Adopting the Objectifying Gaze: Exposure to Sexually Objectifying Music Videos and Subsequent Gazing Behavior

Abstract

We investigated the effects of exposure to sexually objectifying music videos on viewers' subsequent gazing behavior. We exposed participants (N = 129; 68 women, 61 men) to music videos either high in sexual objectification or low in sexual objectification. Next, we measured participants' eye movements as they viewed photographs of 36 women models with various body shapes (i.e., ideal size model, plus size model) and degree of dress (i.e., fully dressed, scantily dressed, partially clad). Results indicated that sexually objectifying music videos influenced participants' objectifying gaze upon photographs of women with an ideal size, but not plus size, body shape. Interestingly, that effect neither differed among men and women nor depended upon the models' degree of dress. Altogether, once primed with sexually objectifying imagery, participants looked at women's sexual body parts more than they looked at women's faces. Objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) posits that sexually objectifying depictions of women are ubiquitous in today's media environment. Results of content analyses have indicated that such depictions are particularly prevalent in music videos (e.g., Aubrey & Frisby, 2011; Vandenbosch, Vervloessem, & Eggermont, 2013). By focusing on the body or sexual body parts, objectifying music videos depict women as mere sexual instruments to serve the pleasure of the viewer (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). Consequently, by emphasizing the body or sexual body parts, the videos indirectly impose an objectifying gaze upon viewers. Exposure to sexually objectifying media can affect how individuals perceive not only themselves, but also women (cf. Ward, 2016). Thus far, most studies on the effects of objectifying media have addressed potentially negative perceptions, beliefs, or attitudes as outcome variables. However, to the best of our knowledge, no prior studies have investigated the effects of objectifying media on gazing behavior. Given that gaze's potential negative consequences for interpersonal interactions (e.g., Calogero, 2004; Gervais,

Body gaze as a marker of sexual objectification: A new scale for pervasive gaze and gaze provocation behaviors in heterosexual women and men

“…While the measurement of body gaze continues to be a valuable research objective, few studies have attempted to validate instruments to capture this behaviour. This is surprising given how widely sexually objectifying gaze has been described in the extant literature (e.g., Bareket et al, 2018;Rachel M. Calogero, 2004;Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997;Gervais et al, 2013;Gervais et al, 2011;Karsay et al, 2018;Loughnan & Pacilli, 2014). However, to determine an appropriate direction for body gaze measurement, it is useful to first summarise and critique the currently available methods for measuring body gaze.…”

“…In particular, men show stronger body gaze behaviour than women towards increasingly sexualised, idealised or attractive female subjects (Gervais et al, 2013;Lykins et al, 2008;Nummenmaa et al, 2012). However, there is also evidence that women engage in body-biased gaze behaviour towards sexualised female subjects (Hollett et al, 2020;Lykins et al, 2008;Nummenmaa et al, 2012), in some cases more so than men (Karsay et al, 2018). While fewer studies have examined gaze behaviour towards sexualised men, data collected by Nummenmaa et al (2012), Lykins et al (2008), andBernard et al (2018) suggest that both women and men engage in body-biased gaze behaviour towards nude, eroticised or idealised men, with some evidence of stronger effects in women.…”

“…Depictions of women in mainstream media provide a useful example of a persistent provocation phenomena. A wealth of research on advertising, music videos, video games and pornography has shown that strategies for provoking body gaze are commonly used to manipulate the visual attention of consumers (e.g., Behm-Morawitz, 2017;Burgess, Stermer, & Burgess, 2007;Downs & Smith, 2010;Jansz & Martis, 2007;Karsay & Matthes, 2016;Karsay, Matthes, Platzer, & Plinke, 2018;McKenzie-Mohr & Zanna, 1990;Stankiewicz & Rosselli, 2008;Tylka & Kroon Van Diest, 2014). These strategies involve tight clothing, revealing of skin and a narrow focus on bodily features, such as legs, chests/breasts and buttocks.…”

“…These frequently-encountered sexualised depictions are arguably capable of facilitating an individual to develop a body-biased gaze pattern of behaviour through at least two fundamental mechanisms. Firstly, repeated multimedia exposure to sexualised depictions of people may prime consumers to habitually engage in body-biased gaze behaviour, which may then be extended to real people (Hollett et al, 2020;Karsay et al, 2018;Tyler, Calogero, & Adams, 2017). Secondly, these sexualised depictions may normalise certain styles of physical presentation and encourage people to dress and behave in ways which draws attention to their bodies (Rachel M Calogero & Tylka, 2014;Smolak, Murnen, & Myers, 2014).…”

Media Effects

“…The objectification and subordination of women appears consistently in music videos (Aubrey & Frisby, 2011;Frisby & Aubrey, 2012;Karsay, Matthes, Platzer, & Plinke, 2018). Music video content analyses reveal that women are more likely than men to display body parts, be more sexualized, dress more provocatively, engage in sexualized dance, and be sexually objectified (Aubrey & Frisby, 2011;Frisby & Aubrey, 2012;Turner, 2011).…”