Objectification Theory: Toward Understanding Women's Lived Experiences and Mental Health Risks

TLDR

Objectification theory posits that girls and women are typically acculturated to internalize an observer's perspective as a primary view of their physical selves. This article offers objectification theory as a framework for understanding the experiential consequences of being female in a culture that sexually objectifies the female body. This perspective on self can lead to habitual body monitoring, which in turn increases opportunities for shame and anxiety, reduces chances for peak motivational states, and diminishes awareness of internal bodily states. Accumulated body monitoring and shame may explain why women experience higher rates of unipolar depression, sexual dysfunction, and eating disorders, and why these risks shift with life‑course changes in the female body.

Abstract

This article offers objectification theory as a framework for understanding the experiential consequences of being female in a culture that sexually objectifies the female body. Objectification theory posits that girls and women are typically acculturated to internalize an observer's perspective as a primary view of their physical selves. This perspective on self can lead to habitual body monitoring, which, in turn, can increase women's opportunities for shame and anxiety, reduce opportunities for peak motivational states, and diminish awareness of internal bodily states. Accumulations of such experiences may help account for an array of mental health risks that disproportionately affect women: unipolar depression, sexual dysfunction, and eating disorders. Objectification theory also illuminates why changes in these mental health risks appear to occur in step with life-course changes in the female body.