Objectified & Dehumanized: Do Objectifying Images Affect Policy Attitudes?

• In Event: The Political Effects of Attitudes toward Women

Abstract

Research in psychology has demonstrated that the female body is objectified far more than the male body (Fredrickson and Roberts 1997; Rudman and Borgida 1995). Sandra Bartky (1990) defines sexual objectification as occurring when people’s bodies or body parts are separated from their identity. In other words, an individual becomes merely instrumental and stripped of their personhood when objectified. The extant research teaches us that the consumption of objectifying images of women is associated with rape myth beliefs, sex-role stereotypes, and increased acceptance of interpersonal violence (Custers and McNallie 2016; Lanis and Covell 1995). We build upon this literature and apply it to questions relevant to political science. In particular, we examine how exposure to objectifying images of women affects attitudes regarding reproductive rights and other social policies that benefit women.
One of the more dire consequences of objectification is that it can lead to the overall dehumanization of women. Studies in psychology have found that objectifying images of women can prompt people to see women as having less agency and less human attributes (Cikara et al. 2010). Exposure to objectifying images of women increases implicit sexism and traditional gender role attitudes, as well as the decreases perceptions of women’s warmth and morality. We posit that this could potentially lead to less support for social policies that primarily benefit women. We test this theory with a large-sample survey experiment on Mechanical Turk in which participants in the treatment group are exposed to pre-tested objectifying images of women. We find that this brief exposure to objectifying portrayals of women significantly decreased support for access to birth control and support for hiring policies that advantage women. These results highlight the extensive and wide-ranging effects of living in a culture where the objectification of women is normalized.

Authors

• Claire Gothreau, Temple University

• Amanda Milena Alvarez, Temple University