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Exposure to Sexually Objectifying Media and Body Self-Perceptions among College Women: An Examination of the Selective Exposure Hypothesis and the Role of Moderating Variables

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Abstract

Objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) contends that media that places women’s bodies and appearance at a premium can acculturate women to self-objectify (i.e., to view the self primarily in terms of externally perceivable attributes), or to feel anxious or ashamed of their bodies. However, another unexplored possibility is that antecedent levels of self-objectification, appearance anxiety, and body shame could drive the selection or avoidance of sexually objectifying media. The goals of the present study were two-fold: first, to test the directionality of the associations between exposure to sexually objectifying media and body self-perceptions (i.e., does exposure to sexually objectifying media predict body self-perceptions or vice versa); and second, to explore the possible moderating influence of thin-ideal internalization, global self-esteem, and BMI on the relations between exposure to sexually objectifying media and body self-perceptions. A 2-year panel study of female undergraduates was conducted. The results show that Time-1 trait self-objectification, appearance anxiety, and body shame all negatively predicted Time-2 exposure to sexually objectifying media. Moreover, Time-1 exposure to sexually objectifying media predicted an increase in Time-2 trait self-objectification, particularly among women who were low in global self-esteem.

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Notes

  1. A potentiating factor is a variable that amplifies adverse effects of a risk factor, whereas a protective factor is a variable that mitigates adverse effects of a risk factor (Stice, 2002).

  2. The television shows and ratings were (from most to least sexually objectifying): Dismissed (9.82), Baywatch (9.62), Sex and the City (9.31), Friends (8.23), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (7.89), Dawson’s Creek (7.67), Ally McBeal (7.42), Charmed (7.40), Will & Grace (7.31), Alias (7.14), Felicity (6.91), That ’70s Show (6.83), The Sopranos (6.80), Just Shoot Me (6.62), Boston Public (5.83), Spin City (5.57), Frasier (5.50), Sabrina the Teenage Witch (5.30), Dharma and Greg (4.75), The Drew Carey Show (4.57), The Simpsons (4.20), Malcolm in the Middle (4.14), 7 th Heaven (4.13), King of the Hill (4.00), ER (3.45), and The X-Files (3.40). The ratings of the magazines were Maxim (9.83), Stuff (9.80), Cosmopolitan (9.09), GQ (8.40), Mademoiselle (8.33), Vogue (8.27), Men’s Health (8.20), Seventeen (8.17), YM (8.08), Glamour (7.90), Marie Claire (7.78), Allure (7.67), Elle (7.57), Cosmogirl (7.50), Teen People (7.20), Teen (7.18), Entertainment Weekly (6.71), People (6.60), InStyle (6.50), Shape (6.50), Fitness (6.33), Sports Illustrated (5.43), US Weekly (4.14), Newsweek (1.78), Time (1.44), and U.S. News and World Report (1.40).

  3. For thin-ideal internalization and global self-esteem, only Time-1 measures were included in the analyses; thus, only the Time-1 αs are reported.

  4. For thin-ideal internalization, the range of responses was 0–4. Women who scored 2.13 or below were categorized as “low” (N = 70), while women who scored above 2.13 were categorized as “high” (N = 79). For global self-esteem, the range of responses was 1–4. Women who scored 3.11 or below were categorized as “low” (N = 61), and women who scored above 3.22 were categorized as “high” (N = 87). BMIs for women in the sample ranged from 15.45 to 30.04. Women with BMIs of 22.03 or below were categorized as “low” (N = 77), and women with BMIs above 22.02 were categorized as “high” (N = 69). It should be noted that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classifies a BMI of 18.5 and lower as underweight, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 as normal, and a BMI over 25.0 as overweight. However, only 10.7% (N = 16) of the sample of 149 women could be classified as overweight according to the CDC guidelines, and only 4.0% (N = 6) could be classified as underweight. Thus, the majority (85.3%, N = 127) of women in the sample were in the normal range. However, it is argued that comparisons between peers are probably more important to women than BMI standards. For example, Faith, Leone, and Allison (1997) found that social comparison affects body image disturbance, regardless of BMI. In other words, a woman could have a BMI of 24, not overweight by CDC standards, but she might nevertheless feel overweight, given that the majority of her peers have BMIs lower than hers. Other researchers (e.g., Goldenberg, Arndt, Hart, & Brown, 2005) have chosen a similar classification of “low” and “high” BMI based on a similar argument.

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Acknowledgement

The author thanks L. Rowell Huesmann, Kristen Harrison, L. Monique Ward, and Barbara Fredrickson for helpful advice and comments on this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jennifer Stevens Aubrey.

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Aubrey, J.S. Exposure to Sexually Objectifying Media and Body Self-Perceptions among College Women: An Examination of the Selective Exposure Hypothesis and the Role of Moderating Variables. Sex Roles 55, 159–172 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9070-7

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