This study tested tenets of objectification theory and explored the role of the hijab in body image and eating disorder symptoms with a sample of 118 Muslim women in the United States. Results from a path analysis indicated that individual differences in wearing the hijab were related negatively with reported sexual objectification experiences. Sexual objectification experiences, in turn, had significant positive indirect relations with body surveillance, body shame, and eating disorder symptoms, primarily through the mediating role of internalization. Internalization of cultural standards of beauty also had a significant positive direct relation with body shame and significant positive direct and indirect relations with eating disorder symptoms. By contrast, the direct and indirect relations of body surveillance were significant only when the role of internalization was constrained to 0 (i.e., eliminated), suggesting that internalization of cultural standards of beauty subsumed the hypothesized role of body surveillance in the model. Taken together, these results support some of the tenets of objectification theory with a sample of U.S. Muslim women, point to the importance of internalization of dominant cultural standards of beauty within that framework, and suggest the utility of considering individual differences in wearing the hijab among U.S. Muslim women.

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A 33-year-old woman, gravida 2 para 2, was refferd to our institution at 35 weeks' gestation, because of polyhydramnios. Ultarasound examination revealed mild polyhydramnios (amniotic fluid index:25) and juxtaposition of the descending aorta and inferior vena cava. Fetal echocardiography demonstrated a common atrioventricular valve, double outlet right ventricle, pulmonary stenosis. Four pulmonary veins drained to a confluence behind the left atrium arising a vertical vein passed through the diaphragma and then connected to portal vein. On pulsed Doppler examination, the pulmonary veins and vertical vein showed continuous, mildly pulsatile flow. All these features were suggestive of right atrial isomserism with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the portal vein. Absence of the ductus venosus without liver bypass was suspected by meticulous color flow mapping of the portal circulation in various planes. A female infant was delivered weighing 2810g with Apgar scores of 8 and 8 at 1 and 5 minutes, respectively. Postnatal echocardiography confirmed the prenatal findings. On pulsed Doppler examination, the vertical vein showed non-pulsatile continuous flow. The infant underwent open heart surgery and the pulmonary confluence was connected to the left atrium. But she died at the second day because of cardiac failure. We speculate absence of the ductus venosus without liver bypass might worsend the prognosis of the infant with total anomalous pulmonary venous connection to the portal vein.

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