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Girls who post pictures of themselves in revealing outfits online are seen as less attractive by other females, researchers have found.

They discovered those who post sexy or revealing photos on social media sites such as Facebook are viewed by their female peers as less physically and socially attractive and less competent to perform tasks.

Researchers set up a series of fake Facebook profiles to test their findings.

Women who post revealing snaps are viewed by their female peers as less attractive, and less competent.

'This is a clear indictment of sexy social media photos, said Elizabeth Daniels of the Oregon State University, who led the study.

'There is so much pressure on teen girls and young women to portray themselves as sexy, but sharing those sexy photos online may have more negative consequences than positive,' Daniels said.

Girls and young women are in a 'no-win' situation when it comes to their Facebook photos, Daniels said.

Those who post sexy photos may risk negative reactions from their peers, but those who post more wholesome photos may lose out on social rewards, including attention from boys and men, she said.

'Social media is where the youth are," she said.

'We need to understand what they're doing online and how that affects their self-concept and their self-esteem.'

Daniels' research was published today in the journal 'Psychology of Popular Media Culture.'

Participants were asked to assess Amanda's physical attractiveness (I think she is pretty), social attractiveness (I think she could be a friend of mine), and task competence (I have confidence in her ability to get a job done) on a scale from 1-7, with one being strongly disagree and 7 being strongly agree.

Those who post sexy photos may risk negative reactions from their peers, but those who post more wholesome photos may lose out on social rewards, including attention from boys and men, she said.

In all three areas, the non-sexy profile scored higher, indicating that those who viewed that photo thought Amanda was prettier, more likely to make a good friend and more likely to complete a task.

The largest difference was in the area of task competence, suggesting a young woman's capabilities are really affected by the sexy photo, Daniels said.

'We really need to help youth understand this is a very public forum,' she said.

Daniels' advice for girls and young women is to select social media photos that showcase their identity rather than her appearance, such as one from a trip or one that highlights participation in a sport or hobby.

'Don't focus so heavily on appearance,' Daniels said.

'Focus on who you are as a person and what you do in the world.'