Higher fertility may be associated with greater preference for conspicuous luxury among women, particularly when luxury products are visible and intended for their own use. The findings suggested that preferences for conspicuous luxury may shift across the ovulatory cycle.
Investigators conducted 3 studies examining whether women showed greater preference for conspicuous luxury near ovulation and whether their luxury consumption depended on who would use the product, would be visible to others, and would be noticed by men. The studies used a within-participant design with luteinizing hormone urine testing as well as between-participant designs that estimated fertility from menstrual-cycle information.
In the first study, the investigators enrolled 70 female university students who were not using hormonal contraception and assessed each participant during high- and low-fertility phases. The participants drew logos from luxury brands on items intended for themselves or another woman, with logo area indicating conspicuous luxury preference. Women drew larger luxury logos for themselves during high vs. low fertility and for themselves vs. for another woman. Conversely, logos intended for another woman were smaller during high vs. low fertility.
In the second study, the investigators recruited 1,486 women through Prolific in 2020, with 332 included in the final analysis following eligibility and menstrual-cycle criteria. The participants rated their purchase intentions on a 7-point scale for luxury and nonluxury T-shirts that they were asked to imagine wearing publicly or privately. Fertility was estimated from menstrual-cycle timing. Purchase intention for publicly worn luxury products was higher during high vs. low fertility. The pattern did not extend to privately used luxury products; purchase intention was lower during high vs. low fertility. Fertility was not associated with differences in nonluxury preferences according to whether the products would be used publicly or privately.
In the third study, the investigators examined whether the association would be attenuated when women believed men did not notice designer clothing. They recruited 966 women through Amazon's Mechanical Turk who had recently purchased luxury products, with 358 included in the primary analysis following prespecified screening criteria. The participants read either a control article or an article suggesting that men noticed characteristics such as women's beauty, smiles, and walking rather than clothing brands, and then chose between $100 gift cards from Polo Ralph Lauren and Old Navy.
In the control condition, 61% of women at high fertility chose the luxury-brand gift card vs. 45% at low fertility, although the fertility effect and its interaction with the belief manipulation were only marginally statistically significant in the primary analysis. When women were told that men did not notice designer clothing, luxury-brand selection was similar during high vs. low fertility (40% vs. 42%). In a secondary analysis of 888 women that did not exclude participants based on menstrual-cycle certainty, the interaction was statistically significant. In the control condition, 55% of women at high fertility chose the luxury gift card vs. 39% at low fertility, whereas fertility was not associated with luxury choice among women told that men did not notice designer clothing.
The investigators noted several limitations. The participants were drawn from convenience samples, and substantial numbers were excluded because they did not meet eligibility criteria or could not report menstrual-cycle information with sufficient certainty. The studies also examined specific outcomes, including logo size, purchase intentions, and gift-card choice, and the findings may not extend to settings in which luxury is not valued. Importantly, ovulatory status could not be randomly assigned, so the findings did not establish acausality.
“Three studies showed insightful and consistent results, but we cannot claim that these findings apply to every other context where women’s goal is to attract men,” wrote lead study author Aekyoung Kim, of Jeonbuk National University in the Republic of Korea, and colleagues.
The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
Source: PLOS One
