Can Self-Esteem Protect Against the Deleterious Consequences of Self-Objectification for Mood and Body Satisfaction in Physically Active Female University Students?

Abstract

Using objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), this study tested the interaction between self-objectification, appearance evaluation, and self-esteem in predicting body satisfaction and mood states. Participants (N = 93) were physically active female university students. State self-objectification was manipulated by participants wearing tight revealing exercise attire (experimental condition) or baggy exercise clothes (control condition). Significant interactions emerged predicting depression, anger, fatness, and satisfaction with body shape and size. For participants in the self-objectification condition who had low (as opposed to high) appearance evaluation, low self-esteem was associated with high depression, anger, and fatness and low satisfaction with body shape and size. In contrast, for participants with high self-esteem, these mood and body satisfaction states were more favorable irrespective of their levels of appearance evaluation. For female exercisers, self-esteem-enhancing strategies may protect against some of the negative outcomes of self-objectification.Keywords: self-objectification, appearance evaluation, body image, self-esteem, mood, exercise In today's society, there is an intense pressure to look attractive. As a consequence, many women, and to a lesser extent men, engage in appearance monitoring in an effort to manage their appearance and approximate the dominant societal beauty ideals. Objectification theory was proposed by Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) to explain the consequences of preoccupation and surveillance of (female) attractiveness. The theory suggests that many individuals internalize an outsiders' view of their own bodies, termed self-objectification, whereby they become preoccupied

Body image in a representative sample of overweight, obese and normal weight active older women living in the community: associations with body composition, physical fitness and function

“…3,8,12 A physically active lifestyle has many well-known health and fitness benefits in younger older adults. [13][14][15] Regular physical activity can enhance self-esteem, selfworth, and self-efficacy for physical activity, [16][17][18][19] all of which may improve perceived body image in younger women. 16,20 However, whether or not regular exercise training is associated with an improvement or decline in body dissatisfaction seems to depend partially on the woman's motivation for exercise (e.g., for improving appearance, weight loss, or health), and her initial level of body dissatisfaction.…”

“…[13][14][15] Regular physical activity can enhance self-esteem, selfworth, and self-efficacy for physical activity, [16][17][18][19] all of which may improve perceived body image in younger women. 16,20 However, whether or not regular exercise training is associated with an improvement or decline in body dissatisfaction seems to depend partially on the woman's motivation for exercise (e.g., for improving appearance, weight loss, or health), and her initial level of body dissatisfaction. 20 Little is known about whether the associations between body image and exercise behaviors in older women are similar to those seen in younger women.…”

Relational-Cultural Theory and Yoga: A Proposed Model Addressing the Harm of Self-Objectification in Women

“…Jordan (1997) stated that shame "is most importantly a felt sense of unworthiness to be in connection, a deep sense of unlovability, with the ongoing awareness of how very much one wants to connect with others" (p. 147). Consumed with how the body appears to others, women adopt a view of themselves as objects and can overlook how their body "feels" (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997;Thøgersen-Ntoumani et al, 2011). That is, women may not be able to attribute the proper emotion to bodily sensations.…”

“…Increased self-objectification is linked to low self-esteem (Impett, Daubenmier, Hirschman, 2006;Miner-Rubino, Twenge, & Fredrickson, 2002), and women who suffer from low self-esteem and body esteem experience more frequent, self-imposed social comparison (Tiggemann, 2003) further decline in self-esteem (Thøgersen-Ntoumani, Ntoumanis, Cumming, Bartholomew, & Pearce, 2011). Internal feedback from comparing oneself to other women may reduce the self-worth of the comparer and the person to whom she is comparing herself (Tylka & Sabik, 2010).…”

“…Levels of self-esteem mitigate the negative consequences of selfobjectification as self-esteem has been found to be a predictor of body surveillance and shame (Tylka & Sabik, 2010). Thøgersen-Ntoumani et al (2011) suggested that women with higher self-esteem are somewhat protected against the deleterious effects of self-objectification and do not categorically experience a decrease in self-reported, temporal well-being. Strategies to reduce the negative side effects of self-objectification should include methods of improving self-esteem (Thøgersen-Ntoumani et al, 2011).…”