Objectification Theory

Definition

Objectification theory is a framework for understanding the experience of being female in a culture that sexually objectifies the female body. The theory proposes that girls and women, more so than boys and men, are socialized to internalize an observer's perspective as their primary view of their physical selves. This perspective is referred to as self-objectification, which leads many girls and women to habitually monitor their bodies' outward appearance. This, in turn, leads to increased feelings of shame, anxiety, and disgust toward the self, reduces opportunities for peak motivational states, and diminishes awareness of internal bodily states. Accumulations of these experiences help account for a variety of mental health risks that disproportionately affect women: depression, eating disorders, and sexual dysfunction. The theory also helps illuminate why changes in these mental health risks occur alongside life-course changes in the female body, emerging at puberty and diminishing after menopause.

Background and History

At the beginning of the 20th century, American psychologists explored the notion of the looking-glass self, which says that a person's sense of self is a social construction and reflects how others view him or her. This perspective is a precursor to objectification theory, which takes the looking glass, or mirror, component of this metaphor quite literally. The field's earlier notions of self disregarded the physical body as an important component of self-concept and focused almost exclusively on attitudes, values, motivations, and the like. However, studies show that for women, positive self-regard hinges on perceived physical attractiveness, whereas for men, it hinges on physical effectiveness. So objectification theory asks, what would a more embodied view of the self tell us about gender differences in mental health?

Feminist theorists have pointed a finger at Western culture's sexually objectifying treatment of women's bodies for a long time. Psychologist Karen Horney wrote, 75 years ago, about the socially sanctioned right of all males to sexualize all females, regardless of age or status. More recently, Sandra Bartky defined sexual objectification as occurring whenever a woman's body, body parts, or sexual functions are separated from her person, reduced to the status of mere instruments, or regarded as if they were capable of representing her. Furthermore, the notion that within this cultural milieu women can adopt an outside-in perspective on their own bodies has a fairly long history in feminist philosophy. Simone de Beauvoir argued that when a girl becomes a woman, she becomes doubled; so instead of existing only within herself, she also exists outside herself. The art historian John Berger showed that women become their own first surveyors as a way of anticipating their treatment in the world.

Objectification theory argues that, with the sexualization of the female body as the cultural milieu in which girls are raised, girls are socialized to treat themselves as objects to be looked at and evaluated for their appearance. The external pressures that encourage girls' own preoccupation with their physical appearances abound. Empirical evidence demonstrates that [Page 632]sexy, eye-catching women receive massive rewards in American culture. For example, compared with average weight or thin girls, heavier girls are less likely to be accepted to college. Physical attractiveness also correlates more highly with popularity, dating experience, and even marriage opportunities for girls and women than for men. It is as if physical beauty translates to power for girls and women. So, what Sigmund Freud called vanity in women, objectification theory explores as a survival strategy in a sexually objectifying culture; a survival strategy that may bring immediate rewards, but carries significant psychological and health consequences.

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