Jennifer Stevens Aubrey

The Impact of Sexually Objectifying Media Exposure on Negative Body Emotions and Sexual Self-Perceptions: Investigating the Mediating Role of Body Self-Consciousness

Objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) contends that an objectifying culture can create a heightened level of body self-consciousness among young people. This study explores the role of body self-consciousness in mediating the relationship between exposure to sexually objectifying media (television and magazines) and two sets of criterion variables: negative body emotions and sexual dysfunction. A survey of 384 undergraduates was conducted. Results suggested that body surveillance partially mediated the relation between exposure to sexually objectifying television and magazines and body shame, appearance anxiety, and body image self-consciousness during physical intimacy. Surprisingly few gender differences were found in these relation.

A Picture is Worth Twenty Words (About the Self): Testing the Priming Influence of Visual Sexual Objectification on Women's Self-Objectification

Extending a major premise of objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), this article tests the notion that visual depictions of sexual objectification of womens bodies can amplify womens state self-objectification (SO) in the short term. After deriving two operationalizations of sexual objectification that conformed to the tenets of objectification theory, results showed that women who were assigned to images of female models with high skin exposure (the first operationlization of sexual objectification) used more negative words to describe their appearance than participants assigned to control images. In addition, the body-display images produced more state SO and more negativity about ones appearance than images of women segmented into body parts (which represented the second operationalization). Implications for objectification theory and media priming effects are discussed.

Race and Genre in the Use of Sexual Objectification in Female Artists' Music Videos

The present study examines the use of sexual objectification by popular female music artists in their music videos. To obtain a current assessment of sexual objectification within pop, country, and hip hop music videos, a content analysis was performed. Our primary purposes were to examine (a) differences by race (in particular, differences between White and Black artists) and (b) by genre (i.e., pop, hip hop/R&B, and country). Results revealed only 1 race difference. In that case, Black artists were nearly twice as likely to wear sexually provocative attire. The results yielded consistent genre differences in which country artists were less likely to engage in sexual objectification, probably because of the socially conservative nature of the genre. However, in the main, there were few differences in sexual objectification between pop and R&B/hip artists. Findings are discussed in relation to objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson & T. A. Roberts, 1998) and the framework of post-feminism (e.g., Gill, 2007; McRobbie, 2004).

Investigating Personality and Viewing-Motivation Correlates of Reality Television Exposure

This study investigated the personality and viewing-motivation correlates of reality television exposure. Results from a survey of 592 undergraduates showed that extroversion negatively predicted reality television exposure, whereas neuroticism was not associated with it. Both instrumental (social interaction, information, and arousal) and ritualized (relaxation, pass time, entertainment, and companionship) viewing motivations positively predicted exposure to reality television. A two-stage model by which personality traits contributed to viewing motivations, which, in turn, contributed to the selection of reality television, was tested and offered an adequate fit to the data. Implications for uses and gratifications research are discussed.

Examining the Impact of Celebrity Gossip Magazine Coverage of Pregnant Celebrities on Pregnant Women’s Self-Objectification:

The present experimental study examined the impact of celebrity gossip magazine coverage on pregnant women through the lens of objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). In total, 301 pregnant women were randomly assigned to view highly sexually objectifying full-body images and accompanying text depicting pregnant celebrities, low objectifying headshot-only images and accompanying text depicting celebrities, or images of baby products with no people depicted (control). Exposure to the headshot-only condition resulted in significantly more self-objectification than exposure to control images. We speculate exposure to the headshot-only images primed self-objectification in participants because they visualized nonpregnant, thin, toned, and sculpted celebrity bodies that are frequently objectified by the media. Further analyses revealed that participants’ stage in pregnancy, history with pregnancy, and age moderated the main effects. Among those in their first trimester, assignment to the headshot-only condition significantly predicted state self-objectification; however, among those in their third trimester, the full-body condition predicted state self-objectification at a level of marginal significance. Further, exposure to the headshot-only stimuli predicted self-objectification for those having no prior live births. Among those participants in the younger age group, exposure to the headshot-only condition significantly predicted self-objectification; however, among those in the middle age group, the full-body condition significantly predicted self-objectification.

The twilight of youth: Understanding feminism and romance in Twilight Moms’ connection to the young-adult vampire series.

In this paper, we report the results of an online survey of self-identified “Twilight Moms,” adult women who have at least 1 child and identify as fans of Twilight, the popular young-adult vampire series. In particular, we examined transportation into the Twilight narrative and parasocial interaction with Twilight characters, and their correlations with gender beliefs, feminist identity, and relational satisfaction. Results revealed that Twilight Moms who held traditional beliefs about women and who identified as nonfeminist were more able to experience transportation into the books, and dissatisfaction with their current romantic partners predicted parasocial interaction with Twilight characters. We interpret these findings in light of fan studies research as well as media entertainment theory and research.