Women who live in a culture in which they are objectified by
others may in turn begin to objectify themselves. This kind of
self-objectification may reduce women’s involvement in social activism,
according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the
Association for Psychological Science.
Psychological scientist Rachel Calogero of the University of
Kent, Canterbury hypothesized that women who self-objectify — valuing their
appearance over their competence — would show less motivation to challenge the
gender status quo, ultimately reducing their participation in social action.
In a survey study with undergraduate women, Calogero found
that women who reported higher levels of self-objectification were less likely
to have participated in gender-based social activism in the previous six
months. This association was explained, at least in part, by increased
justification of the gender status quo, supporting Calogero’s original
hypothesis.