Sexualizing Media Use and Self-Objectification. A Meta-Analysis.

Research suggests that exposure to sexualizing media increases self-objectification among men and women. Correlational and experimental research examining this relationship is receiving growing attention. The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate the influence of sexualizing media use on self-objectification among men and women. For this purpose, we analyzed 54 papers yielding 50 independent studies and 261 effect sizes. The data revealed a positive, moderate effect on self-objectification (r = .19). The effect was significant and extremely robust (95% CI (.15, .23), p <.0001). We found one close-to-significant moderation effect of origin suggesting that studies from Europe exhibit larger effect sizes when compared to studies from North America. Additionally, we identified a conditional effect of media type. The use of video games and the use of online media elicited stronger effects when compared to television. Other sample characteristics or study characteristics did not moderate the overall effect. Based on these findings, an agenda for future research was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]