A Test of Media-Elicited Self-Objectification on Women's Attribution of Blame, Sympathy, and Support for a Rape Victim

• Main Author: Bevens, Casey L.
• Language: EN
• Published: University of Louisiana at Lafayette 2016
• Subjects: Women's studies|Clinical psychology
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10163263

<p> Sexual Violence is a major problem in America, particularly on college campuses, and following an event of this kind, survivors are likely to turn to peers for support. This study examined the possibility that media-induced self-objectification may affect the ways that women perceive, and therefore react to, victims of rape.</p><p> We pilot tested media images that were grouped into those representing high-objectification, low-objectification, and control images without people in them. These differed in level of objectification, but were similar in other areas, such as visual appeal. Our main study sought to elicit differential self-objectification processes in women through the use of these images. We expected that heightened self-objectification would lead to less sympathy and support and more blame for a victim of rape. We also expected that these relationships would be moderated by rape myth acceptance and body dissatisfaction. </p><p> Our manipulation of sexually objectifying media did not elicit differential self-objectification processes in our sample. However, self-objectification, regardless of media exposure, was related to higher levels of sympathy and support for a rape victim. We also found evidence that self-objectification was related to victim-blaming attitudes, when controlling for rape myth acceptance. </p>