ISSN 1671-3710
CN 11-4766/R

Advances in Psychological Science ›› 2013, Vol. 21 ›› Issue (10): 1794-1802.doi: 10.3724/SP.J.1042.2013.01794

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Sexual Objectification and Women’s Self-objectification

Sun Qingqing;ZHENG Lijun;ZHENG Yong   

  1. (Faculty of Psychological Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China)
  • Received:2013-03-06 Online:2013-10-15 Published:2013-10-15
  • Contact: ZHENG Yong

Abstract: Sexual objectification refers to women being treated as body or body parts that exist for the use or pleasure of others. The sexual objectification in daily life is everywhere, as can be shown mainly through media, interpersonal relationship and some hidden environments. Compared to men, women are much easier to become sexual objectification targets, while self-objectification affects women’s mental health, leading to eating disorder, depression, sexual dysfunction and etc. The internalization of attractiveness standards of culture and social comparison are important psychological mechanisms which lead to women’s self-objectification. Future researches should expand research groups, adopt many more research methods and explore effective intervention measures, and carry on more researches about sexual objectification and women’s self-objectification in China.

Key words: sexual objectification, objectification theory, women’s self-objectification, internalization, social comparison