According to the statistical analysis, women were significantly more likely than men to self-objectify, monitor their bodies more than men, and feel more body shame when exposed to media messages containing objectifying messages and reports emphasizing the importance of appearance.
In line with previous research, women were more likely to respond to objectifying images of the same sex. At the same time, men were less likely to react to objectifying images of the same sex. When women see pictures of women who fit the ‘ideal thinness’ and ‘beauty’ and read text that emphasizes the importance of physical appearance, they may compare them to themselves and view and evaluate themselves from an observer’s perspective, increased body shaming. Body monitoring is then elevated.
The gender comparison shows that although male subjects were exposed to media material that also addressed male body imagery, men were less influenced by it and were more concerned with physical abilities (e.g., physical coordination) and feelings of self. In patriarchal societies, men tend to evaluate themselves in terms of power, social status, and wealth, and less in terms of physical appearance. Evolutionary psychology studies have found that men are more interested in their partner’s income prospects, career prospects, and physical strength when comparing themselves to their rivals. At the same time, women are more interested in their partner’s facial attractiveness and physical attractiveness. Men tend to see themselves as the evaluators in the social evaluation system and evaluate women more based on their appearance, while women are then assessed. Under the long-term influence of objectifying culture, women internalize the culture’s notion of appearance. They tend to measure themselves according to their appearance, evaluating themselves according to the culture’s standards of female appearance and even molding themselves according to its requirements.
The study shows that the internalization of the ‘ideal beauty’ mediates between the objectification of media sexuality and the objectification of the female self. Thus, when initiated by objectifying media messages, women adopt internalized aesthetic standards to compare themselves to media images, leading to increased scrutiny of themselves and body shame. Negative body imagery can further affect women’s physical and mental health, for example, by possibly leading to eating disorders.
Why do people always experience body shame?
There is a term called male gaze, which refers to portraying women and the world from the perspective of heterosexual men in literature or visual art. Here women are often made into sexual objects and placed in the position of being viewed, examined, and used, ultimately portraying women as the ‘feminine’ other in line with patriarchal societal expectations.
In their objectification theory, Professors Fredrickson (B.L.) from the University of North Carolina and Roberts (T.A.) from the University of Colorado state that repeated experiences of sexual objectification cause women to see themselves as evaluated (based on appearance), leading women to view themselves as objects in terms of observation. This leads women to view their bodies from an observer’s perspective, i.e., self-objectification, characterized by frequent and habitual self-monitoring of appearance.
Self-objectification disrupts a woman’s connection to her subjective experience, making her more concerned with how she looks to others rather than how she feels, often seeking ‘how I look’ rather than ‘how I feel. If you think about it, do you often ask people, “Do you think I look good in this dress?”
Of course, the medium also plays a vital role in this. Whether it’s the screen, the internet, magazines, advertisements, etc., the press constantly creates images of youthful, slim, sexy bodies that permeate every aspect of people’s lives. The media is continuously developing and reproducing the perfect body image, telling the public over and over again what body image is beautiful, intentionally or unintentionally creating and conveying a standard of ‘beauty.
For example, the slap face and A4 waist are used as criteria for judging beauty, or activities such as “putting a coin in your collarbone” or “touching your belly button with your backhand” have been created.
Through these media, people have unconsciously ‘internalized’ and endorsed such standards, which has resulted in women indirectly losing their voice and their body image being scrutinized and changed as if it were an object. Women themselves are also affected by this, as they strive to achieve self-identity and social acceptance through imitation.
In addition to women, men have also been transformed by the media’s ‘internalization.’ For example, some men (especially young male youth icons) portray themselves as ‘fresh meat’ through fitness and fashion, actively conforming to others’ definitions and expectations of ‘fresh meat.’ These men are becoming conscious of being aesthetic objects and are becoming aware of being gazed at.
In addition to the gaze theory and media power mentioned above, body shame is often associated with mainstream aesthetics. In the workplace, for example, there are often specific standards for the body image of employees. Such measures largely influence the choices they make at work. According to the survey, 22% of women have had plastic surgery to find a better job.
The BMI (BMI = weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) for both men and women is 20.1 for women and 24.7 for men, and for women, more weight means less employment. It doesn’t matter if they are fat for men; instead, being too thin can affect finding a job.
Further analysis by economists found that if a woman in a city is fat overall and has a high BMI, then body size will have less impact on her job. In other words, the dominant aesthetic is a significant cause of size discrimination.
Body shame is a new disease of the times, behind which is the joint promotion of social culture, mass media, and consumer economics. The media promotes the visual senses to open our mobile phones and see the perfect images of various celebrities and colors. After looking at them for a long time, we do not become beautiful but more anxious.
Most anxiety is generated by “comparison.”
In psychology, this behavior is called ‘social comparison,’ which means that individuals compare their own beliefs, attitudes, opinions, etc., with those of others.
Festinger refers to this phenomenon as social comparison. Social comparison, also known as an interpersonal comparison, is Social comparison, also known an interpersonal comparison, is a widespread psycho-social phenomenon that is inevitable in human interactions.
But the social comparison does not stop at the stage of “comparison” in the sense that it is a self-discovery, a new rule of approach to life.