Objectification Theory as It Relates to Disordered Eating Among College Women

Body Shame Predicts Healthcare Discomfort and Avoidance in College Women Through the Mechanism of Low Body Responsiveness

BACKGROUND

Many cultures promote ideals for women's bodies that are difficult to meet, and not meeting these ideals may result in body shame. Body shame predicts discomfort in and avoidance of situations in which the body may be scrutinized. As the healthcare setting frequently involves examination of the body, body shame may predict discomfort in and avoidance of the healthcare setting. However, these relationships have been tested minimally and only in higher-weight women. Since body shame may occur regardless of BMI, body shame may predict healthcare discomfort and avoidance across the weight spectrum. Moreover, these relationships may occur because body shame predicts low body responsiveness, or the detection and valuing of bodily signals, which in turn may predict healthcare discomfort and avoidance.

METHOD

The present investigation tested these ideas in weight-diverse undergraduate women (N = 467) using cross-sectional (studies 1 and 2) and experimental (study 3) designs and imagined healthcare settings.

RESULTS

In study 1, body shame correlated positively with healthcare discomfort, and low body responsiveness mediated this relationship. In study 2, body shame was not directly related to healthcare avoidance, but low body responsiveness mediated this relationship. In study 3, participants who underwent a body shame induction reported lower state body responsiveness than control participants, and lower state body responsiveness mediated the links between condition and healthcare discomfort and avoidance.

CONCLUSION

Attitudes toward internal bodily functions may link body shame to healthcare avoidance and discomfort in college women across the weight spectrum. Future research may examine this model in more diverse populations.

Emotional Distress and Body Dissatisfaction: The Mediating Role of Social Media and Emotional Regulation

BACKGROUND

Body dissatisfaction is defined as a negative attitude towards one's body, characterized by emotional disorders. Currently, problematic use of social media seems to be associated with an increase in body dissatisfaction and emotional distress. Therefore, the present study examined the relationship between emotional distress (i.e., depression, anxiety, and stress) and body dissatisfaction, as well as the mediating role of emotional regulation and problematic social media use in this relationship. In addition, the study aims to identify sex differences in the four research variables.

METHODS

Measures of the four variables mentioned above were administered to 2520 participants over 18 (M = 48.35; SD = 16.56, 51% females).

RESULTS

The results reveal that women reported higher levels of emotional regulation, emotional distress, body dissatisfaction, and problematic use of social media. Emotional distress correlated with problematic use of social media, emotion regulation strategies (i.e., rumination and catastrophizing), and body dissatisfaction. The relationship between emotional distress and body dissatisfaction was mediated by the problematic use of social media and emotional regulation.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore the relevance of educating social media users on strategies for emotional regulation. The results highlight the clinical importance of including the emotion regulation approach to a comprehensive understanding of body dissatisfaction.

The protective role of positive body image on the associations between body objectification, disordered eating symptoms, and depression among Korean women

Despite a significant amount of research theoretically demonstrating the benefits of positive body image, limited studies have empirically examined its protective role over women's body concerns and behaviors. Based on the objectification theory, this study explored whether the associations between body objectification, disordered eating symptoms, and depression are moderated by positive body image. We considered four specific constructs of positive body image using the Body Positive Scale (BP Scale) which includes BP-Feeling, BP-Acceptance-even if, BP-Response, and BP-Conceptualization. We conducted moderated mediation analysis using PROCESS model on data from an online survey completed by 400 Korean women ages 20-64 years. The results showed that the associations between body objectification and disordered eating symptoms were not significant at high levels of BP-Feeling and BP-Acceptance-even if. The results also revealed that indirect associations between body objectification and depression via disordered eating symptoms were not significant at high levels of BP-Feeling and BP-Acceptance-even if. While the overall results suggest the protective role of positive body image against disordered eating and depression, this study further provides specific information on positive body image that should be included in the prevention and treatment of disordered eating.

Profiles of body image concerns and their associations with disordered eating behaviors

Although body image concerns (BIC) are recognized as a core driver in the development of disordered eating behaviors, the combined role of various types of BIC remains underexamined. This study relied on latent profile analysis to identify the main configurations of self-reported BIC (i.e., body checking and avoidance, perceived physical appearance, and fear of negative appearance evaluation) observed in a sample of 419 French-Canadian individuals (Mage = 26.59, SDage = 9.23). The role of body mass index, sex, and age on profile membership was also examined, as well as the relation between profile membership and disordered eating behaviors (i.e., dieting, bulimia and food preoccupation, and oral control). Six distinct BIC profiles differing in terms of shape and level were identified, with women being more likely to display a profile characterized by higher levels of BIC. In turn, profiles characterized by higher levels of BIC were associated with more disordered eating behaviors. The present study can broaden our understanding of the onset and maintenance of disordered eating behaviors and inspire the development of more tailored body-image interventions.

Body Shame in 7-12-Year-Old Girls and Boys: The Role of Parental Attention to Children's Appearance

Guided by the Tripartite Influence Model and Objectification Theory, we examined whether parents' attention to their children's appearance was related to higher body shame in girls and boys. In Study 1 (N = 195) and 2 (N = 163), we investigated 7-12-year-old children's metaperceptions about parents' attention to their appearance and its association with children's body shame. In Study 3, we examined the link between parents' self-reported attention to their children's appearance and children's body shame among parent-child triads (N = 70). Results demonstrated that both children's metaperceptions and fathers' self-reported attention to children's appearance were associated with body shame in children. Furthermore, when mothers' and fathers' attitudes toward their children were analyzed simultaneously, only fathers' attention to their children's appearance was associated with greater body shame in girls and boys. Notably, no gender differences emerged, suggesting that parents' attention to their children's appearance was not differentially related to body shame in girls and boys. These results remained significant when controlling for other sources of influence, namely peer and media influence, both of which were found to have a strong association with body shame in children. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings are discussed.

Social Comparison and Female Adolescents' Selfie Behaviors: Body Surveillance as the Mediator and Self-Esteem as the Moderator

The current study aimed to examine whether body surveillance mediated the relation between social comparison and selfie behaviors, and whether this mediating process was moderated by self-esteem. A sample of 339 female adolescents were recruited to participate in the present study and completed self-report measures of selfie behaviors, upward and downward appearance comparisons with peers, self-objectification and self-esteem. Results indicated that body surveillance mediated the association between upward physical appearance comparison and selfie behaviors. In addition, self-esteem moderated the relation between body surveillance and selfie behaviors. These findings add to the extant literature by suggesting that selfies may be some new ways of body surveillance and physical appearance comparison, which have some theoretical and practical implications.

Parenting style and its effect on eating disorders and substance abuse across the young population

This article attempts to examine the occurrence of two behavioural changes, namely, substance abuse and eating disorders in order of onset mediated by ineffective parenting styles during young age. The four parenting styles and their consequential behavioural adverse effects are taken as the focal point of this study and are synthesized to provide an outlook on the status of ineffective parenting and deviant offspring behaviours. A review of literature was primarily undertaken to examine the characteristic features of ineffective parenting. A causal relationship was then drawn between the onset of behavioural disorders with an emphasis on substance abuse and eating disorders, along the parenting spectrum. We probed into the order and directionality of the offspring behavioural changes against ineffective parenting. The current available data shows the superimposition of the parenting style spectrum on a bell-shaped distribution of behavioural outcomes as exemplified by authoritarian, permissive and neglectful parenting as a prime determinant of several disorders among the young age; parenting styles being at the extremities of the parenting spectrum. The sweet spot of parenting, mainly associated to the authoritative approach, bears the most positive effect on the growing child. The extreme ends of parenting as per the varying degree of responsiveness and demandingness, generally observed in authoritarian and neglectful parenting precipitate concomitant deviant behaviours cascading from one another; intricately linking substance abuse and eating disorders. A number of studies describe the isolated effects of ineffective parenting on the development of substance abuse and eating disorders during the adolescent period. However, the relationship between both eating disorders and substance abuse is underplayed and need to be stressed upon to tailor behaviour-specific targeted therapies and restore the normalcy of these altered behaviours.

How the parenting style adopted can lead to a concurrent amalgam of disordered eating patterns and substance abuse.

How disordered eating behaviours and substance abuse are initiated as coping strategies to deal with the consequences of poor parenting.

Isolation of specific risk factors to deter the development of those deviant behaviours in addition to improvement of parenting methods.

Self-Consciousness, Self-Objectification, and Social Anxiety as Predictors of Photo Editing Behavior among Emerging Adults

This study aims to assess the impact of self-consciousness, self-objectification, and social anxiety on photo editing behavior among emerging adults. Correlational research strategy was used for the present quantitative research, and convenient sampling strategy was used to collect data of 444 university students (135 males and 309 females) with the age range of 18-25 years. The self-consciousness scale, objectified body consciousness scale, photo manipulation scale, and social anxiety scale were used as assessment tools for this study. For data analysis, $t$ -test for independent samples, correlation, and regression analysis were implied. The results revealed that women had higher self-consciousness and social anxiety in contrast to men. Moreover, self-objectification and evaluation anxiety were positively correlated with photo editing behavior. Lastly, overall self-objectification and body shame, one of the three aspects of self-objectification resulted as significant predictors of photo manipulation behavior among emerging adults. This study contributes to the indigenous literature of clinical and social psychology.

Internalized Stigma as a Transdiagnostic Factor for Women with Eating Disorders

This study aimed to examine how internalized weight bias (IWB), body surveillance, and body shame relate to eating pathology in women with diagnosed eating disorders (EDs) across the weight spectrum. Previous research has examined these variables in primarily non-clinical populations, binge eating disorder, and higher weight populations. In a sample of 98 women with diagnosed EDs, the association of IWB, body surveillance, and body shame on the severity of ED symptoms was examined with hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results indicate that IWB, body surveillance, and body shame significantly predicted global eating pathology, F (4, 93) = 40.74, p < .001. IWB, body surveillance, and body shame related to global eating pathology, even after controlling for previous weight bias experiences. Analyses with specific symptom clusters found that only body surveillance predicted dietary restraint, only IWB and body shame predicted overvaluation of shape/weight, and only IWB predicted body dissatisfaction. The findings in this study provide initial support for internalized stigma variables (IWB, body surveillance, and body shame) related to ED pathology in a transdiagnostic clinical eating disorder sample across the weight spectrum. Results suggest that further examination of internalized stigma is needed within ED treatment.

Demographic and sociocultural predictors of sexuality-related body image and sexual frequency: The U.S. Body Project I

Body image is a critical component of an individual's sexual experiences. This makes it critical to identify demographic and sociocultural correlates of sexuality-related body image: the subjective feelings, cognitions, and evaluations related to one's body in the context of sexual experience. We examined how sexuality-related body image differed by gender, sexual orientation, race, age, and BMI. Four items assessing sexuality-related body image were completed by 11,620 U.S. adults: self-perceived sex appeal of their body, nude appearance satisfaction, and the extent to which they believed that body image positively or negatively affected their sexual enjoyment and feelings of sexual acceptability as a partner. Men reported slightly less nude appearance dissatisfaction and fewer negative effects of body image on sexual enjoyment and sexual acceptability than women, but did not differ in reported sex appeal. Poorer sexuality-related body image was reported by people with higher BMIs, not in relationships, who had sex less frequently, among White compared to Black women and men, and among gay compared to heterosexual men. Data also revealed a subgroup of respondents who reported that their body image had a positive impact on their sex lives. The findings highlight a need for interventions addressing sexuality-related body image.

Sexual orientation differences in pathways from sociocultural and objectification constructs to body satisfaction: The U.S. Body Project I

Objectification theory and the tripartite influence model provide useful frameworks for understanding the body image experiences of men and women. However, there is little systematic investigation of how sexual orientation moderates the links between these constructs and body image satisfaction. It has been hypothesized, for example, that the associations of surveillance (i.e., monitoring of one's appearance due to objectification by others) would be strongest for groups targeted by the male gaze (e.g., gay men, lesbian women, and bisexual men and women). Here we proposed an integrated sociocultural model and examined these pathways in multigroup structural equation models in a national sample of heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women (ns = 5395; 598; 213, respectively), and heterosexual, bisexual, and gay men (4869; 194; and 194, respectively) aged 18-65 years. Sexual orientation moderated some of these pathways. The most consistent pattern was that appearance pressures were internalized to a greater extent among bisexual participants. The pathways to poorer body image were generally similar among heterosexual and gay/lesbian men and women. These findings highlight the importance of examining sexual orientation-specific influences on body image across diverse groups, as well as the commonalities in the experiences of men and women across sexual orientations.

Racial identity differences in pathways from sociocultural and objectification constructs to body satisfaction: The U.S. Body Project I

Racial minority men and women face a wide variety of appearance-related pressures, including ones connected to their cultural backgrounds and phenotypic features associated with their identity. These body image concerns exist within a larger context, wherein racial minorities face pressures from multiple cultures or subcultures simultaneously to achieve unrealistic appearance ideals. However, limited research has investigated racial differences in the relationships between theorized sociocultural risk factors and body image in large samples. This study tests pathways from an integrated sociocultural model drawing on objectification theory and the tripartite influence model to three key body image outcomes: appearance evaluation, body image quality of life, and face image satisfaction. These pathways were tested using multigroup structural equation modeling in a national sample of White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian men and women (ns = 205-4797 per group). Although many hypothesized associations were similar in strength across groups, race moderated some of the pathways between sociocultural pressures (media, peer, family), internalization of appearance ideals (thin-ideal, muscular/athletic), appearance surveillance, and body image outcomes. Findings support the likely role of both shared and specific risk factors for body image outcomes, suggesting avenues for tailoring adapted interventions in order to target culturally-salient risk factors.

Demographic predictors of objectification theory and tripartite influence model constructs: The U.S. Body Project I

We examined how demographic factors (gender, sexual orientation, racial group, age, body mass) were linked to measures of sociocultural appearance concerns derived from objectification theory and the tripartite influence model (McKinley & Hyde, 1996; Schaefer et al., 2015) among 11,620 adults. Men were less likely than women to report high body surveillance, thin-ideal internalization, appearance-related media pressures, and family pressures; did not differ in peer pressures; and reported greater muscle/athletic internalization. Both men and women expressed greater desire for their bodies to look "very lean" than to look "very thin". Compared to gay men, heterosexual men reported lower body surveillance, thin-ideal internalization, peer pressures, and media pressures. Black women reported lower thin-ideal internalization than White, Hispanic, and Asian women, whereas Asian women reported greater family pressures. Being younger and having higher BMIs were associated with greater sociocultural appearance concerns across most measures. The variation in prevalence of sociocultural appearance concerns across these demographic groups highlights the need for interventions.

Investigation of Eating Disorder Risk and Body Image Dissatisfaction among Female Competitive Cheerleaders

Social agents associated with cheerleading environments are increasingly linked to body image dissatisfaction (BID) and eating disorders (ED). This study examined ED risk across team type, squad type, and position. An additional purpose determined BID in clothing type (daily clothing, midriff uniform, and full uniform), and meta-perceptions from the perspective of peers (MP peers), parents (MP parents), and coaches (MP coaches). Female cheerleaders (n = 268) completed an online survey which included demographics, the Eating Attitudes Test-26, and pathogenic behavior questions. Body image perceptions were assessed by using the Sex-Specific Figural Stimuli Silhouettes. Overall, 34.4% of cheerleaders (n = 268; mean age: 17.9 ± 2.7 years) exhibited an ED risk. Compared to All-Star cheerleaders, college cheerleaders demonstrated significant higher ED risk (p = 0.021), dieting subscale scores (p = 0.045), and laxative, diet pill, and diuretic use (p = 0.008). Co-ed teams compared to all-girl teams revealed higher means for the total EAT-26 (p = 0.018) and oral control subscale (p = 0.002). The BID in clothing type revealed that cheerleaders wanted to be the smallest in the midriff option (p < 0.0001, η2 = 0.332). The BID from meta-perception revealed that cheerleaders felt that their coaches wanted them to be the smallest (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.106). Cheerleaders are at risk for EDs and BID at any level. Regarding the midriff uniform, MP from the perspective of coaches showed the greatest difference between perceived and desired body image.

Fat stigma and body objectification: A text analysis approach using social media content

This study investigates how female and male genders are positioned in fat stigmatising discourses that are being conducted over social media. Weight-based linguistic data corpus, extracted from three popular social media (SM) outlets, Twitter, YouTube and Reddit, was examined for fat stigmatising content. A mixed-method analysis comprising sentiment analysis, word co-occurrences and qualitative analysis, assisted our investigation of the corpus for body objectification themes and gender-based differences. Objectification theory provided the underlying framework to examine the experiential consequences of being fat across both genders. Five objectifying themes, namely, attractiveness, physical appearance, lifestyle choices, health and psychological well-being, emerged from the analysis. A deeper investigation into more facets of the social interaction data revealed overall positive and negative attitudes towards obesity, which informed on existing notions of gendered body objectification and weight/fat stigmatisation. Our findings have provided a holistic outlook on weight/fat stigmatising content that is posted online which can further inform policymakers in planning suitable props to facilitate more inclusive SM spaces. This study showcases how lexical analytics can be conducted by combining a variety of data mining methods to draw out insightful subject-related themes that add to the existing knowledge base; therefore, has both practical and theoretical implications.

Body image and its association with depression, anxiety, and self-esteem among college going students: A study from Northeast India

Background:

Body image is conceptualized as a subjective perception of an individual one's own body and on how he/she is seen by others, and its distortion can lead to poor self-esteem and affect psychological adjustment among the youth. The objectives of the study were to assess body image and to see the association with depression, anxiety, and self-esteem among students.

Materials and Methods:

A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among undergraduate students in Shillong, Meghalaya. The researcher used random sampling as for the selection of college. The Krejcie and Morgan (1970) sampling method was used to determine the sample size by a table using the sample size formula for the finite population. A total of 384 respondents were selected for the study, out of which 358 were included for the final analysis. Sociodemographic datasheet, Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire–Appearance Scales, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale were administered.

Results:

Regression analysis showed self-esteem and anxiety contribute significantly to the prediction of body image satisfaction among students (F[4353] = 3.816, P = 0.001), accounting for a 15.1% variance.

Conclusion:

Significant proportion of students were dissatisfied with their body image. Furthermore, a study reported that body image influences psychological well-being. There is a need for preventive measures and making these young people aware of the importance of both physical and mental health.

Shame and eating disorders symptoms: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Numerous empirical studies and theoretical models posit that shame is a common experience among individuals across the eating disorder spectrum. In this study we aim to investigate the association between shame and eating disorders symptoms using a meta-analytical approach.

METHOD

In this meta-analysis, we synthesized findings from 195 studies to examine the proposed association between shame and eating disorders symptoms. We looked at the associations with both general eating disorders symptoms and with specific eating disorders symptoms (i.e., anorexic, bulimic, and binge-eating symptoms). Moderation analyses testing for the effect of type of shame, type of eating symptoms, clinical status, quality of the study, age, and gender were conducted.

RESULTS

Shame was significantly associated with a medium to large effect size with all types of eating disorders symptoms (rs between .40 and .52). Body shame (r = .55) and shame around eating (r = .59) were more strongly related with eating disorders pathology. Type of eating disorders symptoms did not moderate the relationship between shame and disturbed eating.

DISCUSSION

Overall, the magnitude of the effect size of the association between shame and eating disorders symptoms is a medium to large one. Body shame and shame around eating seem to be the types of shame most closely tied with eating disorders symptoms, suggesting that directly targeting them in interventions might be highly beneficial. Findings highlight current gaps in the literature (e.g., mostly correlational studies, low quality studies) with implications for future research.

Sexual Victimization and Disordered Eating in Bisexual Women: A Test of Objectification Theory

The current study (a) ascertained whether there is a relationship between sexual victimization (SV) and disordered eating (DE) among bisexual women, (b) assessed whether objectification theory explains the relationship, and (c) tested for group differences between bisexual and heterosexual women on SV, DE, and other objectification theory variables. Utilizing a sample of 164 undergraduate bisexual women, there was a significant positive relationship between SV and DE that was serially mediated by self-surveillance and body shame. In addition, bisexual participants endorsed more SV, DE, body shame, and interoceptive deficits than a comparison sample of 335 undergraduate heterosexual women. Implications are discussed.

The effects of engaging in digital photo modifications and receiving favorable comments on women's selfies shared on social media

The present study explores how the construction and distribution of selfies might interact with features of newer media to affect women who share selfies on social media. In particular, this study focuses on how specific types of photo modification and the nature of favorable audience feedback received on one's images might exert influence on women's state self-objectification and body image concerns. A 3 × 2 between-subjects lab experiment was conducted to explore how the type of photo modification (appearance modifications, nonappearance modifications, or no modifications [control]) and nature of positive feedback (appearance comments vs. nonappearance comments) affect state self-objectification, state appearance satisfaction, pro-cosmetic surgery attitudes, and willingness to distribute selfies on social media in the future. Results indicate that modifying selfies leads to less appearance satisfaction and lower pro-cosmetic surgery attitudes. Receiving appearance comments on selfies heightens state self-objectification, regardless of the type of photo modification. In addition, the more women self-objectified, the more inclined they were to share similarly objectifying selfies on social media in the future. The findings of this work provide a more comprehensive understanding of how women are impacted by the images they share online.

The role of beauty as currency belief in acceptance of cosmetic surgery and career aspirations among Chinese young women

The current study tested the "beauty as currency" hypothesis in the framework of Objectification theory with a sample of Chinese young women. Four hundred and four college women completed a pencil-and-paper questionnaire. We hypothesized that beauty as currency would be associated with acceptance of cosmetic surgery and career aspirations through the serial meditation of self-objectification and body surveillance. The results indicated that self-objectification and body surveillance mediated the relation between women's belief in beauty as currency and acceptance of cosmetic surgery. Body surveillance mediated the relationship between beauty as currency and career aspirations. These findings provide further evidence for the "beauty as currency" hypothesis, suggesting the feminine beauty ideology may lead to women's higher acceptance of cosmetic surgery and lower career aspirations via the self-objectifying process. Our study provides some implications for understanding the effect of women's ideologies on gender system change.

A Qualitative Exploration of Sport and Social Pressures on Elite Athletes in Relation to Disordered Eating

Introduction: Athletes are at increased risk of disordered eating compared to non-athletes. Inspired by previous investigation into quantitative work on an etiological model of disordered eating in athletes, the current study aimed to explore a problematic aspect of the model: athletes' lived experiences of social and sport pressures in relation to the onset of disordered eating and differing eating behaviors. Methods: Nine (N = 9) male and female athletes representing a range of endurance sports took part in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was utilized. Analysis: Analysis revealed two main themes each with two corresponding subthemes (1) Conflating physical appearance and sporting ability with the subthemes of (1a) social comparison in a sporting world and (1b) societal notions of "the athlete body" and (2) Living as an athlete with the corresponding subthemes of (2a) discipline and sacrifice and (2b) the balancing act. Discussion: It is the complex interaction between societal expectations as lived out in social messages and comparisons, and sport pressures that contributes to the development of disordered eating behaviors. These findings suggest that prevention and treatment of disordered eating in athletes can be applied from those already established in non-sporting realm.

Body surveillance prospectively linked with physical activity via body shame in adolescent girls

The socialization of girls to habitually monitor their bodies, via the process of body surveillance, contributes to an increased risk of negative physical and psychological experiences. The present study examined if body surveillance may also contribute to the decrease in physical activity that is observed in girls during adolescence, and if this association is mediated by body shame (operationalized as both experienced and anticipated shame when imagining changes to one's body in the future). Physically active adolescent girls (n = 206) reported body surveillance at baseline, and measures of experienced and anticpated body shame, and physical activity two years later. Body surveillance was indirectly associated with physical activity via the experience and anticipation of body shame. Specifically, the experience of body shame was associated with lower reported engagement in physical activity (b = -0.13, 95 % CI [-0.23, -0.03]), whereas the anticipation of body shame was associated with higher physical activity (b = 0.07, 95 % CI [0.01, 0.15]), possibly for the purpose of appearance management. Due to the opposing directional effects of experienced versus anticipated body shame, it is important to consider both facets of this emotional experience in understanding how vigilant bodily monitoring impacts physical activity engagement in adolescent girls.

Eating Disorder Symptoms in Elite Spanish Athletes: Prevalence and Sport-Specific Weight Pressures

We determined the prevalence of eating disorder (ED) symptoms among elite Spanish athletes from a broad range of sports and levels of competition and examined the associations between the presence of symptoms and perceived sport-specific weight pressures. We surveyed 646 elite athletes (16.7 ± 4.4 years; 51.08% females) representing 33 sports from top-division teams and two elite athlete training centers in Catalonia. Based on the results of the Eating Attitudes Test-26 responses, 5.1% of athletes (7.6% of females and 2.5% of males) were at risk of EDs. The highest rates of ED symptoms were observed in male endurance athletes and female esthetic athletes. Competition level was not a risk factor. The only gender differences in the presence of ED symptoms by competing level were observed in athletes competing at the national level. Female athletes with ED symptoms scored higher on the two subscales of the Spanish version of the Weight Pressures in Sport (WPS) tool: coach and sport-specific pressures and pressures from teammates and due to uniform. Male athletes with ED symptoms scored higher on the pressures due to uniform subscale. Finally, symptomatic female but not male athletes competing at international and national levels also perceived greater sport-specific weight pressures.

I (DON'T) LOVE MY BODY: COUNTER-INTUITIVE EFFECTS OF A BODY-AFFIRMING STATEMENT ON COLLEGE WOMEN'S BODY SATISFACTION

Introduction: Messages encouraging women to love their bodies are common elements of positive body image movements, but there are theoretical reasons to suspect that such messages may backfire.

Methods: In a sample of 293 college women, we tested the impact of mentally repeating the affirmation “I love my body” on body satisfaction. We prompted participants to think either “I love my body” (affirmation condition) or “I am [age] years old” (control condition) while they completed a five-minute writing task.

Results: Relative to the control, the affirmation condition led to significantly lower body satisfaction. Additionally, 53% of affirmation condition participants counterargued the body affirmation by writing something negative about their appearance; only 6% in the control condition wrote a negative appearance comment.

Discussion: Results suggest that some messages intended to promote positive body image have the potential to decrease women's body satisfaction, in part because they prompt women to think of flaws in their appearance.

Becoming an object: A review of self-objectification in girls

Objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) provides a framework for understanding how cultural pressure on women's appearance (i.e., sexual objectification) impacts their psychological and physical well-being. Although objectification theory proposes that objectification processes commence with the onset of puberty, much of the existing research on self-objectification has been conducted with adult women. Thus, less is known about how self-objectification operates with younger girls and adolescent girls. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive review of self-objectification research on girls under the age of 18 including the prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of self-objectification as well as protective factors (n = 66 studies). In addition, we discuss how development is relevant to objectification theory and self-objectification. Finally, we call for a program of research that addresses methodological and conceptual concerns in existing research, fills gaps in the research literature, and pays further attention to developmental processes in self-objectification. An especially notable pattern we identified is that self-objectification is strongly related to age, such that older girls experience higher levels of self-objectification compared to younger girls. The aim of this paper is to provoke deeper considerations of development and the inclusion of girls in future research on self-objectification.

The Happy American Body 2.0: Predictors of affective body satisfaction in two U.S. national internet panel surveys

The first national study of body image was reported four decades ago in the article The Happy American Body (Berscheid et al., 1973). To provide a modern follow-up to this study, we used two Internet panel surveys of U.S. adults to examine feelings about appearance (Survey 1: Married N = 1095; Single N = 5481) and weight, appearance, body, and muscle size/tone (Survey 2: N = 1601). Mean ages across samples for men and women ranged from 42-53. On the positive side, many men and women were somewhat-to-very satisfied with their appearance (67 %; 57 %), overall body (61 %; 46 %), weight (54 %; 42 %), and muscle tone/size (56 %; 41 %). Mean gender differences were small (Cohen's ds = 0.18-0.32), as were sexual orientation differences within each gender (ds = |0.00-0.25|). Looking at negative body image, fewer men than women were somewhat-to-very unhappy with their appearance among married (19 %; 29 %) and single participants (29 %; 35 %), and fewer men were somewhat-to-extremely dissatisfied with their appearance (18 %; 24 %), body (27 %; 39 %), weight (36 %; 49 %), muscle tone/size (27 %; 41 %). Nearly one-fifth of men (18 %) and one-fourth of women (27 %) were very-to-extremely dissatisfied with at least one of these traits, highlighting the importance of body image interventions.

Self-objectification and eating disorder pathology in an ethnically diverse sample of adult women: cross-sectional and short-term longitudinal associations

BACKGROUND

Extensive support exists for objectification theory's original aim of explaining patterns of women's mental health risk through a sociocultural lens. One pathway in objectification theory proposes a mediational role of body shame in the relationship between self-objectification and eating disorder (ED) pathology. Robust past cross-sectional research supports this proposed pathway, but largely in non-Hispanic Caucasian, college-aged samples; this pathway has yet to be empirically demonstrated longitudinally. Given previously documented concerns regarding direct measurement of body shame, we tested two measures of body shame as mediators in both cross-sectional and longitudinal models in a diverse sample of adult women.

METHOD

Utilizing snowball sampling via email, we recruited age and racially/ethnically diverse women predominantly within the United States. Participants completed online surveys assessing self-objectification (operationalized as body surveillance), body shame, and ED pathology at baseline, 3-months and 6-months.

RESULTS

Racial/ethnic minority (n = 139) and non-Hispanic Caucasian (n = 181) adult women completed the measures. Cross-sectional moderated mediation models indicated that racial/ethnic status did not moderate relationships, and that body shame significantly mediated the relation between body surveillance and ED pathology at each time point. The longitudinal model, analyzed using cross-lagged panel analyses, was nonsignificant, as body surveillance failed to predict future body shame when controlling for past body shame.

CONCLUSIONS

Racial/ethnic status did not moderate relations at any time point. Cross-sectional findings replicated past research; the longitudinal model did not support a core mediation pathway linking self-objectification to ED pathology through body shame. Because self-objectification putatively develops earlier in life, future research also should examine these relations in younger diverse samples over a longer time period.

Development and validation of the Physical Activity Body Experiences Questionnaire

Embodiment is defined as a state in which one experiences one's physical body as an essential aspect of one's lived experiences, a potential protective factor against body image and eating disturbance. The Physical Activity Body Experiences Questionnaire (PABEQ) was rationally derived as a measure of embodiment based on focus groups, literature reviews, and expert review. The PABEQ and measures of body image, self-objectification, and disordered eating were administered to two samples randomly selected from a pool of 606 female undergraduate students at least 18 years of age and a third test–retest sample of 58 female undergraduates. Exploratory factor analyses and reliability estimates supported a two-factor scale: Mind-Body Connection and Body Acceptance. Results indicated the utility of the subscales in predicting body awareness, body responsiveness, positive body image, body satisfaction, self-objectification, disordered eating, and positive body image.

Tone it Down: How Fitness Instructors’ Motivational Comments Shape Women’s Body Satisfaction

Two-hundred and three college women participated in a 16-minute strength and conditioning group fitness class. Participants were randomly assigned to a class that featured either appearance-focused motivational comments by the instructor (e.g., “Blast that cellulite!”) or function-focused comments (e.g., “Think of how strong you are getting!”). Body satisfaction from pre-test to post-test increased overall, but those in the function-focused (as opposed to appearance-focused) condition experienced a significantly greater increase in body satisfaction. A similar pattern was observed for positive affect. Additionally, those in the function-focused condition described the class in more positive terms and reported experiencing less body surveillance during the class. These findings are consistent with research suggesting that exercise can improve mood and body satisfaction, but also suggest that a more function-focused class can lead to even greater improvements. The motivational comments fitness instructors use may have a notable impact on women’s mood, body satisfaction, and body surveillance.

Out of "Objectification Limelight"? The Contribution of Body Appreciation to Sexual Adjustment in Midlife Women

According to objectification theory, women become culturally desexualized during midlife and have the opportunity to let go of their propensity to self-objectify. In young women, self-objectification is negatively related to sexual adjustment. Yet little is known about what could ameliorate this relationship or whether it continues after midlife. Body appreciation (i.e., acceptance and positive regard for the body) has been substantiated as a contributor to improved sexual adjustment in young and older women alike. Hence, this study was designed to examine whether it helps mitigate the deleterious effect of self-objectification on sexual function, satisfaction, and distress in women over the age of 50 (n = 193). Path analyses revealed that self-surveillance is related to body shame and appearance anxiety, the latter of which was related to body self-consciousness during sex. In turn, body self-consciousness during sex mediated the relationship between body shame, appearance anxiety, and all three indicators of sexual adjustment. Furthermore, high body appreciation attenuated the negative associations between self-objectification constructs, body self-consciousness during sex, and sexual satisfaction and distress. Overall, this study supports the use of objectification theory in midlife and older women. Sex therapy interventions that incorporate mindfulness and body appreciation principles are discussed.

Self-objectification and disordered eating: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Objectification theory posits that self-objectification increases risk for disordered eating.

METHOD

The current study sought to examine the relationship between self-objectification and disordered eating using meta-analytic techniques.

RESULTS

Data from 53 cross-sectional studies (73 effect sizes) revealed a significant moderate positive overall effect (r = .39), which was moderated by gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and measurement of self-objectification. Specifically, larger effect sizes were associated with female samples and the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale. Effect sizes were smaller among heterosexual men and African American samples. Age, body mass index, country of origin, measurement of disordered eating, sample type and publication type were not significant moderators.

DISCUSSION

Overall, results from the first meta-analysis to examine the relationship between self-objectification and disordered eating provide support for one of the major tenets of objectification theory and suggest that self-objectification may be a meaningful target in eating disorder interventions, though further work is needed to establish temporal and causal relationships. Findings highlight current gaps in the literature (e.g., limited representation of males, and ethnic and sexual minorities) with implications for guiding future research.

Self-Compassionate Writing Exercises Increase College Women’s Body Satisfaction

In three studies, we tested the effect of self-compassionate, body-compassionate, and body-functionality-focused writing exercises on college women’s body satisfaction. In Study 1, two hundred fifty-one undergraduate women completed one of the four letter-writing conditions: a general self-compassionate letter, a body-compassionate letter, a letter about body functionality, or a neutral writing task. In Study 2, two hundred forty undergraduate women completed one of the two compassion-focused conditions from Study 1, or one of the two new writing tasks that instructed participants to write either about their bodies or general selves, without any specific compassion cues. In both studies, participants in the compassion conditions reported significantly greater body satisfaction and positive affect relative to the neutral writing conditions. In Study 1, participants in the body-functionality condition also reported increased body satisfaction and positive affect relative to those in the neutral writing condition. Results for negative affect were inconclusive. In Study 3, the writing exercises were modified; we used an online format with 1,158 sorority women in the United States. Again, results indicated that both self-compassion-focused and body-functionality-focused writing led to higher body satisfaction and higher positive affect (relative to a control condition focused on writing about a recent, positive event); however, no effect on negative affect emerged. Clinicians, educators, and activists may consider using these types of compassionate or body-functionality-focused writing exercises as brief interventions for increasing body satisfaction in young women. Additional online materials for this article are available at https://osf.io/fvgcp

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

Objectification theory asserts that self-objectification, which manifests as self-surveillance, leads to increased body shame and subsequent eating pathology. Although evidence supports the core mediational model, the majority of this work utilizes primarily White samples, limiting generalizability to other ethnic groups. The current study examined whether the core tenets of objectification theory generalize to Black and Hispanic women. Participants were 880 college women from the United States (71.7% White, 15.1% Hispanic, 13.2% Black) who completed self-report measures of self-surveillance, body shame, and disordered eating. Multivariate analysis of variance tests indicated lower levels of self-surveillance and disordered eating among Black women. Moreover, body shame mediated the relationship between self-surveillance and disordered eating for White and Hispanic women, but not for Black women. These analyses support growing evidence for the role of body shame as a mediator between body surveillance and eating pathology, but only for women in certain ethnic groups.

Applying Objectification Theory to the Relationship Between Sexual Victimization and Disordered Eating

There is an established relationship between sexual victimization (SV) and disordered eating (DE); however, few theory-based studies exist that adequately examine this relationship. Previous research on objectification theory has insufficiently tested the theory’s application to extreme objectifying experiences such as SV. To address this gap in the literature, we evaluated objectification theory as a means for clarifying the relationship between SV and DE. Specifically, we examined how self-surveillance, a proxy for self-objectification, and two of its psychological correlates, body shame and interoceptive deficits, may clarify the association between SV and DE. Participants were 389 undergraduate women. Path analysis of the model largely supports the application of objectification theory to this relationship but also suggests potential modifications to the theory. Further, the extent to which SV may be uniquely related to DE, above and beyond everyday objectification (e.g., leering, unwanted sexual comments), was explored. Implications are discussed.

Socializing girls whose bodies may not align with contemporary ideals of thinness: An interpretive study of US mothers' accounts

We sought to understand how mothers of young adolescent girls who are perceived as overweight or at risk for becoming so and whose body mass indices are at the 70th percentile or higher socialize their daughters about body, weight, eating, and health. In-depth interviews were conducted with 13 US mothers, and data were analyzed using constant comparison processes. Findings revealed that mothers adopted a variety of strategies - including teaching, modeling, managing, avoiding, and comforting - to achieve varied socialization goals for their daughters. Specifically, mothers sought to help their daughters to accept the self, reject the hegemonic ideal, maintain "healthful" eating, avoid overeating/monitor the self for over-eating, engage in regular physical activity, and/or navigate stigmatizing social situations. Mothers' sometimes experienced ambivalence or uncertainty as they socialized their daughters about the body, suggesting that they may benefit from professional counseling designed to resolve this tension/hesitancy.

Mechanisms of action during a dissonance-based intervention through 14-month follow-up: The roles of body shame and body surveillance

Objectification theory posits that internalization of societal perspectives about the female body leads to increased body surveillance, which can result in body-related shame and subsequent eating disorder (ED) behaviors. Preliminary research indicates that these associations may be complex in nature. This study examined temporal relations among body surveillance, body shame, and eating disorder symptoms in the context of a dissonance-based body image intervention and through 14-month follow-up. College women (N=285) completed assessments at baseline, post-intervention, and at 8-week, 8-month, and 14-month follow-up. Cross-lag panel analyses revealed that changes in body surveillance significantly mediated the association between body shame and ED symptoms over time. Alternatively, body shame did not change over time and was not a significant mediator of associations between body surveillance and ED symptoms longitudinally. Results indicate that the ameliorative effects of dissonance-based interventions may be due to reductions in body surveillance, rather than decreased body shame.

The Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale

Given the limitations of existing measures of self-objectification, the purpose of the two studies presented in this article was to develop and validate a new measure of self-objectification, the Self-Objectification Beliefs and Behaviors Scale (SOBBS). In Study 1, a total of 654 women completed an online questionnaire including a pool of items designed to measure self-objectification. The item pool was constructed through focus groups and consultation with subject matter experts. Participants also completed existing measures of self-objectification and related constructs. A subset of participants completed the item pool at a 2-week interval to allow for assessment of test–retest reliability. A 14-item, two-factor measure of self-objectification was derived through exploratory factor analysis. Data provided evidence for the SOBBS’s internal consistency and test–retest reliability as well as its convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity via its relations with interpersonal sexual objectification, body image, disordered eating, and depression. In Study 2, the factor structure of the SOBBS was reevaluated using confirmatory factor analysis and validity was again evaluated; SOBBS scores correlated with public body consciousness, private and public self-consciousness, self-esteem, and sexual functioning. We discuss implications for assessment of self-objectification as part of efforts in prevention and treatment of body image and eating disturbances. We hope the development of a new measure of self-objectification prompts further study of the topic and that increased knowledge about self-objectification allows clinicians and researchers to develop interventions that foster greater resilience against sexual objectification.

More than Just Child's Play?: An Experimental Investigation of the Impact of an Appearance-Focused Internet Game on Body Image and Career Aspirations of Young Girls

In recent years, elements of the modern environment (such as television, Internet, toys and clothes) have been criticized for having an increasingly sexualized or appearance focus, which has been suggested to be detrimental to girls’ development. The current study examined the impact of an appearance-focused Internet game on young girls’ body image and career cognitions and aspirations. Eighty British girls aged 8–9 years were randomly assigned to play an appearance-focused or a non-appearance focused game for 10 minutes. Girls in the appearance-focused game condition displayed greater body dissatisfaction compared to the control condition. Type of game did not impact girls’ perceived capacity to do various jobs. However, girls who played the appearance-focused game reported a greater preference for feminine careers compared to the control group. This provides preliminary evidence that appearance-focused Internet games may be detrimental to young girls’ body image and aspirations. Internet games should be included in our consideration of influential messages for young girls.