Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationIn light of epidemic levels of self-objectification leading to a host of negative consequences for girls and women, intervention is crucial. This study in Self-Objectification Resilience (SOR) implemented a necessary next step in critical feminist scholarship by identifying emancipatory alternatives to the chronic experiences of female objectification and self-objectification. To investigate the successful promotion and cultivation of Self-Objectification Resilience through a model and intervention designed for this study, 50 women ages 18 to 35 completed a confidential, 4-week, online study. Based on a broad meta-analysis of research in self-objectification and resilience, as well as the analysis of the present study's intervention feedback, four important resilient traits most directly combat the negative consequences of self-objectification: self-actualization, self-compassion, embodied empowerment, and feminist beliefs. The feedback gleaned from study participants proved invaluable to the SOR research agenda; it contributed to research on the dismal state of female body image, with robust, qualitative data revealing 50% of study participants "hated" or were "severely dissatisfied" with their bodies and another 34% reported to be "generally dissatisfied." Results contributed important information on the epidemic of self-objectification, with 70% of participants reporting detailed experiences of currently isolating themselves from everyday life, including school, sexual intimacy, and physical activity, due to body shame. The 9 participants out of 50 who reported positive body satisfaction reflected and reinforced vital themes of the SOR model; they had experienced extremely painful "disruptions" that worked as a catalyst to greater self-objectification resilience. More than half had overcome an eating disorder or had loved ones who were presently battling one. In all, the present study on Self-Objectification Resilience contributes important research toward understanding how positive adaptation can be possible to provide emancipation for girls and women from the bodily prison of self-objectification

BECOMING BODIES: HOW PREADOLESCENT GIRLS CONSUME AND PRODUCE MEDIA IN 21\u3csup\u3est\u3c/sup\u3e CENTURY AMERICA

This study investigates preadolescent girls’ interpretations of images of and messages about women’s bodies presented in both traditional and online media in the American cultural context. Using qualitative methods including in-depth interviews, email diaries, and digital photo collages, this study gives voice to girls aged nine to eleven from diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds so that they might tell their stories about interacting with media that is relevant to their relationships with their bodies. Employing objectification theory as well as concepts from the cultural studies tradition, the findings suggest that the process of becoming a female body in the 21st-century American media environment is far more complex than a simple linear, cause-effect equation can express. Differences among girls in terms of media use, degree of media criticism, age, and interpersonal discursive environments moderate their relationships to mediated imagery and to their bodies. The findings also describe the mediated bodily ideal that is most relevant to preadolescent girls, the celebrity girls who embody this ideal, the ways in which girls experience self-objectification and body surveillance, and the nature of girls’ conversations with friends and family members about body-related topics. The study concludes by providing recommendations to concerned researchers, educators, and parents

Sexualized Labour in Digital Culture: Instagram Influencers, Porn Chic and the Monetization of Attention

The rise of digital technologies and social media platforms has been linked to changing forms of work, as well as the mainstreaming of pornography and a ‘porn chic’ aesthetic. This article examines some of the ways in which these themes coalesce, and interrogates the conceptual boundaries of sexualized labour, extending beyond traditional organizational settings and into Web 2.0. The study explores performances of sexualized labour on social media by analysing visual and textual content from 172 female influencers on Instagram. This article contributes to the literature on sexualized labour in three ways. First, by demonstrating how sexualized labour is enacted across various forms of influencer labour, and how this relates to the attention economy and monetization. Second, by developing the extant conceptualization of sexualized labour and introducing connective labour as a required element to mobilize sexualized labour. Third, by opening up a critical analysis of what is meant by ‘sexualized’ labour within a cultural context of pornographication

Vulnerable narcissism and body image centrality in cosplay practice: A sequential mediation model

In recent years, the cosplay practice has become a ubiquitous activity, representing a pivotal way to get in touch with the so-called geek culture and its media content (such as videogames, comics, manga). Cosplaying appeared related to narcissistic fragility which in turn is strictly linked to social appearance anxiety and self-objectification experiences. However, despite the body image centrality in cosplay practice, no studies evaluated cosplayers’ narcissistic vulnerability in association with these body imagerelated issues. A total of 926 young adults (73.2% female; 47.3% cosplayer; mean age=25.3 years) participated in the study. Results confirmed the direct and indirect effect of narcissistic vulnerability on social appearance anxiety (via body surveillance and body shame) among both cosplayers and noncosplayers. Overall, narcissistically vulnerable individuals, regardless of their involvement in cosplay practice, seem to experience higher body surveillance and body shame, which in turn might promote social appearance anxiety

Experimental evidence that browsing for activewear lowers explicit body image attitudes and implicit self-esteem in women

Online apparel shopping is popular amongst women and offers salient visual information for making body image and self-worth judgements. Apparel segments which emphasize the value of women\u27s bodies are particularly effective for eliciting low body image and self-worth. Across two studies, we investigated the association between self-reported and experimental online activewear exposure on women\u27s self-worth, body image, appearance attitudes, mood and gaze behavior. In Study 1, participants (N = 399) completed a survey collecting their online apparel shopping habits, body appreciation, self-esteem, appearance comparison tendencies and self-objectification attitudes. Activewear was the second-most popular apparel segment amongst women (after casualwear) and weekly activewear browse time was positively correlated with appearance comparison tendencies, desires to be muscular/athletic and body shame. In Study 2, participants (N = 126) were randomly allocated to browse an activewear, casualwear or homewares website and completed pre and post measures of mood, body image, implicit self-esteem and body gaze behavior. In the activewear condition, there was a significant reduction in positive body image and implicit self-esteem scores. There were no experimental effects for body gaze behavior. These findings illustrate that apparel choices have value for understanding the aetiology of maladaptive body image attitudes and low self-esteem in women

Instagram and Eating Disorders: An Empirical Study of the Effects of Instagram on Disordered Eating Habits Among Young Girls

Scholars have studied the relationship between body dissatisfaction and social media use, particularly focusing on young women as vulnerable consumers. Many studies concentrate on the amount of media consumed, rather than the specific activities and behaviors associated with feelings of low self-esteem or poor body image. It is important to determine exactly what behaviors and social media engagements contribute to disordered relationships with food, assessing a user’s pre-existing weight/body concerns in relation to the amount and type of media they consume. Instagram in particular is included in this study, as it is an image-based social networking site where users can engage with peers and celebrities, recently emerging as an advantageous advertising site for companies. This study uses the Tripartite Model of Influence to determine the correlation between Instagram usage and self-esteem, as family, friends and media contribute to the growth and development of a young woman’s self-esteem and relationship with food. It is imperative that these measures be taken into account to further understand social media’s influence on consumers, particularly young women who, through the Social Comparison Theory, are at risk for developing eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Through a comprehensive questionnaire about individual activities, experiences and engagements on Instagram, this study of 187 media users was able to correlate many disordered behaviors and beliefs with Instagram usage

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationIn light of rampant body shame, disordered eating, physical inactivity, and widespread misunderstanding of what constitutes a healthy body, it is crucial to identify mechanisms by which women can resist distorted health discourse and redefine health for themselves outside of appearance-oriented ideals. Through following a group of 42 women ages 18-35 as they engaged in a health and media literacy curriculum developed for this study, and by using critical feminist methods to analyze participants' responses to open-ended surveys before, during, and 2 weeks after completing the curriculum, this study seeks to identify effective means for resisting appearance-focused health ideals. Through the development of a practical and accessible healthy media literacy curriculum and analysis of participants' self-reported beliefs and behaviors throughout the process, this project contributes praxis-oriented research to assist scholars, health educators, and individual women in cultivating and promoting resistance to distorted health discourse. The findings of this study also suggest that women who engage with a healthy media curriculum can develop and cultivate strategies to resist distorted health discourse by writing body image narratives that bear witness to their own lived experiences

Tinder blue, mental flu? Exploring the associations between Tinder use and well-being

While Tinder (i.e., a popular mobile dating app) has received quite some research attention, its effects on users’ well-being have rarely been addressed. The present study investigates the extent to which Tinder users’ compulsive use, motives, subjective online success and self-conscious social comparison are associated with their well-being (i.e., joviality, sadness, and anxiety). In total, 296 (39% females; 90% heterosexuals) emerging adults who were currently using Tinder completed an online survey. The results suggest that while using Tinder compulsively and for relationship seeking can increase joviality, they may trigger more negative than positive affect. Moreover, feeling unsuccessful on Tinder and making self-conscious social comparisons were positively associated with sadness and anxiety, and negatively associated with joviality. The results seem to imply that Tinder users need to be aware of their compulsive Tinder use, relationship seeking motive, unsuccessful feeling, and/or self-