Appearance-Based Legitimate Distinctiveness: Founder Attractiveness, Gender, and Venture Evaluations
Journal
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Type
Article
Date Issued
2026-09-28
Author(s)
Abstract
This study proposes a way to reconcile the beauty premium and beauty-is-beastly arguments by suggesting that founder appearance is processed through two separable and countervailing channels: perceived legitimacy and perceived distinctiveness. We further theorize that in startups, the relationship is gendered, because women do not fit the entrepreneurial prototype, limiting their perceived legitimacy. A field study of 359 founders supports our theorizing that male founders are evaluated best when moderately attractive, while female founders see no significant attractiveness effects. A preregistered experiment with 771 participants, using AI-manipulated attractiveness, does not confirm these patterns but supports our theorizing about both mediators.
Language
English (United States)
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Subject(s)
File(s)![Thumbnail Image]()
open.access
Name
ETP1485961.pdf
Size
1.12 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
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