TO SEXUAL COERCION

The study investigated 277 college men's reactions to a vignette in wh ich they were to imagine receiving an uninvited sexual advance from a casual female acquaintance. Subjects were predominantly middle-class C aucasian students. The vignette varied in the degree of coercion used (low-touch, moderate-push, high-threat, and very high-weapon). For eac h coercion level, the initiator was described as either very attractiv e or very unattractive. Subjects rated acceptability of the act, feeli ngs of being pleased, violated, and negatively affected by the inciden t, and indicated if they would consent to further sexual activity. Res ults showed that men had significantly more negative reactions to adva nces that employed high and very high levels of force as compared to l ow and moderate levels. A beauty bias was found in that men had more p ositive (or less negative) reactions to the actions of an attractive v s. an unattractive initiator. Men had generally positive reactions to the sexual advance of an attractive woman who used low or moderate lev els of coercion. Reactions to all other vignette situations were predo minantly negative. As a model for future research, it is proposed that male and female reactions to sexual coercion can be predicted by leve ls of violation of sexual standards, force used, initiatior sexual des irability, and romantic relationship with the initiator.