A Study on Image Perception according to Perceiver's Social Value and Hair Style Variation

지각자의 사회적 가치와 헤어스타일 변화에 따른 이미지 지각 연구

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of perceiver's social value, hair style, and hair color of object person on image perceptions. For social value variable, materialism and traditionalism were investigated. Subjects were 343 women in Seoul. Perceiver's materialism gave a significant influence on perception of elegance. The less materialistic group evaluated the hair style of object person more elegant than the more materialistic group. The more traditional group evaluated bright brown hairs less pretty than the less traditional group. This means that traditional people have less preferable image on bright brown hairs compared to the black and dark brown hair as it is different from Korean traditional hair color. Medium straight hair styles were evaluated lowest in preference and individuality. Short straight hairs were evaluated as the most elegant style and medium permanent hairs as the least elegant one. Long wavy hairs were evaluated highest in femininity, and straight hairs were evaluated lower in prettiness and activity than wavy hairs. The bright brown hairs were evaluated as the most individual color, and black was the least one. The bright brown was perceived lowest in elegance. Black and dark brown of the short straight hair style were perceived much more elegant than the bright brown of the same style, and black long wavy hairs were evaluated highest in femininity. The present findings provide that social value, hair style, and hair color are significant characteristics when perceiving women's image.