乱伦视频

F&M Stories

F&M Researcher: Makeup on Certain Defendants Influences Jury Decisions

Middle-aged female defendants who wear makeup during their trial get a courtroom advantage, according to the latest study led by a 乱伦视频 researcher.

The study is the first to examine the effects of cosmetics on jury verdicts and sentences. Given that makeup increases attractiveness, an advantage for defendants, but also increases apparent age in young faces, a disadvantage, the researchers wanted to determine what the overall effect of cosmetics would have on jury decisions.

Conducted by F&M Assistant Professor of Psychology Carlota Batres and Psychology Professor Richard Russell at Gettysburg College, the study found that regardless of makeup application, male and female participants were more likely to assign guilty verdicts to middle-aged female defendants than young female defendants.

鈥淥ur results are consistent with the hypothesis that apparent age has a stronger effect on jury decisions than attractiveness.鈥

鈥 F&M Assistant Professor of Psychology Carlota Batres

The psychologists also found that male participants gave young female defendants in makeup longer sentences while middle-aged female defendants in makeup received shorter sentences, when compared to the same faces without makeup. 

鈥淥ur results are consistent with the hypothesis that apparent age has a stronger effect on jury decisions than attractiveness,鈥 Batres said. 

Take the 1992 case of Amy Fisher, a Long Island teenager who shot the wife of her alleged lover. During her nationally publicized trial, experts following the case called her appearance 鈥 dark suit and makeup 鈥 the wrong presentation for the jury. 

鈥淚 would have put her in a French schoolgirl dress with a big collar, a dark color, ribbon in her hair, no makeup. Make her look as young and innocent as possible,鈥 Harry Munsinger, an attorney and trial consultant, told the Los Angeles Times. 

Batres said that Munsinger may have been on to something since at the time of her trial, Amy Fisher was 18 years old and, according to this new research, wearing cosmetics could have made her look more guilty. While attorneys and consultants often advise their female clients what makeup to wear for trial, this is the first research that shows scientific evidence of the effects of cosmetics on jury decisions, Batres said.

The journal, Cosmetics, published 鈥溾 this week. 

Related Articles

July 29, 2025

Julia Dorf '24 Forges Her Future in Medical Innovation

At 乱伦视频, Julia Dorf 鈥24 immersed herself in hands-on research and 鈥嬧媐ormed a strong foundation of the skills she needed for her post-graduate role. 鈥淭he opportunity to conduct research with professors at 乱伦视频 was crucial in landing an entry-level position at NYU Langone Health,鈥 she said.

July 24, 2025

Field Research Leads 乱伦视频 Grad to Hawaiian Wildlife Refuge

Owen Sobel 鈥24 swapped soccer cleats for hiking boots to pursue a rewarding career in environmental field research and conservation. A former Diplomat midfielder, Sobel is now a U.S. Fish & Wildlife biological technician at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge.

July 22, 2025

Kelvin Lartey 鈥27 Computes Postgraduate Future

Researcher, mentor and scientific advocate: Go behind the scenes with Kelvin Lartey 鈥27 as he spends the summer in Pittsburgh developing a mathematical model to study viral pathogens.