TY - JOUR A1 - Romero-Sanchez, Monica A1 - Skowronski, Marika A1 - Bohner, Gerd A1 - Megias, Jesus L. T1 - Talking about ‘victims’, ‘survivors’ and ‘battered women’ BT - how labels affect the perception of women who have experienced intimate partner violence (‘Víctimas’, ‘supervivientes’ y ‘mujeres maltratadas’: cómo influyen las etiquetas en la percepción de las mujeres que han sufrido violencia por parte de sus parejas) JF - International Journal of Social Psychology : Revista de Psicología Social N2 - Two studies addressed effects of the labels 'victim', 'battered woman' and 'survivor' on the perception of women who have experienced intimate partner violence (IPV). Spanish undergraduates provided free associations (Study 1; N = 54) and completed semantic differentials (Study 2; N = 142) regarding the labels. Results showed that the term 'survivor' evoked more positive associations and ratings than both 'victim' and 'battered woman', which did not differ from each other. At the same time, however, when asked directly, participants rated 'survivor' as the least appropriate term. These seemingly opposing findings replicate research on the terms' use in sexual aggression. Results were independent of individuals' acceptance of myths about IPV or knowing a woman who has experienced IPV. Implications for the use of specific language when communicating about IPV are discussed. KW - intimate partner violence KW - labelling KW - social judgement KW - survivor KW - victim Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/02134748.2020.1840232 SN - 0213-4748 SN - 1579-3680 VL - 36 IS - 1 SP - 30 EP - 60 PB - Taylor & Francis Group CY - Routledge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Skowronski, Marika A1 - Busching, Robert A1 - Krahé, Barbara T1 - Links between exposure to sexualized Instagram images and body image concerns in girls and boys JF - Journal of media psychology N2 - The current study examined the links between viewing female and male sexualized Instagram images (SII) and body image concerns within the three-step process of self-objectification among adolescents aged 13-18 years from Germany (N = 300, 61% female). Participants completed measures of SII use, thin- and muscular-ideal internalization, valuing appearance over competence, and body surveillance. Structural equation modeling revealed that SII use was associated with body image concerns for boys and girls via different routes. Specifically, female SII use was indirectly associated with higher body surveillance via thin-ideal internalization and subsequent valuing appearance over competence for girls. For both girls and boys, male SII use was indirectly linked to higher body surveillance via muscular-ideal internalization. Implications for the three-step model of self-objectification by sexualized social media are discussed. KW - social media KW - sexualization KW - body image concerns KW - self-objectification; KW - body surveillance Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105/a000296 SN - 1864-1105 SN - 2151-2388 VL - 34 IS - 1 SP - 55 EP - 62 PB - Hogrefe & Huber Publ. [u.a.] CY - Göttingen ER - TY - THES A1 - Skowronski, Marika T1 - Sexualized media and self-objectification in women and adolescents T1 - Sexualisierte Medien und Selbstobjektifizierung bei Frauen und Jugendlichen BT - a multi-method approach BT - ein multimethodaler Ansatz N2 - Background: A growing body of research has documented negative effects of sexualization in the media on individuals’ self-objectification. This research is predominantly built on studies examining traditional media, such as magazines and television, and young female samples. Furthermore, longitudinal studies are scarce, and research is missing studying mediators of the relationship. The first aim of the present PhD thesis was to investigate the relations between the use of sexualized interactive media and social media and self-objectification. The second aim of this work was to examine the presumed processes within understudied samples, such as males and females beyond college age, thus investigating the moderating roles of age and gender. The third aim was to shed light on possible mediators of the relation between sexualized media and self-objectification. Method: The research aims were addressed within the scope of four studies. In an experiment, women’s self-objectification and body satisfaction was measured after playing a video game with a sexualized vs. a nonsexualized character that was either personalized or generic. The second study investigated the cross-sectional link between sexualized television use and self-objectification and consideration of cosmetic surgery in a sample of women across a broad age spectrum, examining the role of age in the relations. The third study looked at the cross-sectional link between male and female sexualized images on Instagram and their associations with self-objectification among a sample of male and female adolescents. Using a two-wave longitudinal design, the fourth study examined sexualized video game and Instagram use as predictors of adolescents’ self-objectification. Path models were conceptualized for the second, third and fourth study, in which media use predicted body surveillance via appearance comparisons (Study 4), thin-ideal internalization (Study 2, 3, 4), muscular-ideal internalization (Study 3, 4), and valuing appearance (all studies). Results: The results of the experimental study revealed no effect of sexualized video game characters on women’s self-objectification and body satisfaction. No moderating effect of personalization emerged. Sexualized television use was associated to consideration of cosmetic surgery via body surveillance and valuing appearance for women of all ages in Study 2, while no moderating effect of age was found. Study 3 revealed that seeing sexualized male images on Instagram was indirectly associated with higher body surveillance via muscular-ideal internalization for boys and girls. Sexualized female images were indirectly linked to higher body surveillance via thin-ideal internalization and valuing appearance over competence only for girls. The longitudinal analysis of Study 4 showed no moderating effect of gender: For boys and girls, sexualized video game use at T1 predicted body surveillance at T2 via appearance comparisons, thin-ideal internalization and valuing appearance over competence. Furthermore, the use of sexualized Instagram images at T1 predicted body surveillance at T2 via valuing appearance. Conclusion: The findings show that sexualization in the media is linked to self-objectification among a variety of media formats and within diverse groups of people. While the longitudinal study indicates that sexualized media predict self-objectification over time, the experimental null findings warrant caution regarding this temporal order. The results demonstrate that several mediating variables might be involved in this link. Possible implications for research and practice, such as intervention programs and policy-making, are discussed. N2 - Hintergrund: Mit einer wachsenden Zahl an Studien konnte gezeigt werden, dass mediale Sexualisierung negative Auswirkungen auf die Selbstobjektifzierung von Individuen hat. Die entsprechende Forschung stützt sich primär auf Studien zu traditionellen Medien (wie Magazine und Fernsehen) sowie junge weibliche Stichproben. Zudem mangelt es an längsschnittlichen Untersuchungen sowie Studien zu Mediatoren dieses Zusammenhangs. Das erste Ziel der vorliegenden Dissertation war somit die Untersuchung der Zusammenhänge zwischen der Nutzung sexualisierter interaktiver und sozialer Medien und Selbstobjektifzierung. Das zweite Ziel bestand darin, die angenommenen Prozesse anhand von wenig untersuchten Stichproben zu analysieren, wie etwa männliche Stichproben sowie weibliche Stichproben über das junge Erwachsenenalter hinaus. Somit konnte die Rolle von Alter und Geschlecht als Moderatoren geprüft werden. Das dritte Ziel war schließlich, mögliche Mediatoren der Beziehung zwischen sexualisierten Medien und Selbstobjektifizierung zu identifizieren. Methode: Die Forschungsziele wurden mit Hilfe von vier Studien addressiert. In einer experimentellen Studie spielten junge Frauen ein Videospiel mit einem sexualisierten oder einem nicht sexualisierten Charakter, der entweder personalisiert oder nicht personalisiert war. Anschließend wurden die Selbstobjektifizierung sowie die Körperzufriedenheit der Probandinnen gemessen. In einer zweiten Studie wurde der querschnittliche Zusammenhang zwischen sexualisiertem Fernsehkonsum, Selbstobjektifizierung und der Erwägung von Schönheitsoperationen untersucht. Die Stichprobe von Frauen über ein breites Altersspektrum erlaubte die Analyse der Rolle des Alters in diesem Zusammenhang. In der dritten Studie wurde geprüft, inwiefern männliche und weibliche sexualisierte Bilder auf Instagram mit der Selbstobjektifizierung männlicher und weiblicher Jugendlicher zusammenhängen. Weiterhin wurde als vierte Studie eine Längsschnittstudie mit zwei Messzeitpunkten durchgeführt, um sexualisierten Videospiel- und Instagramkonsum als Prädiktoren für die Selbstobjektifizierung von Jugendlichen zu untersuchen. Für die zweite, dritte und vierte Studie wurden Pfadmodelle konzeptualisiert, in denen Medienkonsum das körperbeobachtende Verhalten über die Mediatoren Aussehensvergleiche (Studie 4), Internalisierung des Schlankheitsideals (Studie 2,3,4), Internalisierung des muskulösen Ideals (Studie 3,4) und Höherbewertung des Aussehens (alle Studien) vorhersagte. Ergebnisse: Die Ergebnisse der Experimentalstudie zeigten keinen Effekt sexualisierter Videospielcharaktere auf Selbstobjektifzierung und Körperzufriedenheit von Frauen. Es konnte kein Moderatoreffekt der Personalisierung gefunden werden. Sexualisierter Fernsehkonsum war assoziiert mit der Erwägung von Schönheitsoperationen über körperbeobachtendes Verhalten und Höherbewertung des Aussehens für Frauen jeden Alters in Studie 2. Alter moderierte diesen Zusammenhang nicht. Studie 3 zeigte, dass der Konsum von sexualisierten männlichen Bildern auf Instagram indirekt mit höherem körperbeobachtenden Verhalten über die Internalisierung des muskulösen Ideals assoziiert war, sowohl für Jungen als auch für Mädchen. Sexualisierte weibliche Bilder hingen jedoch nur für Mädchen indirekt mit höherem körperbeobachtendem Verhalten über die Internalisierung des Schlankheitsideals und die Höherbewertung des Aussehens zusammen. Die längsschnittlichen Analysen der vierten Studie ergaben keinen Moderatoreffekt des Geschlechts: Für Jungen und Mädchen sagte sexualisierter Videospielkonsum zu T1 das körperbeobachtende Verhalten zu T2 über die Mediatoren Aussehensvergleiche, Internalisierung des Schlankheitsideals und Höherbewertung des Aussehens vorher. Weiterhin zeigte sich, dass sexualisierter Instagramkonsum zu T1 das körperbeobachtende Verhalten zu T2 über die Höherbewertung des Aussehens vorhersagte. Konklusion: Die Befunde zeigen, dass mediale Sexualisierung mit Selbstobjektifizierung zusammenhängt. Dieser Zusammenhang zeigte sich über eine Vielfalt von Medienformaten und bei diversen Nutzer*innengruppen. Die Ergebnisse der Längsschnittstudie indizieren, dass sexualisierter Medienkonsum Selbstobjektifizierung über die Zeit vorhersagt. Jedoch legen die experimentellen Nullbefunde Vorsicht bezüglich dieser zeitlichen Abfolge nahe. Die Ergebnisse demonstrieren, dass verschiedene Mediatorvariablen in diesem Zusammenhang involviert sein könnten. Mögliche Implikationen für Forschung und Praxis, wie etwa Interventionsprogramme und Politikgestaltung, werden diskutiert. KW - media KW - sexualization KW - self-objectification KW - body image KW - Körperbild KW - Medien KW - Selbstobjektifzierung KW - Sexualisierung Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-508926 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Skowronski, Marika A1 - Busching, Robert A1 - Krahé, Barbara T1 - Predicting adolescents’ self-objectification from sexualized video game and Instagram use BT - A longitudinal study JF - Sex roles : a journal of research N2 - A growing body of research has demonstrated negative effects of sexualization in the media on adolescents' body image, but longitudinal studies and research including interactive and social media are scarce. The current study explored the longitudinal associations of adolescents' use of sexualized video games (SVG) and sexualized Instagram images (SII) with body image concerns. Specifically, our study examined relations between adolescents' SVG and SII use and appearance comparisons, thin- and muscular-ideal internalization, valuing appearance over competence, and body surveillance. A sample of 660 German adolescents (327 female, 333 male;M-age = 15.09 years) participated in two waves with an interval of 6 months. A structural equation model showed that SVG and SII use at Time 1 predicted body surveillance indirectly via valuing appearance over competence at Time 2. Furthermore, SVG and SII use indirectly predicted both thin- and muscular-ideal internalization through appearance comparisons at Time 1. In turn, thin-ideal internalization at Time 1 predicted body surveillance indirectly via valuing appearance over competence at Time 2. The results indicate that sexualization in video games and on Instagram can play an important role in increasing body image concerns among adolescents. We discuss the findings with respect to objectification theory and the predictive value of including appearance comparisons in models explaining the relation between sexualized media and self-objectification. KW - social media KW - computer games KW - sexualization KW - body image KW - self-objectification Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01187-1 SN - 0360-0025 SN - 1573-2762 VL - 84 IS - 9-10 SP - 584 EP - 598 PB - Springer CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Skowronski, Marika A1 - Busching, Robert A1 - Krahé, Barbara T1 - Women’s exposure to sexualized TV, self-objectification, and consideration of cosmetic surgery BT - the role of age JF - Psychology of popular media N2 - Public Policy Relevance Statement TV is full of content presenting women in a sexualized way, with a focus on their sexual appearance and appeal to others. We found that across an age spectrum from 15 to 72 years, the more women watched sexualized TV, the more concerned they were about their body; a link between watching sexualized TV and considering cosmetic surgery was found only for women above the age of 31. Adding to the evidence documenting negative consequences of sexualized media use on young women's body image, this study is a first indicator that these might also apply to women across a broader age spectrum.
Extensive research has documented links between sexualized media use and body image concerns. Previous findings are based largely on female adolescents or young adults, although objectification theory predicts changes of body image concerns with age. Therefore, the current study investigated the link of sexualized TV exposure (STE) with self-objectification and consideration of cosmetic surgery within the framework of objectification theory in a sample of 519 female participants between the age of 15 and 72 (M = 39.43 years). Participants completed measures of STE, appearance-ideal internalization, valuing appearance over competence, body surveillance, and consideration of cosmetic surgery. Structural equation modeling revealed that STE was indirectly linked with consideration of cosmetic surgery via valuing appearance over competence and body surveillance. Age was negatively related to internalization, valuing appearance over competence, and body surveillance, but did not moderate the links between STE and body image. Older women scored lower on the body-related variables, but the associations between STE and self-objectification were the same across the age spectrum. STE predicted consideration of cosmetic surgery only for women over 31 years of age. Implications concerning the role of age in linking sexualized media to self-objectification are discussed. KW - television KW - sexualization KW - age KW - body image KW - self-objectification Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000348 SN - 2160-4143 SN - 2160-4142 VL - 11 IS - 2 SP - 117 EP - 124 PB - American Psychological Association CY - Washington ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Skowronski, Marika A1 - Busching, Robert A1 - Krahé, Barbara T1 - The effects of sexualized video game characters and character personalization on women's self-objectification and body satisfaction JF - Journal of experimental social psychology N2 - Female role models in video games are rare, and if they are present, they are often heavily sexualized. Objectification theory suggests that exposure to sexualized media characters increases self-objectification and decreases body satisfaction in female users. This study investigated the effect of playing a video game with a sexualized versus a nonsexualized character on women's experiences of self-objectification and body satisfaction. We further studied the effect of character personalization as a core feature of video games on the relation between sexualized avatars, self-objectification and body satisfaction. N = 262 female participants reported state self-objectification and body satisfaction after 30 min of playing the video game The Sims 4 with a sexualized or nonsexualized avatar that was either generic or personalized to look like the participant. We predicted that controlling for trait self-objectification, playing the game with a sexualized character would increase state self-objectification, especially in the personalized condition. Regarding the effect of character sexualization on body satisfaction, competing hypotheses based on priming vs. the Proteus effect were tested, considering character personalization and enjoyment of sexualization as moderators and controlling for trait body satisfaction. The current study did not find evidence for the proposed hypotheses. The findings are discussed in terms of the relevance of objectification theory in explaining effects of sexualized models in interactive media. KW - Video games KW - Sexualization KW - Self-objectification KW - Body satisfaction KW - Character personalization KW - Media effects Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2020.104051 SN - 0022-1031 SN - 1096-0465 VL - 92 IS - 1 PB - Elsevier CY - San Diego ER - TY - GEN A1 - Skowronski, Marika A1 - Busching, Robert A1 - Krahé, Barbara T1 - Predicting adolescents’ self-objectification from sexualized video game and Instagram use BT - A longitudinal study T2 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe N2 - A growing body of research has demonstrated negative effects of sexualization in the media on adolescents' body image, but longitudinal studies and research including interactive and social media are scarce. The current study explored the longitudinal associations of adolescents' use of sexualized video games (SVG) and sexualized Instagram images (SII) with body image concerns. Specifically, our study examined relations between adolescents' SVG and SII use and appearance comparisons, thin- and muscular-ideal internalization, valuing appearance over competence, and body surveillance. A sample of 660 German adolescents (327 female, 333 male;M-age = 15.09 years) participated in two waves with an interval of 6 months. A structural equation model showed that SVG and SII use at Time 1 predicted body surveillance indirectly via valuing appearance over competence at Time 2. Furthermore, SVG and SII use indirectly predicted both thin- and muscular-ideal internalization through appearance comparisons at Time 1. In turn, thin-ideal internalization at Time 1 predicted body surveillance indirectly via valuing appearance over competence at Time 2. The results indicate that sexualization in video games and on Instagram can play an important role in increasing body image concerns among adolescents. We discuss the findings with respect to objectification theory and the predictive value of including appearance comparisons in models explaining the relation between sexualized media and self-objectification. T3 - Zweitveröffentlichungen der Universität Potsdam : Humanwissenschaftliche Reihe - 845 KW - social media KW - computer games KW - Sexualization KW - body image KW - self-objectification Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-541992 SN - 1866-8364 IS - 9-10 ER -