Macho Nachos

The Implicit Effects of Gendered Food Packaging on Preferences for Healthy and Unhealthy Foods

Bibliographic Data

ID5338799
AuthorsLuke Zhu (0009-0002-9418-2433, University of Manitoba), Victoria L Brescoll (0000-0003-2315-8065, Yale University), George E Newman (0000-0003-0498-6746, Yale University), Eric Luis Uhlmann (0000-0002-6362-9936, INSEAD)
Year2015
Volume46
Issue4
Pages182-196
Publication date2015-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1864-9335 • E-ISSN: 2151-2590
PublisherHogrefe Publishing Group (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1027/1864-9335/a000226
OpenAlexW2187214733
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited61

The present studies examine how culturally held stereotypes about gender (that women eat more healthfully than men) implicitly influence food preferences. In Study 1, priming masculinity led both male and female participants to prefer unhealthy foods, while priming femininity led both male and female participants to prefer healthy foods. Study 2 extended these effects to gendered food packaging. When the packaging and healthiness of the food were gender schema congruent (i.e., feminine packaging for a healthy food, masculine packaging for an unhealthy food) both male and female participants rated the product as more attractive, said that they would be more likely to purchase it, and even rated it as tasting better compared to when the product was stereotype incongruent. In Study 3, packaging that explicitly appealed to gender stereotypes ("The muffin for real men") reversed the schema congruity effect, but only among participants who scored high in psychological reactance

Developmental psychology · Femininity · Masculinity · Priming (agriculture) · Product (mathematics) · Reactance · Schema (genetic algorithms) · Wine tasting · Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification · Cultural Differences and Values · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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