Auditory Cuteness in Sports Podcasting: A New Lookism?

• Published in: Communication and sport Vol. 11; no. 5; pp. 929 - 948
• Main Authors: Yang, Dongdong, Atkin, David J., Mudrick, Michael, Qin, Yuren
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.10.2023
• Subjects: female sports podcaster; gender role beliefs; perceived attractiveness; auditory cuteness; perceived expertise
• ISSN: 2167-4795; 2167-4809
• DOI: 10.1177/21674795221117783

A major challenge facing female sportscasters resides in their being frequently judged based on physical appearance. However, little is known about the influence of audience perceptions of female sports podcasters’ physical attractiveness when their image is unavailable. Drawing from source credibility and social role theories, the present study employed a posttest-only quasi-experimental design to examine whether Chinese female sports podcasters’ auditory cuteness influences audience perceptions of their credibility, information satisfaction, and podcast continuance intentions. Results demonstrate that female podcaster auditory cuteness is positively connected with audience information satisfaction and perceived attractiveness, both of which further predict perceived expertise. Moreover, audience gender role beliefs dampen their perceived expertise, which along with information satisfaction, is positively associated with podcast continuance intentions. Finally, stronger gender role believers rely more on perceived attractiveness when rating the female sportscaster’s expertise—and less on perceived expertise—when evaluating their podcast continuance intentions.