A test and extension of objectification theory as it predicts disordered eating: Does women's age matter?

Abstract

When predicting disordered eating, models incorporating several of objectification theory's (B. L. Fredrickson & T. A. Roberts, 1997) core constructs (i.e., sexual objectification, self-objectification, body shame, poor interoceptive awareness) have been empirically supported with women of traditional undergraduate age who are consistent in age with the youthful-ideal prototype for women presented in the media. The present study extended this research by testing these core constructs with women ages 25-68 years (n ϭ 330), as their experiences with these constructs may differ as they deviate from this youthful prototype. A multiple-groups analysis comparing these women with women ages 18 -24 (n ϭ 329) indicated that objectification theory can be extended to women ages 25 and older, as the model provided an adequate fit to the data. However, structural invariance analysis revealed that what takes place within the model may not be identical for these groups. The older group had a stronger relationship between body shame and disordered eating and a weaker relationship between poor interoceptive awareness and disordered eating than did the younger group.

Integrating Social Comparison Theory and Self-Esteem within Objectification Theory to Predict Women’s Disordered Eating

“…3 The interaction of body surveillance with body comparison in the prediction of disordered eating. and Tylka (2009) study was similar to ours-young adult Midwestern U.S. college women. In the present study, appearance feedback and self-esteem explained 14.8% of the variance in body surveillance.…”

“…Self-objectification occurs when women exchange their own perspective of their physical appearance for an observer's perspective and treat their body as an object to be looked at and evaluated. It is often assessed by the degree to which women monitor their own body, or engage in body surveillance (Augustus-Horvath and Tylka 2009;Lindberg et al 2007). As such, we focused on body surveillance as the manifestation of selfobjectification and hereby refer to this variable, as it pertains to this study, as body surveillance.…”

“…Body image disturbance, such as body shame and dissatisfaction, is experienced by many women who feel that their body falls short of the thin, youthful ideal and view this discrepancy as reflecting the inadequacy of their body (Fredrickson and Roberts 1997). Not only do media exposure and interpersonal pressures to be thin encourage body dissatisfaction, but they also predict U.S. and Canadian women's tendency to focus on their body, such as by constantly monitoring their appearance and comparing their body with other women's bodies (Augustus-Horvath and Tylka 2009;Heinberg and Thompson 1995;Morry and Staska 2001).…”

Modesty, Objectification, and Disordered Eating Patterns: A Comparative Study between Veiled and Unveiled Muslim Women Residing in Kuwait

“…This feeds into the theory that perhaps self-objectification is a more effective predictor of eating disturbance than objectification by others. However, when exposed to objectification by others, not all women react similarly and are engaged in self-objectification [29]. …”

On Objects and Actions: Situating Self-Objectification in a System Justification Context

“…Patterns of sexual and self-objectification in relation to other outcomes (e.g., disordered eating, depression) have been shown to vary by sexual orientation (Kozee & Tylka, 2006;Martins, Tiggemann, & Kirkbride, 2007), gender (Calogero, 2009;Parent & Moradi, 2011;Tiggemann & Kuring, 2004), age (Augustus-Horvath & Tylka, 2009;Tiggemann & Lynch, 2001), and ethnicity (Buchanan, Fischer, Tokar, & Yoder, 2008;Harrison & Fredrickson, 2003). It is necessary to examine the extent to which the link between self-objectification and system justification is observed in subgroups of women as well as other lower status groups, as these groups will vary in the extent to which they are disadvantaged by the gender status quo and the wider prevailing system.…”