Weight Control Motives for Cigarette Smoking: Further Consequences of the Sexual Objectification of Women?

Abstract

Research has revealed numerous negative consequences associated with the sexual objectification of women. Guided by the constructs of self-objectification and objectified body consciousness (OBC), the present study sought to extend the objectification literature by examining the reasons women report smoking cigarettes in relation to viewing oneself as an object. Undergraduate women (N = 146) completed questionnaire packets assessing OBC, body image, self-esteem, smoking behavior and smoking motives. The results showed that current smokers scored higher on OBC components than did never smokers, and body shame significantly predicted smoking cigarettes in order to control appetite and weight. The results suggest that internalizing the prescribed cultural standard for the female body, a proposed consequence of viewing oneself as an outsider, may play a role in the behavioral choices made by women with respect to smoking.