LEWISBURG, Pa. — These are Bucknell University story ideas that may interest you for February.
BETTER BUST OUT THE HEELS — For mate-seeking women seeking that Valentine’s Day date, a new study suggests they should leave the flats at home and wear high heels on their next night out. According to lead author and Bucknell Professor T. Joel Wade, psychology, women in high heels are perceived as more sexually attractive, physically attractive, feminine and of higher status than their fellow flat-shoed ladies by men and women alike. The researchers examined 448 participants’ ratings of a female silhouette wearing either high heels or flats. Participants assessed the figures based on qualities such as physical attractiveness, sexual attractiveness, dominance, trustworthiness, masculinity, femininity, affectionateness, overall good mate potential, intelligence, success and status. Notably, the findings also indicate that high heels do not lead to assumptions regarding women’s personalities or to objectification — rating the women as less intelligent, socially competent or trustworthy — unlike other types of sexualization, such as sexy or revealing clothing. CONTACT: Wade, 570-577-1693, jwade@bucknell.edu
HAVING THE “MONEY TALK” — While Valentine’s Day may move a love interest forward, how do you know when it’s time to have the “money talk” in a relationship? Finances are one of the main reasons relationships fail according to Freeman College of Management professors Stacy Mastrolia, accounting; and Karen McGrath, finance. They both provided tips on how best to have the “money talk” in your relationship. Mastrolia explains that after you decide to have “the talk,” the next question is how to have it. She suggests you prepare carefully and get all of your information together. “What do you own? What do you owe, and to whom?” she says. “Give some thought to where you have been financially, where you are financially, AND where you want to be financially in the future.” She offers more advice on love and money. McGrath reports that the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts shows that ‘basic incompatibility’ and ‘money issues’ account for 43% and 22% of all U.S. divorces respectively, and there’s likely a lot of emotional overlap between those categories. So when do you have that “money talk with your partner? “Any time that there is some level of discomfort by either party,” McGrath says. “If your partner thinks nothing of spending $900 on a new phone when you’re saving for a wedding or a house, and you question or resent it, that discomfort is signaling that there’s a potential disconnect in each person’s expectations of the other’s financial behavior in the partnership.” She provides more “Do’s and Don’ts” when it comes to having that money talk. CONTACTS: Mastrolia, 570-577-1560, s.mastrolia@bucknell.edu; McGrath, 570-577-1667, karen.mcgrath@bucknell.edu
DOUGLASS WEEK 2022 — Frederick and Anna Douglass moved from Rochester, N.Y. to Washington, D.C. in 1872, and 150 years later, Douglass Week 2022 will commemorate the importance of the Douglass family’s move and explore what their stories mean to contemporary issues of identity, race, independence and equal rights around the world. Bucknell Professor Adrian Mulligan, chair of geography, is one of the worldwide organizers of #DouglassWeek, which will take place Feb. 10 to 15 and include performances, creative installations and critical discussions. The organizers partnered with a wide network of Douglass scholars, historians and researchers, along with artists, musicians, poets, athletes, community groups and activists from around the world for the week, which is popular in the U.S. and abroad. “We had our inaugural event last year in February, which was a huge success, and we’ve relocated to Washington, D.C. this year,” Mulligan says. “It comes out of my research on abolitionism during the 19th Century. but it’s community-oriented scholarship, advancing diversity, equity and inclusion both in Ireland and the U.S.” Douglass Week has already received visibility in newspaper articles, podcasts and radio interviews, and has “Hamilton” actors participating, since Douglass was popularized in the musical. Last year Hillary Clinton tweeted about #DouglassWeek. CONTACT: Mulligan, 570-577-1949, amulliga@bucknell.edu
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CONTACT: Mike Ferlazzo, 570-577-3212, 570-238-6266 (c), mike.ferlazzo@bucknell.edu