Don’t Want To Be Objectified, Then Don’t Wear Sexy Clothing, Says Research
Christopher Philip
“Objectification theory” says that when women become the target of male gaze, the body is no longer seen as part of a person, but rather it is seen as an object. It has been show in previous research that parts of a woman’s body are evaluated separately from her personal characteristics such as her personality and intelligence.
Prior research has focused on “self-objectification” where the constant evaluation by others makes one view his or her own body as an object. Researchers Regan Gurung and Carly Chrouser from the Department of Human Development and Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, wanted to discern between the general process of objectifying others and self-objectification (objectifying one’s self).
In this study, the researchers wanted to study the general process of objectifying others, what they termed an “objectification tendency” to help tease it away from other forms of objectification.
The researchers note that although objectification is primarily referred to as something men to do women, both men and women objectify. “Furthermore,” the researchers say, “not only do women objectify themselves but they are also objectified by other women and objectification tendencies and self-objectification are linked. For example, women who place greater importance on their own weight and shape also place greater importance on these dimensions when evaluating other women.” Other research has noted that women are significantly more likely to objectify other women, than they were to objectify themselves.
The Study
In this study, two key factors were examined, sexism and social physical anxiety as well as provocative dress. The study involved 82 female subjects taken from Midwestern University. The subjects where randomly assigned to two categories and asked to follow instructions on a computer monitor. Each group saw full body images of well known female sports athletes Amanda Beard, Logan Tom and Halley Cope in one of two conditions – provocative dress or regular dress for athletic competition.
The athletically dressed images were taken from media outlets while the provocatively dressed images were taken from the 2004 Summer Olympics issued of FHM (For Him Magazine).
The purposed was to test if women shown provocative attire would be objectified to a greater extent than the same women shown in more appropriate for competition attire.
The Results
“Our results show that women are categorized as less intelligent and less capable when they appear in sensual clothing. This empirical evidence is especially important as objectification has received a lot of press but has not been explicitly tested.”
The research also revealed that the more a person self-objectifies, the more likely they are to objectify others.
The Message To Women
“Our paper clearly shows that when women subtly show evidence of their competence, they are less likely to be objectified” says Dr. Gurung “Women definitely have the power to modify how they are perceived by what they wear. Clothing variations are powerful and influence the perceiver who may not even be aware of how they are being manipulated by clothing. What women should do is a tougher question to answer. Being aware of how certain clothes can make them look is one step (i.e., more revealing outfits on one hand may make them look fitter and more attractive BUT could also make them seem to be less hard working, etc.). So watch what you wear and try and have evidence of your competence around you.”
Get a free start in learning body language today! Click here: Getting Started.
Resources
Regan A. R. Gurung & Carly J. Chrouser. Predicting Objectification: Do Provocative Clothing and Observer Characteristics Matter? Sex Roles, 2007; 57: 91–99.
Learn More Starting Today!
Learn the basics of body language quickly and easily by taking one of our tailor-made video courses!
Short on cash? Then read an ENTIRE comprehensive book on body language – it’s totally FREE!
Which body language video course will you start with?
1. “The Secrets of Body Language”