African American Women’s Sexual Objectification Experiences

Abstract

The purpose of our study was to investigate African American women’s experiences with sexual objectification. Utilizing grounded theory methodology as well as Black feminist thought and objectification theory as the research lenses, the results of this study uncovered how racist, sexist, and classist ideologies contributed to sexual objectification experiences (SOEs) among African American women. Twenty African American female graduate students and others recruited from a campus community participated in semistructured interviews. Data revealed a number of different sociocultural factors that contributed to the sexual objectification of African American women (i.e., historical influence of slavery, sexualized views and images of African American women, and patriarchal social structure). These factors were observed to contribute to different forms of sexual objectification, ranging from comments and objectifying gazes to more extreme forms, such as sexual abuse. Participants described a number of effects of sexual objectification, including self-objectification, physical safety anxiety, eating concerns, psychological/emotional, and interpersonal. Participants also described how they coped with and grew from these experiences. Psychologists and mental health professionals are encouraged to consider how African American women’s SOEs are rooted in racism, sexism, and classism. Furthermore, these practitioners are urged to develop an awareness of how these oppressions intersect and contribute to the sexual objectification of African American women.

Self-objectification, body shame, and disordered eating: Testing a core mediational model of objectification theory among White, Black, and Hispanic women

“…Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) argue that despite women’s shared vulnerability to sexual objectification by virtue of possessing a mature female body, ethnicity may influence one’s experiences of sexual objectification and the impact of those experiences on one’s own self-concept or behavior. For example, experiences of sexual objectification among Black women may be shaped in part by particular racist ideologies and stereotypes that do not apply to White women, and therefore may produce different responses in terms of self-objectification, body shame, and disordered eating (Watson, Robinson, Dispenza, & Nazari, 2012). Indeed, although existing research supports the salience of objectification processes (e.g., self-objectification, self-surveillance, body shame) in women of diverse backgrounds, there is also suggestion that ethnicity may influence these processes and their impact (Breitkopft, Littleton, & Berenson, 2007; Fitzsimmons & Bardone-Cone, 2011; Hebl, King, & Lin, 2004).…”

Understanding HIV Prevention With College‐Going Black Women: An NIMH‐Funded Pilot Study

“…Additionally, counselors will benefit from understanding the historical context in which their clients are situated. In the case of Black women, bodies have been sexualized as a result of the historical context of slavery (Watson, Robinson, Dispenza, & Nazari, 2012). Black women may not be as open to discussing matters surrounding HIV, STIs, or sex because of their need to protect themselves from being seen as a sexualized body.…”

The Ecology of Experiences for African American Women in Clinical Doctoral Programs

“…This study focused on African American women’s qualitative experiences to capture the overall environment and nuances of their experiences in higher education. Within the literature on higher education, a number of experiences have been identified as influenced by the intersection of race and gender (Jean‐Marie et al, 2009; Myers, 2002; Schwartz et al, 2003; Sulé, 2009; Watson, Robinson, Dispenza, & Nazari, 2012). Specifically, for African American women, research reveals the presence of racism and discrimination, lack of available mentoring that is sensitive to cultural influences, unwanted sexual advances, and isolation (Hinton et al, 2009; Myers, 2002; Watson et al, 2012).…”