Worth the Weight: The Objectification of Overweight Versus Thin Targets

被引:74
作者
Holland, Elise [1 ]
Haslam, Nick [1 ]
机构
[1] Univ Melbourne, Sch Psychol Sci, Melbourne, Vic 3010, Australia
关键词
objectification; body image; physical appearance; clothing; social perception; impression formation; morality; SELF-OBJECTIFICATION; SELECTIVE ATTENTION; MENTAL-HEALTH; WOMEN; PERCEPTIONS; OBESITY; OBJECTS; STIGMA; THREAT; VIEW;
D O I
10.1177/0361684312474800
中图分类号
B84 [心理学];
学科分类号
04 ; 0402 ;
摘要
Although the negative ramifications of others objectifying the female body are well established, little research has examined whether certain portrayals of women are more susceptible to being objectified. The present study sought to examine the effect of two target characteristicsbody size and clothing styleon objectification. One hundred and ninety-one Australian undergraduate participants (95 female; M-age = 19.35 years) viewed either an image of an overweight woman or a thin woman, who was either dressed in plain clothes or lingerie. Participants then completed three tasks measuring their objectification of the woman to include attributions of mind, attributions of moral status, and a dot probe task assessing attention towards the target's body relative to the face. Results indicate that overweight women, as well as those dressed in plain clothing, were attributed more agentic mental states and moral value, as well as elicited less of the objectifying gaze, than thin targets and those wearing lingerie. These findings suggest that contrary to popular opinion, there may be unforeseen benefits of being overweight.
引用
收藏
页码:462 / 468
页数:7
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