Perceptions of same- versus cross-sex-typed physical stance

Seventy-five undergraduates performed semantic differential ratings on 1 of 4 pictures: a male or female in a “masculine” or “feminine” stance as described by Wex (1979). The masculine stance was perceived as (1) more masculine as well as (2) more potent, active, happy, and well-adjusted than the feminine stance. (3) The cross-sex-typed stance was seen as less heterosexual than the same-sex typed one. (4) Interactions on masculinity, potency, activity, happiness, adjustment, and successfulness indicated that the cross-sex-typed male tended to be rated less favorably but the cross-sex-typed female more favorably than their same-sex-typed counterparts. A bias against "masculine" personality traits in females (Broverman et al., 1972) thus did not hold true for physical stance.