The sources and consequences of sexual objectification

Ward, L. Monique; Daniels, Elizabeth A.; Zurbriggen, Eileen L.; Rosenscruggs, Danielle

doi:10.1038/s44159-023-00192-x

Cited by 16 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 337 publications

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“…Furthermore, there is evidence that media and peers are more potent sources of influence on adolescent girls' body image compared to parents (Shroff & Thompson, 2006). Content analyses have shown that girls and women are commonly depicted in a thin-ideal (e.g., Flynn et al, 2015;Northup & Liebler, 2010) and/or sexually objectifying manner in TV programming (for reviews, see Ward, 2016;Ward et al, 2023). For example, in a content analysis of speaking characters in 275 primetime TV programs airing in 2012, Smith and colleagues (2012) found that female characters were often thin (38% vs. 14% of male characters) and depicted in sexy attire (36% vs. 8% of male characters) with some skin exposure (35% vs. 11% of male characters).…”

Section: Media Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Struggling at School: Are Exposure to Television's Eurocentric Appearance Norms and Objectified Body Consciousness Associated Factors?

Daniels,

Ward,

Grower

et al. 2024

Psychology of Women Quarterly

Self Cite

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Theoretical work on objectified body consciousness, comprised of body surveillance and body shame, proposes several negative sequelae of holding an objectified view of the self (i.e., valuing the body primarily for its attractiveness to others). Few studies have examined associations between objectified body consciousness and academic beliefs and strategies among adolescent girls, especially girls of color. In the present study, we investigated a conceptual model whereby exposure to Eurocentric appearance norms through TV consumption is related to body surveillance and body shame which, in turn, are related to academic beliefs and strategies among a racially diverse sample of United States girls. Participants were 650 self-identified Asian American/Pacific Islander, Black, and White adolescent girls ( Mage = 15.45, SDage = 1.50). Higher Eurocentric appearance norms exposure was associated with higher body shame which, in turn, was associated with maladaptive academic beliefs and strategies for all three groups of girls. In contrast, higher Eurocentric appearance norms exposure was associated with higher body surveillance and just one academic belief, and in White girls only. Future work should continue to examine these associations among adolescent girls of color. In addition, we encourage educators to include body image content in media literacy curricula as a means of disrupting associations between Eurocentric appearance norms, body shame, and academic functioning.

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Section: Media Contributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Struggling at School: Are Exposure to Television's Eurocentric Appearance Norms and Objectified Body Consciousness Associated Factors?

Daniels,

Ward,

Grower

et al. 2024

Psychology of Women Quarterly

Self Cite

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“…However, sexual objectification occurs primarily for women and adolescent girls (Stankiewicz and Rosselli, 2008). Sexual objectification can occur at the interpersonal level, such as when women receive objectifying comments or cat calls, and in the form of objectifying representations of women in film, television, and on social media (for a review of the sources and consequences of sexual objectification see Ward et al, 2023).…”

Section: The Connection Between Objectification and Political Attitudesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Objectification can be a form of dehumanization, and it occurs when people's bodies or body parts are separated from their identity. Sexual objectification involves a cultural prioritization of a person's sexual appeal over other attributes (Ward et al, 2023). Cognitive neuroscience investigations into objectification have found that it can disrupt social cognition processes typically associated with human targets (Cikara et al, 2011).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Can exposure to sexual objectification impact policy attitudes? Evidence from two survey experiments

Gothreau,

Schuessler,

Alvarez

2024

Polit. life sci.

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Research in social psychology has long argued that exposure to objectifying portrayals of women can lead to increasingly misogynist attitudes and behavior. We argue that such images can also impact on gendered policy attitudes. We suggest that objectifying images prime sexist attitudes and reduce perceptions of women’s agency, warmth, and competence. We argue that this may translate into decreased support for reproductive rights and other gender-salient policies. Furthermore, these effects may vary by the gender of those exposed to these images. In two survey experiments with brief exposures to objectifying images, we find mixed support for these predictions. Although we find some negative effects as predicted, we also find positive effects of objectification among women in the sample that are suggestive of a backlash effect. We discuss potential explanations for this heterogeneity. Overall, our results suggest interesting avenues to further explore the effects of objectification on political outcomes.

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“…Self-objectification occurs when the self is internalized as an object or collection of body parts. Whereas objectification theory [13] and self-objectification [14] have been expanded and widely tested, relatively little relevant research has addressed self-objectification, or the internalization of self as an object or collection of body parts, in males. Nevertheless, self-objectification is clearly manifested in men as well as women [15][16][17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Objectification, Disordered Eating and Sexual Orientation in Men

Bachner-Melman,

Lev-Ari,

Tiram

et al. 2024

IJERPH

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The interplay between disordered eating, depressive symptoms and self-objectification differs between genders and sexual orientations, and merits further study in homosexual and heterosexual men. We examined disordered eating, depressive symptoms and self-objectification in a sample of Israeli heterosexual and homosexual men. Participants were 215 men aged 19–65, 108 of whom were classified by the Kinsey scale as being heterosexual and 107 as homosexual. They completed online measures of self-objectification, disordered eating and depressive symptoms. Heterosexual men reported lower levels of disordered eating and self-objectification than homosexual men, however the difference in depressive symptoms was not statistically significant. Correlations between disordered eating, self-objectification and depressive symptoms when controlling for age, BMI and number of children were all significant, with similar patterns of association for heterosexual and homosexual men. Self-objectification partially mediated the association between sexual orientation and disordered eating. However, contrary to our hypothesis, sexual orientation (homosexual/heterosexual) did not moderate the association between disordered eating and self-objectification. The tendency of homosexual men towards self-objectification is linked to unhealthy eating habits. Self-objectification helps explain the propensity of homosexual versus heterosexual men to develop disordered eating and possibly eating disorders. It should therefore be targeted in prevention and in therapy.

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The sources and consequences of sexual objectification

Cited by 16 publications

References 337 publications

Struggling at School: Are Exposure to Television's Eurocentric Appearance Norms and Objectified Body Consciousness Associated Factors?

Struggling at School: Are Exposure to Television's Eurocentric Appearance Norms and Objectified Body Consciousness Associated Factors?

Can exposure to sexual objectification impact policy attitudes? Evidence from two survey experiments

Self-Objectification, Disordered Eating and Sexual Orientation in Men

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