Given the heightened attention to visual impression management on social media websites, previous research has demonstrated an association between Facebook use and objectified body consciousness among adolescent girls and young women in various Western countries, including the U.S. (e.g., Meier & Gray, 2013). The current study aimed to test whether both young women and men using social networking sites are vulnerable to objectified body consciousness, and to extend this line of research to sexual health outcomes. We tested a path model of Facebook involvement, objectified body consciousness, body shame, and sexual assertiveness and examined whether the negative health consequences of objectified body consciousness were greater in magnitude for women than men. Participants in this study were U.S. college students in the Midwest, 467 women and 348 men, who on average reported using social networking sites for 6 years. They completed survey measures assessing their involvement in Facebook, body surveillance, appearance self-worth, and enjoyment of sexualization. They also reported on feelings of body shame and sexual assertiveness. For both women and men, Facebook involvement predicted objectified body consciousness, which in turn predicted greater body shame and decreased sexual assertiveness. The link between objectified body consciousness and body shame was greater in magnitude for women, but no gender difference was found in the association between body shame and sexual assertiveness. We suggest that social media foster a heightened experience of the self from 2 FACEBOOK OBJECTIFIED BODY CONSCIOUSNESS an observer's point of view, which has consequences for body image and sexual agency among women as well as men.

Although Facebook was created to help people feel connected with each other, data indicate that regular usage has both negative and positive connections to well-being. To explore these mixed results, we tested the role of social comparison and self-objectification as possible mediators of the link between Facebook use and three facets of psychological well-being: self-esteem, mental health, and body shame. Participants were 1,104 undergraduate women and men who completed surveys assessing their Facebook usage (minutes, passive use, and active use), social comparison, self-objectification, and well-being. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling, testing separate models for women and men. Models for each gender fit the data well. For women and men, Facebook use was associated with greater social comparison and greater self-objectification, which, in turn, was each related to lower self-esteem, poorer mental health, and greater body shame. Mediated models provided better fits to the data than models testing direct pathways to the mediators and well-being variables. Implications are discussed for young people's social media use, and future directions are provided.

Despite consistent evidence that fraternity membership is associated with greater perpetration and acceptance of sexual violence, less is known about why this link occurs. In this study, we use Structural Equation Modeling to test whether endorsement of traditional masculinity explains why fraternity membership is associated with greater rape myth acceptance and more sexual deception behaviors in a sample of 365 undergraduate men. Our assessment of traditional masculinity included the following 3 components: conformity to masculine norms, pressure to uphold masculine norms, and acceptance of objectification of women. Results suggest that conformity to masculine norms, pressure to uphold masculine norms, and acceptance of objectification of women mediate the relation between fraternity membership and acceptance of sexual violence.

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The goal of the present study was to investigate the associations between exposure to different genres of romantic screen media and idealistic romantic beliefs. Participants were 625 college students who completed a survey that assessed exposure to 3 romantic screen media genres (marriage-themed reality TV, romantic-themed and subthemed [RTST] movies, and situation comedies); perceived realism of TV; and endorsement of romantic beliefs, as assessed by the Romantic Beliefs Scale (Sprecher & Metts, 1989). Heavier exposure to sitcoms was associated with weaker endorsement of a general ideology of romanticism. Romantic screen media genres were differentially associated with specific romantic beliefs in ways that were consistent with the differing romantic messages promoted by these genres. Heavier exposure to RTST movies was associated with a stronger tendency to believe that "Love Finds a Way"; heavier exposure to marriage-themed reality TV was associated with stronger beliefs in "Idealization" and "Love at First Sight"; and heavier exposure to situation comedies was associated with weaker beliefs in "Idealization" and "One and Only." These results highlight the importance of using genre-specific measures in studies of romantic media. Implications for cultivation theory and healthy relationships are discussed.