Self-objectification is viewing oneself as an object for use instead of as a person. Self-objectification is a result of objectification, and is commonly discussed in the topic of sex and gender. According to Calogero, self-objectification explains the psychological process by which women internalise others' objectification of their bodies, resulting in them constantly criticizing their own bodies.
Relationship to objectification
Objectification and self-objectification are two different topics, but are closely intertwined. Objectification looks at how society views people (in this case, women) as bodies for someone else's pleasure. This occurs in advertisements where the body but not the face of a woman is shown. These messages put an unrealistic standard on women's bodies, dehumanizing them to an object of visual pleasure, and self-objectification occurs in response. Women start to internalize the message that they are not individual human beings, but objects of beauty, pleasure and play for others, and they start to look at themselves and their bodies as such.
The perpetuation of self-objectification can be described as a cycle. Objectification causes self-objectification which perpetuates objectification, and the cycle goes on. Both media and social interaction factor into that cycle as well. Media is everywhere, plastering seemingly perfect women across billboards, in music videos, and on covers of magazines. These ideals cause people to put on an unrealistic lens, thinking that they should look and act like the women in the media are portrayed, perpetuating the cycle of self-objectification. Social interactions affect this cycle as well, as the way people communicate with each other subconsciously furthers objectification as well. This type of talk is known as appearance related communication. refers to women making comments about their own weight, dieting, or justifications of one's eating or exercising habits. Studies have also been done on adolescent girls, and what heightens self-objectification at an early age. With the amount of over-sexualized media that children are exposed to, young girls start to identify themselves as a "prize" to be used and given away at an early age. This objectification is fueled heavily by media and the fact that it is highly sexualized. The more a young girl is exposed to media that sexually objectifies women, the more they will internalize those beliefs and ideals and objectify themselves.
See also
- Sexual objectification
- Objectification of people