The Effect of Gender Sensitivity for Self-Esteem and Protection and Convergence on Appearance Recognition Behavior of Women in Their 20s

Purpose: Unlike in the past, the modern women have destroyed the frame of stereotypes that women must be feminine and men must be masculine through their own arguments and active actions. This has resulted in changes in the women’s self-esteem as their independent tendencies have strengthened due to changes in ste-reotypes about their roles and the women's advancement into society. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of self-esteem and gender sensitivity on the appearance recognition behavior of women in their 20s. Method: The questionnaire items for scale development of the study were used for the women in their 20s for empirical research. The composition of the questionnaire consisted of self-esteem, gender sensitivity, appearance recognition behavior, and demographic variables. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted to in-vestigate the relationship between demographic variables, self-esteem, gender sensitivity, and appearance recognition behavior. Results: First, as a result of analyzing the effect of self-esteem on gender sensitivity, it turned out that positive self-esteem had a positively significant effect on gender sensitivity, and negative self-esteem had a negatively significant effect on gender sensitivity. Second, as a result of analyzing the effect of gender sensitivity on the appearance stereotypes, it turned out that gender positive attitude had a positively significant effect on the appearance stereotypes, and gender sen-sitivity also had a positively significant effect on the appearance stereotypes. Third, it turned out that gender sensitivity has a mediating effect when the positive self-esteem affects ap-pearance evaluation and respect for appearance, and the negative self-esteem affects appearance evaluation and appearance stereotypes. Conclusion: It is considered that the research on the direction of the beauty industry and between the classes that become direct consumers must be conducted in various ways because the gender sensitivity that women have as a human being can bring about changes in appearance recognition behavior, thereby breaking away from stereotypes about gender. It is hoped that this study will help understand the gender sensitivity of women in their 20s and contribute to the development of the beauty industry.