Our study extended a modified version of objectification theory to a sample of sexual minority women in order to understand their experiences with body image and disordered eating concerns. Specifically, reported experiences of heterosexist discrimination and internalized heterosexism were integrated into the objectification theory framework. A total of 243 U.S. sexual minority women (primarily White and lesbian) participated in our online study. Results of a path analysis and tests of direct and indirect relations elucidated the important role of heterosexist experiences in sexual minority women’s eating disordered behaviors. Moreover, internalized sociocultural standards of beauty and internalized heterosexism were important predictors of sexual minority women’s body image concerns. Overall, our results supported the applicability of tenets of objectification theory to sexual minority women, with some important modifications. Our study demonstrates the importance of attending to stressors that uniquely affect sexual minority women, which arise from a sexist and heterosexist sociocultural context.

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Women experience a higher incidence of mental health concerns compared to men, and scholars have located these challenges within a discriminatory sociocultural context. Although scholars have suggested that feminist attitudes may shield women from discrimination, research on the protective role of feminist attitudes is discrepant and suggests that there are distinct differences between those who do and do not self-identify as feminist; namely, self-identifiers may be more protected in the face of discrimination. Utilizing grounded theory and intersectional feminist standpoint methodologies, in this study we sought to understand the ways that self-identified womanist and feminist women cope with discrimination. We found that women's feminist and cultural identities intersected, each informing the other and influencing coping mechanisms and wellbeing. Moreover, results demonstrated that feminist women call upon a variety of different coping mechanisms in response to discrimination, including advocacy, social support, self-care, cognitive processes, disengagement, connecting to one's femininity, and religion and spirituality. Although possessing a feminist and/or womanist identity appeared to be protective in some cases, at other times it did not. Some participants expressed feeling marginalized from the feminist community and felt that their greater awareness of oppression was an additional source of distress. Based on these findings, we provide suggestions for mental health clinicians and research scholars.