| Description |
In light of epidemic levels of self-objectification leading to a host of negative consequences for girls and women, intervention is crucial. This study in Self-Objectification Resilience (SOR) implemented a necessary next step in critical feminist scholarship by identifying emancipatory alternatives to the chronic experiences of female objectification and self-objectification. To investigate the successful promotion and cultivation of Self-Objectification Resilience through a model and intervention designed for this study, 50 women ages 18 to 35 completed a confidential, 4-week, online study. Based on a broad meta-analysis of research in self-objectification and resilience, as well as the analysis of the present study's intervention feedback, four important resilient traits most directly combat the negative consequences of self-objectification: self-actualization, self-compassion, embodied empowerment, and feminist beliefs. The feedback gleaned from study participants proved invaluable to the SOR research agenda; it contributed to research on the dismal state of female body image, with robust, qualitative data revealing 50% of study participants "hated" or were "severely dissatisfied" with their bodies and another 34% reported to be "generally dissatisfied." Results contributed important information on the epidemic of self-objectification, with 70% of participants reporting detailed experiences of currently isolating themselves from everyday life, including school, sexual intimacy, and physical activity, due to body shame. The 9 participants out of 50 who reported positive body satisfaction reflected and reinforced vital themes of the SOR model; they had experienced extremely painful "disruptions" that worked as a catalyst to greater self-objectification resilience. More than half had overcome an eating disorder or had loved ones who were presently battling one. In all, the present study on Self-Objectification Resilience contributes important research toward understanding how positive adaptation can be possible to provide emancipation for girls and women from the bodily prison of self-objectification. |
