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Available internet research focus on the linear transition from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0 without realizing their interplay across platforms and interactions with analog and real-world. Such interactions are examined in the foreign bride trade industry's shifting and stable discursive representations of Filipino women as the industry moved from analog print catalogues to static, unidirectional Web 1.0, multidirectional Web 2.0 and decentralized Web 3.0. Technological changes have transformed digital platforms and information delivery and continued marketable representations of Filipina brides' racialized exceptionalisms. Shifting from analog to digital platforms has simultaneously disrupted and preserved gendered-racialized hierarchical representations of Filipina brides as simultaneously paradoxical, problematic, and provocative variations in purveying Philippine postcolonial exceptionalism. Critical discourse analyses of sample catalogues and Web 1.0–2.0 websites reveal three persistent exceptionalism variants in Filipina bride representations—extraordinary, comparative, and pragmatic—reproducing racialized-sexualized desires and hierarchies, which endured across technological platforms, simultaneously reproducing and disrupting persistent representations of foreign brides from the Global South, particularly Filipinas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on social cognitive processes (Bandura, 2009), sexualizing media likely provide adolescents with credible role models for their own sexualized self-presentation in other mediated contexts, such as sexting. A survey of 6,093 US adolescents was conducted (Mage = 15.27 years, SD = 1.37; 69.1% cisgender girls; 26.8% cisgender boys, 4.2% gender-minority participants) to examine relations between three types of sexualizing media exposure (reality television, music videos, pornography) and active sexting behaviors (i.e., requesting and sending). Among cisgender boys, exposure to sexually oriented reality television was positively related to active sexting behaviors, but this link was not found for cisgender girls or gender-minority participants. Music video exposure was related to active sexting behaviors only among cisgender boys and pornography consumption was positively related to active sexting behaviors among all gender groups. A positive outcome expectancy (i.e., sexting is fun) consistently mediated these relations. A negative outcome expectancy (i.e., sexting is risky) only mediated the relations between pornography consumption and active sexting behaviors among cisgender girls. Results are discussed in light of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 2009) and the 3AM Model (Wright, 2011). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our work adopted an intersectional approach to investigate how women's racial identity may influence how they evaluate and are impacted by body-positive imagery of women on social media. In a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment (N = 975), we examined how source race (Black vs White) and sexualization (non-sexualized vs sexualized) in body-positive images affect Black and White viewers' impressions of self-interest, moral appropriateness, and body positivity. Results indicated that viewers generally responded more favorably to non-sexualized (vs sexualized) images: Participants reported less self-interested motivations for sharing, found the images more morally appropriate, and believed they were more effective representations of body positivity. Results also revealed that Black (vs White) viewers tended to express more appreciation for body-positive imagery, regardless of source race or sexualization. Findings not only advance our theoretical understanding of sexual objectification with more diverse depictions and broader sampling, but also provide practical suggestions for advocates of the body-positive movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disparities in sexual minority (SM) sports participation have become better established in recent years, yet factors contributing to sport persistence among those who are involved in sport remain relatively unexplored. Using data from 23 qualitative interviews with SM college students who were high school athletes, we examined factors that influence sport persistence among this group. Our analyses revealed that physical aspects of sports participation - the embodied sense of movement and/or the physical contact with other athletes - influences sports persistence in different ways for sexual minority (SM) athletes of various genders. SM men frequently discussed participating in sports for external reasons that related to their perceptions about their own bodies' attractiveness. For SM women and non-binary individuals, however, the internal physical sensations derived from sports were empowering and facilitated sport persistence. However, for participants of all genders, the sexualization of their queer selves by others within their sports context affects their safety, performance, and presence depending upon the physicalness of the game. We argue that making queerness more visible in sports may alleviate the burden faced by SM athletes who are isolated as the only queer person on their teams and allows for a positive physical experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing popularity and availability of virtual reality (VR) video games, the representation of women within these immersive environments becomes crucial to explore. Although the sexualization of female characters in traditional video games has been widely studied, the sensory-rich nature of VR may introduce changes in character representations and emergent adverse outcomes. In the present study we content analyzed female characters in popular VR video games to investigate the potential underrepresentation and misrepresentation of female characters. Results demonstrated that male characters were represented four times more frequently than female characters. The underrepresentation of female characters was more severe in competitive VR games than casual VR games, however there was no significant difference in the underrepresentation of women between game genres or ESRB ratings. In addition, female characters were presented in a sexualized manner in 30% of cases. The sexualization of female characters was associated with their portrayal as physically capable, violent, or a victim. We also found that sexualization of female characters did not differ based on the type of game (casual vs. competitive), game genres, or ESRB ratings. We discussed these findings in immersive VR video games in comparison with those in traditional 2-D screen media video games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to determine the ways in which sports content producers in traditional and new media tools in Turkey frame the images of women athletes on Instagram. In the study, the ways in which television, newspaper and digital sports content producers with the highest number of Instagram followers in Turkey visualize women athletes in the news during international organizations were examined using the netnographic method. Study considered only n = 126 women photographs among the analyzed n = 5382 posts in this context and specified that n = 78 of those n = 126 photos belonged to women athletes. While women athletes stand out more prominently on Instagram in cases of failure, these instances of failure are visualized through images of crying, kneeling and covering their faces, framing helplessness. On the other hand, it was determined that women athletes were presented as sexual objects in the images used and that their body lines were highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2023, Barbie, the long-awaited movie, was hyped up on social media; podcasts insisted that Barbie would be the new feminist role model. Young Icelandic feminists were eager to see her take on gender inequality issues that they have prioritized and that are prominent in the fight for gender equality in their environment. In this article, as Icelandic feminists we reflect on our own expectations and offer our views on the content and messages of the movie. We connect all this with our current and future feminist work. We collected the data through cooperative inquiry that included reflections and conversations on social media. We found that the movie could have gone further in addressing the multifaceted gender inequality issues we face today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Search engines serve as information gatekeepers on a multitude of topics dealing with different aspects of society. However, the ways search engines filter and rank information are prone to biases related to gender, ethnicity, and race. In this article, we conduct a systematic algorithm audit to examine how one specific form of bias, namely, sexualization, is manifested in Google's text search results about different national and gender groups. We find evidence of the sexualization of women, particularly those from the Global South and East, in search outputs in both organic and sponsored search results. Our findings contribute to research on the sexualization of people in different forms of media, bias in web search, and algorithm auditing as well as have important implications for the ongoing debates about the responsibility of transnational tech companies for preventing systems they design from amplifying discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We examined whether sexualizing a businesswoman impacts attitudes toward subsequently evaluated, nonsexualized females applying for a corporate managerial position. Research shows that sexualized women are perceived as less warm and competent (i.e., objectified). Integrating this work with research on social cognition, we hypothesized that the negative effect of sexualization "spills over" onto other nonsexualized women, reducing their hireability. Across two experiments, initially sexualized women were perceived as less warm and competent, as were subsequently evaluated nonsexualized female job candidates. In turn, these negative perceptions reduced the applicants' probability of being hired. Sexualization of women also increased intentions to hire a subsequently evaluated male candidate. The results were robust when we controlled for evaluators' gender and age. Our findings demonstrate that female job applicants can experience detrimental effects from sexually based objectification, even when they are not the individuals initially sexualized. We discuss implications for women's careers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female empowerment has long been a prominent social concern in Western culture. With the rise of social media, the quest for female empowerment has become embodied in self-presentational practices, occurring conspicuously throughout the Instagram fitness subculture: 'fitspiration'. Here, female empowerment is merged with the body-centrality inherent to fitness, and the self-sexualization that has become characteristic of both photo-based social media in general, and fitspiration in particular. Meanwhile, an extensive body of research highlights numerous detrimental effects of self-sexualization on women. Evidently, something seems awry with the implied proposition 'sexualization as empowerment'. Drawing on Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy of power and its relationship to human flourishing, this article aims to critically examine the conception of female empowerment expressed in fitspiration and to conceptualize a philosophically compelling reformulation of universal human empowerment. I argue that what is commonly conceived of as female empowerment in trends like fitspiration—delineated in its explicit relationship to sexualization—may be seriously flawed. Rejecting this understanding in favor of a Nietzschean universal alternative may prove beneficial to individuals both within and without the contemporary fitness culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Celebrity teenage girls are routinely sexualized in the media, but it is unclear whether these depictions are tolerable because it is relatively more socially acceptable to exploit celebrities. This study presents the results of an experiment comparing readers' (N = 237) responses to two nearly identical versions of a fashion article sexualizing a teen girl identified as either a celebrity or non-celebrity. Even though participants in both conditions correctly identified the teen as being a minor, they deemed the article that sexualized a non-celebrity as being more inappropriate than the same article sexualizing a celebrity. However, perceptions of fame did not mediate this effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women constitute an overwhelming majority of those who experience domestic violence; furthermore, the vast majority of perpetrators of domestic violence go unsentenced. The objectification of women innately implies the denial of humanness, and dehumanization is known to play a role in willingness to engage in and acceptance of interpersonal harm. Yet, important questions remain. The current study examines the type of humanness objectified women are being denied, and how that denial implicates perceptions surrounding domestic assault. We predict that associating women with objects, and not animals, may be uniquely implicated in the lack of consequences for perpetrators—for objects cannot feel pain. In the current study (N = 319), we manipulated the presentation of a woman as sexualized or not and purported that she had been involved in a domestic violence incident. We found that when the target woman was sexualized (and thus objectified), participants associated her with an inert, non-human object (i.e., mechanistically dehumanized her) more than when she was not sexually objectified, but we found no effect of sexualization on animalistic dehumanization. Furthermore, mechanistic dehumanization mediated decreases in perceptions of the sexually objectified woman's suffering as a result of the domestic violence, which decreased the severity of the punishment participants recommended for the perpetrator, while also, increasing victim, and decreasing perpetrator, blame. We discuss critical considerations of the role of dehumanization in domestic violence directed toward women and the lack of consequences for perpetrators of these crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-binary people simultaneously identify outside the binary and experience the consequences of living in societies that embrace the gender binary to varying levels. The current study used a qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach to understand how non-binary people experience sexual objectification, which historically has focused on binary gender assumptions and populations. A sample of 10 non-binary people in the United States participated in 45–90-minute individual semi-structured interviews related to their sexual objectification experiences (SOE). Three broad categories of findings emerged from the analysis: (1) the intersectional and ubiquitous nature of SOE; (2) the embodied and burdensome impact of SOE; and (3) individual and communal acts of resistance against SOE. Participants highlighted difficulties navigating multiple marginalized identities through SOE, such as racialized fetishization and being perceived as women. Participants offered vivid descriptions of what SOE does to them physically, such as increasing chronic pain, anxiety, and dissociation. Individuals and communities reclaimed their bodies and built community in resistance to SOE. Understanding the unique SOE experiences of non-binary people may provide information for counseling psychologists to build affirming interventions that are tailored to non-binary people managing SOEs. Implications for future research on the experiences of SOE among non-binary people are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I show that the "narcissistic libido' out of which the self emerges is best conceived as de-sexualized eros, for this is the kind of energy that can love ideals, love ourselves (self-esteem), and love connecting with others (selfobjects). I draw upon Plato and the late Freud to amplify how seeing the self's energy as eros allows us to understand the self as daimonic, aesthetic, and developmental—a striving to attain evermore complex versions of itself. Eros is also an "experience-near" way to conceive of the self's energy, as we immediately know when we are feeling intensely erotic about an activity, another person, a work of art, etc. I will further show how eros can be transformed into sexualization and narcissistic rage when the self is traumatized, thereby explaining why selves have these two kinds of by-products when traumatically injured. Conceiving of the self's energy as eros gives us an important way to come to know our selves: we are what we love. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have demonstrated associations between use of pornography and sexual objectification of women. We examine whether self-reported preference for degrading pornography moderated the relation between use frequency and sexual objectification of others. Participants were 1,342 heterosexual women and men residing in the United States. In women and men, pornography use frequency was associated with the sexual objectification of others, even after controlling for interest in generally explicit content. In men, interest in degrading pornography content significantly predicted sexual objectification of women. Our results suggest greater pornography use is associated with greater sexual objectification of others, across a variety of content categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Quiroga: Revista de Patrimonio Iberoamericano is the property of Quiroga: Revista de Patrimonio Iberoamericano and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The body-positive movement is one of many decentralized, user-generated movements on social media that seek to engender positive societal change. In support of the body-positive movement, social media users employ a variety of messages and images to advocate for more inclusive beauty standards across different online platforms. We examine how the nature of body-positive messaging (mainstream body positivity vs body neutrality), the degree to which images are sexualized (sexualized vs non-sexualized), and the platform that hosts body-positive content (Instagram/Flickr/blog) influence how people evaluate body-positive content online. The results indicate that the more participants felt messaging was body-neutral, the more morally appropriate and less self-interested they found the posts. The extent to which participants felt messaging was morally appropriate also led them to embrace more inclusive beauty standards. Moreover, non-sexualized (vs sexualized) images were rated more morally appropriate and less self-interested. Implications for promoting body positivity and other prosocial movements online are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the present study was to examine gender stereotypes and sexualization in Italian television advertisements aimed at children. For this purpose, content analysis method was used to analyze 185 commercials broadcast from 6 pm to 8:30 pm over the three Italian television channels dedicated to children which attract the largest audience share. In order to allow comparison with previous research on gender stereotyping, two raters coded a series of variables common to similar investigations (i.e., verbs used in the ads, voice-over, voice-over message, setting, pace of the ads, activities performed by the main characters). Results indicate that gender stereotypes are still prevalent in Italian children's television commercials. Furthermore, although the level of sexualization of children is low, we found that girls tend to be more sexualized than boys, especially in terms of "adultification." Our findings provide an updated picture of children's advertising in Italy by also expanding the literature on gender role stereotyping and sexualization in television commercials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on data from interviews conducted with parents of high school-aged teens as part of a study which was aimed at better understanding the gendered dimensions of youth sexting and social media use, and the community responses to it. Here, we outline the findings on parents' key concerns around digital and social media, their perceptions of the gendered dynamics of youth self-imaging practices, and their attitudes towards sexting and potentially "sexualized" self-images. Echoing other research in this area, parents were not overly concerned about sexting, nor sexual image-sharing or sexual media use among teens. Rather, their key concerns were more generally about the intensities and pressures of constant contact with peers in the digital era. They did, however, articulate key gender differences and socialization processes around youth self-imaging practices. We discuss the gendered cultural "attunements to sexualization" that parents negotiate in relation to social media image-sharing practices and suggest that the perspectives and experiences described can be understood as part of a broader cultural "psychologization", and often psycho-pathologizing, of youth self-images in digitally networked intimate publics that is particularly intense around the vectors of gender and sexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In three survey experiments, we considered the role of stereotypes in blame assessments related to "undeserving" poor and Black women. U.S. participants (Study 1: N = 229 [mean age = 19]; Study 2: N = 200 [mean age = 42]; Study 3: N = 285 [mean age = 51]) read one vignette about a woman's sexual assault experience. We manipulated the identity of the woman as being either a member of the "deserving" or "undeserving" poor and as racially Black or white. Participants were asked to assess the woman's blame, characteristics of respectability (sexualization and responsibility), and value as a person. Across all 3 studies, participants were more likely to stereotype the undeserving poor women as more sexualized, less responsible, and of less value. They were also more likely to blame the undeserving poor women for sexual assault compared to the deserving poor women, and this relationship was mediated to varying degrees by these stereotypes. Because of the demonstrated importance of victim-blaming in sustaining problematic treatment of women, and in attitudes toward the poor, we also assessed people's blame-attributions for sexual assault toward lower-income women. Findings illustrated that blame attribution and stereotype application were indeed particularly likely for those presented as "undeserving" poor women. The current research continues to make the argument for the importance of considering the role of social class in people's perceptions of women's experiences of sexual assault. Future research needs to consider the role that these perceptions play in policy, institutions, and lived experiences among poor women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the influence of the sexualization of victims' appearance on bystanders' helping intentions when witnessing an online harassment episode, considering the mediation of victim blaming. Two hundred and ninety participants read a fictitious Facebook post of the victim describing the online harassment episode. According to the experimental condition, the scenario was accompanied by a picture of the female (vs. male) victim with a sexualized (vs. non-sexualized) appearance. Then, participants rated the seriousness of the episode, the extent to which they blamed the victim for the online harassment, and expressed their willingness to help the victim. Results showed that sexualized victims, regardless of their gender, were blamed more for their victimization, and this evaluation, in turn, lowered participants' willingness to help the victims. In conclusion, linking the literature on the antecedents and the consequences of victim blaming, we extended the knowledge providing evidence that the biased perception of victims' physical appearance produces concrete consequences for mistreated individuals. Practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many dance competitions in North America, performances of sexualized choreography have become normalized. One result is that bodies of girl dancers are increasingly constructed as sexual objects. Sexual objectification is highly problematic for the development of girls' self-identities, body image, psychological health, and overall wellbeing. Based on feminist perspectives on the body and data from feminist ethnography, this article investigates how objectification of young, female bodies in dance is reinforced through embodiment and repetition of sexualized movement and how it can negatively impact identity development and wellbeing. This research emphasizes that social-cultural processes of sexualization acting on the bodies and lives of young girls who dance should be of concern to all dance educators and privately-operated studios and suggests strategies for cultivating resistance and alternative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Family Upbringing / Wychowanie w Rodzinie is the property of Family Upbringing Editorial Board / Redakcja czasopisma Wychowanie w Rodzinie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This qualitative study used in-depth interviews to explore adolescent girls' perceptions of sexualized images they typically find when using social media. Twenty-four participants aged 14–17 years described sexualized images of females as normalized on social media. The interplay between gendered and social norms that endorsed and rewarded girls for posting sexualized images was seen to influence an expectation for girls to conform with their peers and post such images of themselves. They indicated sexualized images emphasize personal value on appearance and rejected this notion. However, participants also believed girls should be able to post sexualized images of themselves if they wanted to. There were tensions between whether girls' sharing of sexualized images of themselves on social media would be interpreted as a display of confidence (socially acceptable) or attention seeking (socially unacceptable). Findings provide guidance for the development of health promotion programs to reduce potential harm from social media use by adolescent girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The representation of superheroines in comic books and comic book movies tend to subscribe to the patriarchal logic of the male gaze, with male subjects looking at women as hypersexualized objects and corporeal spectacles. Black Widow is the most fiercely feminist offering in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, featuring young women resisting a powerful, rich, old, white male villain and fighting against his evil design to control the world. There are multiple refreshing developments in this "Phase Four" film from Marvel Studios. Drawing on feminist textual readings of superheroines' depictions in comics and cinema, this article (1) engages a shift away from the male gaze and its impact on the representation of strong female characters without the trappings of hypersexualization, and (2) suggests what films like Black Widow can offer regarding notions of what relationships constitute "family" in our society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until the Arab uprisings occurred, many Arab first ladies and queens feted by US media received exceptionally favourable coverage that celebrated their physical appearance and western sense of fashion. Grounded in the context of neo-liberal politics which considers them objects of cultural identification, this article studies western media's representations of Suzanne Mubarak, Queen Rania of Jordan and Asma al-Assad who are framed as virtuous house wives, western by ethnicity, birth place or education, and sophisticated upper-middle class ladies with panic-trigger for both Arab elites and western observers: Egypt's veiled Naglaa Mahmoud and the architype of a working-class seductress with lust for power, Tunisia's Leila Trabelsi. Using qualitative textual and visual analysis of narratives and images from media coverage, reports and fashion magazines, the article presents a comparative content analysis of their representations through a set of three dichotomies: the first one pays careful attention to the intersection of neo-liberal politics and the deployment of ethnic hybridity as an ideological apparatus that sets up a binary between Arab and Caucasian or half-White women who emerge as the new 'saviour' of Muslim women; the second is a close pairing between the sexualization of the westernized and fashionable first lady and the de-sexualization of her veiled 'backwards' counterpart sister; the third entails a juxtaposition of the good and desired seductress with the promiscuous and bad one. Findings show how media discourses of modernity impose neo-liberal and neo-Orientalist demarcations to define Arab Muslim women's agency, femininity, bodies and status according to western standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Self‐objectification is linked to disordered eating (DE) behaviors in women. However, the awareness of objectification by the self and others, not just the objectifying experiences themselves, may be differentially related to DE. The proposed study examines the development and validity of the Conscious Objectification Questionnaire (COQ), which seeks to evaluate awareness of objectification by others and intentional self‐objectification. Method: In Study 1, 24 participants who identify as women (≥18 years) will provide qualitative feedback on COQ items, and survey items will be updated based on participant feedback. In Study 2, separate participants will complete the COQ and questionnaires assessing DE, self‐objectification, and mental health correlates. Exploratory factor analyses will be conducted on the COQ, and reliability and convergent and divergent validity will be assessed. Results: Results will clarify whether the COQ is a reliable and valid instrument that measures the distinct construct of awareness of objectification. Discussion: If proven psychometrically sound, the COQ may be useful for future research on the link between awareness of objectification and disordered eating. Public Significance: The novel Conscious Objectification Questionnaire (COQ) assesses the degree to which women recognize and act upon being objectified. The COQ will be reviewed by self‐objectification experts and pilot participants before being psychometrically evaluated with data from a larger sample. The COQ is expected to differentially relate to disordered eating above and beyond existing self‐objectification measures and accurately represent the distinct construct of conscious awareness of societal and self‐objectification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gendered processes in the sport industry often perpetuate male dominance and female inferiority. While these gendered occurrences have been well documented, the outcomes of such processes are underexplored. Under the guidance of objectification theory and the production-reception relationship, the authors investigated the influence of objectification in sports-media outlets' coverage of a female sporting event for a national sample of U.S. consumers (N = 225). In addition, given the lack of coverage directed toward female sporting events, the current study investigated the influence of previous viewership on consumer behaviors for a future women's sporting event. Findings suggest that processes of objectification influence both men's and women's consumer behaviors and that previous viewership influences future consumer-behavior motives. Furthermore, objectified images and language did not adversely affect future consumer behaviors for those who had previously viewed a similar women's sporting event. Sport-media and communications professionals alike can leverage these relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescent girls appear more vulnerable to experiencing mental health difficulties from social media use than boys. The presence of sexualized images online is thought to contribute, through increasing body dissatisfaction among adolescent girls. Sexual objectification through images may reinforce to adolescent girls that their value is based on their appearance. This study explored how sexualized images typically found on social media might influence adolescent girls' mental health, in positive and/or negative ways.Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted with girls aged 14-17 years (n = 24) in Perth, Western Australia. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.Results: Participants identified body image as a major concern, reporting negative appearance comparisons when viewing images on social media. Appearance comparisons were perceived to exacerbate adolescent girls' appearance-based concerns. Comparisons also influenced adolescent girls' efforts to change their appearance and seek validation on social media. The importance of awareness and education from a younger age about social media and its influence on body image was emphasized, as was the need for strategies to promote positive body image and counteract negative body image.Conclusion: The findings of this study have important implications for professionals working with adolescent girls and for the development of health promotion programs addressing social media use and body image concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With this study, we aimed to advance objectification theory research with sexual minority women by examining the understudied roles of appearance anxiety and interoceptive awareness concomitantly with other key variables, including sexual objectification experiences, internalization of cultural appearance standards, body surveillance, and body shame. We also examined depressive symptoms as a criterion variable in addition to eating disorder symptoms. Survey data from 201 sexual minority women were analyzed. Manifest variable path analysis of the hypothesized model explained 35% and 27% of the variance in eating disorder and depressive symptoms, respectively. Results revealed a distinct pattern of cross-sectional direct and indirect relations for eating disorder and depressive symptoms. Specifically, body shame was a key unique correlate of eating disorder symptoms and linked internalization of cultural appearance standards and body surveillance with eating disorder symptoms. Appearance anxiety was a key unique correlate of depressive symptoms and linked internalization of cultural appearance standards and body surveillance with depressive symptoms. Sexual objectification experiences and interoceptive awareness generally did not yield significant unique direct or indirect relations in the model. These findings suggest distinct and complementary points of intervention to mitigate eating disorder and depressive symptoms for sexual minority women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very little is known about viewers' attitudes toward sexualized portrayals of men on social media platforms. Using an experimental methodology, the present study investigated the effect of a sexualized versus non-sexualized Tinder profile of a young White man on college students' perceptions of the profile owner. The impact of multiple aspects of sexualization including a self-sexualizing self-description on one's profile (i.e., interested in casual sex) as well as a sexualizing appearance (i.e., muscular and shirtless) were investigated. U.S. college students (N = 567) viewed a mock Tinder profile and then rated the target's competence, social appeal, physical attractiveness, and likelihood of engaging in risky sexual behavior. Findings indicate a young White man with a sexualized self-presentation on a dating app may be perceived as less competent and as a sexual risk-taker. These results contribute to the small body of research documenting the impact of self-sexualization on a dating app profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fraternities and sororities are popular organizations within university life. Even though their activities are usually secretive and protected, social media offer a chance for the public to understand these groups. In the present study, we investigated how sexualization is communicated on fraternities' location pages on Instagram. Applying a multi-dimensional coding scheme composed of 12 sexualization variables, we analyzed 600 Greek life posts from 49 fraternities. Among the posts, we found (a) body shots, (b) revealing clothing, (c) sexualized mouths, and (d) breasts/chests to be the most frequently used sexualization cues. In addition, there was a positive association between the number of sexualization cues in a post and the number of likes the post received. The results also point to gender differences: fraternity posts portraying only women included a greater number of sexualization cues, on average, than posts showing only men or mixed genders. Also, gender of individuals in the pictures moderated the relationships between sexualized mouths/buttocks and likes. Implications for gender inequality and risks of sexualization are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the performance of hypersexuality in Bollywood item songs. Topics covered include an assessment of the extent to which these songs represent empowerment for Indian women, the representational politics of the women who play item girls in Bollywood, and how the item song has been understood within contemporary culture since it can be understood as representative of the sexual and gender politics of Indian society.

At present, there have been a number of studies examining the sexualization of female characters in various media. However, most studies to date have not clearly delineated whether sexualized images or the presence of assertive versus passive female characters influences negative attitudes toward women in viewers, as well as female viewer anxiety. The present study investigated whether the inclusion of powerful female characters in movies with sexualized content influences both male and female viewers' attitudes towards women as well as anxiety responses of female reviewers. Participants included 134 undergraduate students attending a private liberal arts university in the southern region of the United States. Participants were randomized to watch one of three movie conditions: first, movies that involve strong female lead characters, but which also include sexualized characters, Second, movies that involve strong female lead characters without sexualization and third, movies that involve sexualized female characters without strong portrayals (i.e. damsels in distress). Participants were measured on attitudes toward women, rape myth acceptance and anxiety. Results indicated little support for the view that sexualized media impacted viewers' attitudes toward women, rape myth acceptance or anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copious research has shown that sexualized and stereotypical portrayals of women in the media are the norm, but there is a gap in the literature regarding the portrayal of lesbians. The aim of this study was to assess how lesbians see themselves and their relationships portrayed in the media. A second aim of this study was to experimentally test whether exposure to a sexualized portrayal of a lesbian increases self-objectification while decreasing mood, self-esteem, and body image. A third goal was to explore the role of race in lesbian perceptions of media portraying lesbians. A sample of 178 lesbian women were recruited via the online survey platform Prolific Academic to participate in a study with quantitative and qualitative components. Results indicated that the hot lesbian was the most common portrayal, as predicted, and the most frequently reported stereotype of lesbian relationships was the idea of lesbians moving too quickly in their relationships, especially among White participants. Qualitative findings revealed that lesbians found media portrayals mostly negative and stereotypical, in that they were hypersexualized and for the male gaze, with lesbian relationships portrayed as temporary. Experimental exposure to a sexualized portrayal of a lesbian caused decreased body area satisfaction but did not affect self-objectification, mood, self-esteem, or overall appearance evaluation. Most findings did not vary by race, but those that did reflected racialized stereotypes. The impact of stereotypical portrayals of lesbians in the media should continue to be examined in both lesbian and outgroup populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a between-participants experimental paradigm, the present study investigated U.S. adolescent boys' (n = 96) and college men's (n = 194) attitudes toward media images of male athletes as well as their thoughts about the athletes. Participants viewed either sexualized (i.e., skin exposed, sexual pose) or performance (i.e., in uniform and in action poses on the field/court) images of male athletes. They then rated the athletes' competence, esteem, and sexual appeal and completed a writing task about their reactions to the images. Male viewers rated the sexualized athletes lower in competence and esteem and higher in sexual appeal compared to the performance athletes. These results have implications for advocacy efforts calling for less sexualization in today's media environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Media images often present one idealized type of woman: she is thin, sexualized, and White. Although research has shown that there are stereotypes associated with sexualized women, known research has not addressed whether these stereotypes vary based on other characteristics such as body type and race. The current study aimed to examine the stereotypes associated with women who varied in sexualization, as well as body size and race, and whether participants' characteristics moderated these stereotypes. U.S. college-aged students (n = 500: 101 men, 393 women, 6 unknown) completed measures of gender stereotypes and rated the attributes of women who varied in sexualization (sexualized vs. non-sexualized clothing), body size (thin vs. plus-sized), and race (Black vs. White). Results suggest that body size is more salient than sexualization and stereotypes about sexualized women are differentially applied to White and Black women. Additionally, participants' gender and race moderated stereotype ratings. Lastly, viewing sexualized images was related to higher endorsement of sexualized gender stereotypes, but only in women. Taken together our results highlight that research on sexualization should address important intersectional components, such as race and body size. We also discuss broader implications of our results on lessening stereotyping and weight stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postfeminist young women are encouraged to "embrace" their sexuality by sexualizing their bodies as a means of empowerment. In stark contrast, dominant understandings of violence identify these same bodily displays as risk factors, condemning women who enact them as "asking for" victimization. While these competing demands on the female body have been widely documented in popular media, empirical work has not investigated if, and the extent to which, women reproduce these tension-filled constructions of the body in their own lives. Using in-depth interviews with 15 participants of varied race, class and gender identity in the US, this paper explores the ways in which these conflicting discursive constructions of the body are enacted by participants in their everyday lives. While participants took up varied sensibilities of the body and empowerment (including several that emphasized sexiness and sexuality), participants uniformly discussed perceptions of risk that inscribed the female body as vulnerable. This produced tensions in reasoning for some participants (but not all), in ways that were intersectionally inflected by race and gender presentation. More broadly, data suggests that postfeminist (and other) visions of the body that appear to otherwise produce lived experiences of empowerment are deemed invalid in contexts of risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Tonos Digital: Revista de Estudios Filológicos is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Murcia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Women's representation in social media is becoming increasingly sexualized, even when they are victims of sexual harassment (SH). In the present research, we adopted a bystander approach to investigate the role of victims' sexualization on bystanders' reactions to an episode of SH. In Study 1, female participants read a fictitious newspaper article that described a workplace SH episode: According to condition, the article included a picture of the victim who was wearing either sexualized or nonsexualized clothing. In Study 2, which also included male participants, we used a similar procedure and measured a series of traditional beliefs against women equality. As predicted, participants showed lower willingness to help the sexualized than nonsexualized victim: This effect occurred because they attributed lower morality to the victim and blamed her more for the SH event. Study 2 very well replicated Study 1 results and also showed that higher levels of endorsement of traditional masculine norms further enhanced biased perception of the sexualized (vs. nonsexualized) victim. Together, findings suggest that biased evaluations of workplace SH episodes associated with sexualized victims' appearance, consistent with traditional masculine norms, may have detrimental consequences by increasing legitimization and tolerance toward SH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a case study about three underwear and footwear advertising campaigns aimed at girls and adolescents in the context of the promotion of the back-to-school season in Chile in February 2020. The adverts caused social and media controversy. Social media users accused the brands of sexualizing children and adolescents' images for marketing and commercial ends. Based on an interpretative analysis of the graphic pieces involved in the campaigns, this article reflects on the representation of girls and adolescent girls. This research observes a resort to female gender stereotypes characteristic of the fashion industry extended to childhood. Considering that advertising is one of the main discursive axes central in the social and media construction of infancy, we discuss the risk of normalizing communication strategies which appeal to the increasingly earlier seduction and erotization of infant and adolescent bodies through mass media despite prevailing ethical and self-regulation codes in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test the "sex sells" assumption, we examined how Italian men and women react to sexualized advertising. Women showed lower product attractiveness and purchase intentions toward products presented with sexualized female models than with neutral ads, whereas men were unaffected by ads' sexualization (Study 1, n = 251). Study 2 (n = 197) replicated the overall results. Study 3 (n = 198) tested hostile sexism as a moderator as well as negative emotions as a mediator of consumers' responses. Especially men with higher hostile sexism showed more purchase intentions after viewing female sexualized ads than neutral ads. Moreover, women's lower consumer responses toward sexualized female ads were due to higher negative emotions. Study 4 (n = 207) included ads with both female and male models, replicating responses to female sexualization and showing that both women and men had lower product attractiveness and purchase intentions toward male sexualized ads than neutral ads. Replicating and extending Study 3's results, women's negative emotions was the mediator. The present study has practical implications for marketers because it suggests that "sex does not sell." In addition, considering both the psychological damage and practical inefficacy of sexualized ads, our findings have important implications for public policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research has demonstrated negative effects of sexualization in the media on adolescents' body image, but longitudinal studies and research including interactive and social media are scarce. The current study explored the longitudinal associations of adolescents' use of sexualized video games (SVG) and sexualized Instagram images (SII) with body image concerns. Specifically, our study examined relations between adolescents' SVG and SII use and appearance comparisons, thin- and muscular-ideal internalization, valuing appearance over competence, and body surveillance. A sample of 660 German adolescents (327 female, 333 male; Mage = 15.09 years) participated in two waves with an interval of 6 months. A structural equation model showed that SVG and SII use at Time 1 predicted body surveillance indirectly via valuing appearance over competence at Time 2. Furthermore, SVG and SII use indirectly predicted both thin- and muscular-ideal internalization through appearance comparisons at Time 1. In turn, thin-ideal internalization at Time 1 predicted body surveillance indirectly via valuing appearance over competence at Time 2. The results indicate that sexualization in video games and on Instagram can play an important role in increasing body image concerns among adolescents. We discuss the findings with respect to objectification theory and the predictive value of including appearance comparisons in models explaining the relation between sexualized media and self-objectification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing interest in the experiences of transgender individuals, the phenomenon of fetishization of transgender bodies and identities has been overlooked. The present study was aimed at investigating the experiences of fetishization of transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) people. Participants in the current study represent a sample of 142 TGNB volunteers from the community who answered the prompt: "If you feel comfortable, could you describe your experience of being fetishized?" Using thematic analysis, we developed three overarching themes relevant to the experiences of fetishization of TGNB participants: (1) context of fetishization; (2) negative experiences of fetishization; and (3) positive or ambiguous experiences of fetishization. The results demonstrated that, in most cases, fetishization was understood by TGNB people as a negative experience of sexual objectification, although some individuals experienced fetishization as a positive experience, perceiving the sexual desire of the other person or living it as a kink. Consistent with the integrated theory of dehumanization, the results demonstrated that both sexual objectification and minority stress contributed to participants' understanding of fetishization for TGNB individuals. Implications for clinical work with TGNB individuals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slasher films are known for their graphic depictions of sex, brutalization and death. Many argue that these films sexualize and punish female characters. A content analysis of 48 influential slasher films from the 1960s to 2010s was conducted to evaluate the presentation of women in these films. Sexualization (measured via specific acts and total sexualization), strength, flaws, brutalization, and fate were coded for 252 female characters. Results indicate that purity was significantly related to lower brutalization and lower rates of death for all women. Within each role (hero, killer, and potential/actual victim), unique portrayals of sexuality and related repercussions emerge. Female killers were most commonly portrayed having sex, heroes were most sexually dressed, and actual/potential victims were brutalized and killed most for their sexualization. These messages reinforce ideas of gender roles, stereotypes, and relationship expectations by punishing female sexualization and demonizing female sex. Issues of violence against women, toxic masculinity, rape culture, and the normalization of combining violence and sex are discussed as significant concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The potential negative impact of sexualized video games on attitudes toward women is an important issue. Studies that have examined this issue are rare and contain a number of limitations. Therefore, it largely remains unclear whether sexualized video games can have an impact on attitudes toward women. This study examined the consequences of sexualized video game content and cognitive load (moderator) on rape victim blame and rape perpetrator blame (used as a proxy of rape myth acceptance), and whether the degree of humanness of the victim and of the perpetrator mediated these effects. Participants (N = 142) played a video game using sexualized or non-sexualized female characters. Cognitive load was manipulated by setting the difficulty level of the game to low or high. After gameplay, participants read a rape date story, and were then asked to judge the victim's and the perpetrator's degree of responsibility and humanness. Based on the General Aggression Model (GAM), it was hypothesized that playing the video game with a sexualized content would increase the responsibility assigned to the victim and diminish the responsibility assigned to the perpetrator. Further, degree of humanness of the victim and the perpetrator was expected to mediate this relation. The results were partially consistent with these predictions: Playing a video game containing sexualized female characters increased rape victim blame when cognitive load was high, but did not predict degree of humanness accorded to the victim. Concerning the perpetrator, video game sexualization did not influence responsibility, but partly influenced humanness. This study concludes that video games impact on attitudes toward women and this, in part, due to its interactive nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]