• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
MPW

Study: Women Wearing Low-Cut Tops In Application Photos Are 19 Times More Likely to Land a Job Interview

By
Lindsay Kimble
Lindsay Kimble
and
People
People
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lindsay Kimble
Lindsay Kimble
and
People
People
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 29, 2016, 12:42 PM ET
455522409
Businesswoman Getting InterviewedNeustockimages—Getty Images

This story was originally published on People.

A woman is much more likely to nab a job interview if she wears revealing clothing in her application photograph, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by Dr. Sevag Kertechian of Paris-Sorbonne University and set to be presented at the Appearance Matters Conference in London, found that female job applicants were 19 times more successful in securing an interview if they wore a low-cut top in the required application photo, according to Phys.org.

In the study, two women with similar looks and nearly-matching resumes applied for the same roles over three years. The positions were a mix of sales and back-office accounting jobs. Both women applied for 100 roles in the revealing outfit and 100 roles in a shirt with a higher neckline.

Sign up: Click here to subscribe to the Broadsheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the world’s most powerful women.

The applications with the more provocative photo helped for both women in both fields – they received 62 more interview offers out of 200 applications for the sales jobs, and 68 more out of 200 for the back-office accounting jobs.

“Our results showed interesting trends as low-cut dresses significantly influenced the choice of the recruiters, even for accounting positions,” Kertechian told Phys.org. “Regardless of the job, whether customer-facing saleswoman or office-based accountant, the candidate with the low cut clothing received more positive answers.”

Kertechian called the results “shocking” but “not necessarily surprising.” He noted that further research is needed.

The Appearance Matters Conference highlights research concerning appearance, body image, appearance altering surgery, eating disorders and the role of the media on all of those subjects, according to The University of the West of England Bristol’s site dedicated to the event.

Keynote speaker’s include Harvard’s Professor S Bryn Austin and Dr. Eric Stice of the Oregon Research Institute.

 

About the Authors
By Lindsay Kimble
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By People
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

MagazineVictoria's Secret
How Victoria’s Secret got its sexy back
By Emma HinchliffeFebruary 4, 2026
7 days ago
Workplace CultureSports
Exclusive: Billionaire Michele Kang launches $25 million U.S. Soccer institute that promises to transform the future of women’s sports
By Emma HinchliffeDecember 2, 2025
2 months ago
C-SuiteLeadership Next
Ulta Beauty CEO Kecia Steelman says she has the best job ever: ‘My job is to help make people feel really good about themselves’
By Fortune EditorsNovember 5, 2025
3 months ago
ConferencesMPW Summit
Executives at DoorDash, Airbnb, Sephora and ServiceNow agree: leaders need to be agile—and be a ‘swan’ on the pond
By Preston ForeOctober 21, 2025
4 months ago
Jessica Wu, co-founder and CEO of Sola, at Fortune MPW 2025
MPW
Experts say the high failure rate in AI adoption isn’t a bug, but a feature: ‘Has anybody ever started to ride a bike on the first try?’
By Dave SmithOctober 21, 2025
4 months ago
Jamie Dimon with his hand up at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit
SuccessProductivity
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says if you check your email in meetings, he’ll tell you to close it: ’it’s disrespectful’
By Preston ForeOctober 17, 2025
4 months ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
America borrowed $43.5 billion a week in the first four months of the fiscal year, with debt interest on track to be over $1 trillion for 2026
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 10, 2026
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
Meet Jody Allen, the billionaire owner of the Seattle Seahawks, who plans to sell the team and donate the proceeds to charity
By Jake AngeloFebruary 9, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
As billionaires bail, Mark Zuckerberg doubles down on California with $50 million donation
By Sydney LakeFebruary 9, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
China might be beginning to back away from U.S. debt as investors get nervous about overexposure to American assets
By Eleanor PringleFebruary 9, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
It turns out that Joe Biden really did crush Americans' dreams for the future. Just look at how the vibe changed 5 years ago
By Jake AngeloFebruary 10, 2026
10 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Super Bowl champion Sam Darnold says his plumber dad played with him every day after work, no matter how tough his day was—and that taught him resilience
By Emma BurleighFebruary 9, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.