“I Had to Look Like Britney Spears” Girl’s Sexual Self Concept, Sexual Agency and Body Objectification in Adolescence
Poster Number
11
Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Artist Statement
Body objectification in girls has been found to be directly linked to mental health disorders such as depression and body disorders (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997: Tolman, Impett, Tracy, & Michael, 2006). Researchers, using a feminist development framework, have also shown correlations between body objectification, sexual self efficacy, and sexual experience (Impett, Schooler &Tolman, 2006). It was found that suppression of needs and objectification of body predicts a higher chance of being involved in risky sexual behaviors. However, there is limited research available in areas focusing on the possible relationship of sexual self- concept and body objectification. In the present study, the relationship between sexual self- concept, sexual agency and body objectification was examined. A total of 144 girls participated in a longitudinal study; each girl was surveyed and interview in the 12`h grade. The results revealed that the girls who objectified their body less reported a higher sexual self-concept. In order to further illustrate the different patterns between sexual self-concept and body objectification, qualitative analyses was done on an interview of one girl from the sample who portrayed high levels of sexual self concept and high levels of body objectification. For example, statements such as "I felt like I had to look like Britney Spears" were used to demonstrate body objectification while quotes like, " every time 1 wanted it, I got it... like 1 really want to get a vibrator, and like experiment with that stuff' were used to demonstrate her level of sexual self-concept.
Location
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom B
Start Date
2-5-2009 1:00 PM
End Date
2-5-2009 3:00 PM
“I Had to Look Like Britney Spears” Girl’s Sexual Self Concept, Sexual Agency and Body Objectification in Adolescence
DeRosa University Center, Ballroom B
Body objectification in girls has been found to be directly linked to mental health disorders such as depression and body disorders (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997: Tolman, Impett, Tracy, & Michael, 2006). Researchers, using a feminist development framework, have also shown correlations between body objectification, sexual self efficacy, and sexual experience (Impett, Schooler &Tolman, 2006). It was found that suppression of needs and objectification of body predicts a higher chance of being involved in risky sexual behaviors. However, there is limited research available in areas focusing on the possible relationship of sexual self- concept and body objectification. In the present study, the relationship between sexual self- concept, sexual agency and body objectification was examined. A total of 144 girls participated in a longitudinal study; each girl was surveyed and interview in the 12`h grade. The results revealed that the girls who objectified their body less reported a higher sexual self-concept. In order to further illustrate the different patterns between sexual self-concept and body objectification, qualitative analyses was done on an interview of one girl from the sample who portrayed high levels of sexual self concept and high levels of body objectification. For example, statements such as "I felt like I had to look like Britney Spears" were used to demonstrate body objectification while quotes like, " every time 1 wanted it, I got it... like 1 really want to get a vibrator, and like experiment with that stuff' were used to demonstrate her level of sexual self-concept.