Effects of Sexual Objectification on Women's Self-Objectification

The Moderating Role of Feminist Belief and the Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy

抄録

Research suggests that the development of female self-objectification is frequently reinforced by sexual ojectification experiences, yet prospective tests of the internal mechanism are lacking. In this study, we tested the moderating role of feminist belief and the mediating role of self-efficacy between sexual objectification experiences and female self-objectification. Female undergraduates (N=292) completed self-report measures of sexual objectification experiences, self-objectification, feminist belief and self-efficacy. Regression analysis and analyses of variance revealed that greater sexual objectification predicted higher self-objectification in female college students, and this relation was moderated by feminist belief. Specifically, for the women in high feminist belief, the effect between sexual objectification and self-objectification was significant; for the women in low feminist belief, the effect was not significant. Moreover, self-efficacy partially mediated the relation between sexual objectification and self-objectification. Results further clarify the mechanism under the relation between sexual objectification and self-objectification and underscore the importance for women to enhance feminist belief and self-efficacy and less objectify themselves.