Understanding Sexual Objectification: A Comprehensive Approach Toward Media Exposure and Girls' Internalization of Beauty Ideals, Self-Objectification, and Body Surveillance
2012/08/27 by Laura Vandenbosch, Steven Eggermont · 332 citations
Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Aesthetics #Art #Beauty #Eating Disorders and Behaviors #Gender, Feminism, and Media #Human physical appearance #Internalization #Media, Gender, and Advertising #Medicine #Objectification #Political science #Psychology #Social psychology
paper · open access · doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2012.01667.x
published in Journal of Communication 62(5), 869-887 (Oxford University Press)
openalex publication_date 2012/08/27 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Abstract
The relationship between exposure to sexually objectifying music television, primetime television programs, fashion magazines, and social networking sites and the internalization of beauty ideals, self-objectification, and body surveillance was examined among adolescent girls (N = 558). A structural equation model showed direct relationships between sexually objectifying media and the internalization of beauty ideals, and indirect relationships between sexually objectifying media and self-objectification, and body surveillance through the internalization of beauty ideals. The direct relationships between sexually objectifying media and the internalization of beauty ideals, self-objectification, and body surveillance differed across the types of sexually objectifying media. The discussion focuses on the implications of these findings to explain self-objectification among girls.
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