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Beauty Culture 94 July 2014 | beautystorebusiness.com thinkStockphotos.com Self-Perceived Attractiveness Influences Perceptions of Social Class Researchers found that one's perception of her own physi- cal attractiveness has an even greater effect on her mind-set than previously suspected. Professor Marga- ret Neale and doctoral stu- dent Peter Belmi of Stanford Graduate School of Busi- ness collaborated on the paper "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Fairest of Them All," which found that when a person sees herself as physically attractive, her self-perception leads her to believe that she belongs in a higher social class. To test the connection between people's beliefs about their physical attractiveness and their attitudes toward inequality, the researchers asked their study participants to write about a time when they felt more or less attractive, and then questioned whether the participants agreed with statements such as, "Some groups of people are simply inferior to other groups," and "Lower wages for women and ethnic minorities simply reflect lower skill and education level." The mere memories of bad hair days or the times a good-looking date smiled in their direction affected the way the participants viewed inequality. Considering the former kind of memory, study participants were more likely to see inequality as a problem. Immersed in the latter, they embraced the idea of hierarchies. The researchers also found that self-perceptions of attractiveness even affected how likely a person is to give money to a social inequality cause, in this case, the Occupy movement. Those who were led to believe that they were attractive were less likely to donate. Two studies tested whether self-perceptions of two other character- istics—empathy and integrity—made a difference in how people viewed their social class. The answer: No. Belmi began the research after he noticed that Americans' colossal spending on personal grooming kept up despite the recession. Americans spent at least $200 bil- lion on their physical appearance in 2008—and continue to up the ante. If people were willing to keep spending on beauty products in the face of economic hardship, Belmi reasoned, there might be a reason why. Neale and Belmi concluded that because a person's perception of her place in a social or organizational hierarchy is so important, it may be worthwhile for people to invest money and time in small changes that let them see the image they want when they look in the mirror every morning. As might be concluded, the title "Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Fairest of Them All," is a reference to a line used in the fairy tale Snow White, by the queen who asks her mirror whether she is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. The paper is to be published in the journal "Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Pro- cesses." The series of five studies conducted by Neale and Belmi included both male and female participants. ■ Do you have culturally relevant information that our readers ought to know? Send it to senior editor Manyesha Batist at mbatist@creativeage.com. Are Wrinkle Cream Ingredients Effective? Ever wonder whether wrinkle creams actually work? Well, natural skincare company derma e conducted a consumer study to answer this exact question, using its eight- product Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A line, previously known as Refining Vitamin A. Over a 12-week period, participants used the Anti- Wrinkle Vitamin A products that were best suited for their skin type—dry, oily, combination or normal. At the beginning and end of the trial, facial images of each par- ticipant were recorded and analyzed using a high-powered VisioFace photographic device. Participants also completed a survey to gauge self-perceived benefits of using the line. The following are highlights from the study: After 12 weeks of use the following occurred: • 29% decrease in skin discoloration • 24% decrease in total wrinkle volume • 22% decrease in total wrinkle area • 13% decrease in wrinkle depth The following self-perceived results presented after 12 weeks: • 93% reported visible improvement in dullness • 90% reported visible improvement in skin texture • 90% reported visible improvement in roughness • 84% reported improvement in lines and wrinkles Participant sentiment: • 97% would recommend these products to a friend • 93% felt these products performed better than their current products • 90% would purchase these products in the future Comments about the derma e Anti-Wrinkle line included: • "I love these products!" • "Smells great, and feels great!" • "I liked the ease of the regimen!" • "Felt clean" • "Loved the smell" • "Easy to use" The Anti-Wrinkle Vitamin A line features vitamin A, com- monly referred to as "the skin vitamin," plus antioxidants and botanicals to help visibly dimin- ish discoloration, wrinkles and sun damage, leaving skin soft, smooth and glowing. 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