Effects of Objectification on Women’s Mental Health

Objectification theory posits that constant exposure to objectifying experiences and images socializes women to internalize society’s perspective of the female body as their own primary view of their physical selves. This internalization is often referred to as self-objectification, and it characterized by varying levels of thoughts and behaviors such as self-conscious body monitoring, surveillance, and comparison of one’s body or body parts to the cultural standard or ideal. Self-objectification is even found in women who view sexual objectification as harmless or even complimentary. Research has linked self-objectification to mental health outcomes such as depression, disordered eating, and reduced productivity. So, the sexual objectification of women indirectly contributes to their mental health problems because it leads to self-objectification.. 

Shame, anxiety, and depression

 According to objectification theory, the internalization of sexual objectification leads to constant self-monitoring, creating a state of self-consciousness that breeds feelings of shame and anxiety. Newer studies support this assertion, finding that self-objectification is in fact correlated with higher rates of body shame and appearance anxiety.

 Furthermore, recent research also shows that sexual objectification in the form of stranger harassment can be a source of anxiety if it inflames underlying fears of victimization and rape. Prolonged exposure to sexual objectification may also contribute to insidious trauma which is marked by psychological trauma symptoms that occur due to lifelong exposure to microaggressions , as opposed to one large trauma.

 Some of the psychological symptoms found to be associated with the trauma of sexual objectification include anxiety and depression . Unfortunately, depression may not be the end of the correlational chain in the context of sexual objectification, as it has also been found to be related to disordered eating among women.