Reconsidering the double standard of aging: Effects of gender and sexual orientation on facial attractiveness ratings

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This study reconsiders the “double standard of aging” hypothesis, which states that older women are judged as being less attractive than older men. We considered the subjects sexual orientation (i.e., heterosexual, gay, lesbian, bisexual) and showed that older women were not judged more negatively than older men per se. Male subjects exhibited a stronger youth bias than females, but only if the target picture was a potential sexual partner. Females showed an equal amount of preference for youthful faces, independent of the targets sex and regardless of whether the target was a potential sexual partner.