Fashion as a Set of Signals in Female Intrasexual Competition

Abstract

Fashion is one tool that women employ to enhance their overall attractiveness to increase mating opportunities and repel competition from other females. This essay first discusses how evolution has shaped the female form and how clothing is used to enhance desirable traits. Additionally, this essay addresses how fashion trends have endured throughout history because they have been continually successful in maintaining women’s attractiveness. Further, the reasons why women… clothing when engaging in competitive strategies such as self-promotion and competitor manipulation is also explored. The second section covers how women’s physiological occurrences influence the way they dress and how males perceive them. Third, this essay delves into the social perceptions and consequences of wearing certain kinds of clothing. It explores how fashion is used to attract and retain mates by enabling a woman to stand out among her potential rivals and/or forcing rivals to back down from pursuing a potential partner.