Sundie Discussion Question

Sundie's paper says that conspicuous consumption among men is sometimes a tactic used to get a short-term romantic partner's attention. Women, however, do not spend money on luxury items for the same reasons (or if they do, it is not as successful). Sundie suggested that conspicuous consumption among women may be more influenced by women wanting to impress other women. To what extent might men's consumption habits be influenced by their need to impress their peers? In buying a Porsche, how much is the male purchaser trying to get a (short-term) romantic partner, and how much is he trying to show off his manliness to his male friends? I think that men are definitely also trying to impress other men.

Additionally, it was very interesting in Study Four that both women took a "flashy car" to be an indication that the car's owner was more likely to be open to noncommittal sexual relations. Even more interesting, their predictions were usually accurate. Men did not think expensive cars were as much of an indicator of a woman's sexual behavior. Is there another sort of conspicuous consumption for women that might correlate with openness to noncommittal sexual relations?