The goal of this study was to learn how the amount of sexual objectification experienced and the woman’s feelings about the attention brought to her in these experiences are together related to how the woman views the person objectifying her. In this study, women were asked to report times when they experienced objectification from others that were complimentary or critical. Then they were asked to report how they viewed that experience. Women who reported complimentary objectification experiences tended to have a more positive interpretation of the intentions of the other person and reported that they enjoyed being sexualized more than women who reported experiences of critical objectification by others. This new knowledge of how women preserve an experience of sexual objectification may point towards the idea that when women are directly objectified by the people around them this may lead to experiencing more objectification or internalizing an objectified view of themselves.
Riemer, A.R., Allen, J., Gullickson, M. et al. “You Can Catch More Flies with Honey than Vinegar”: Objectification Valence Interacts with Women’s Enjoyment of Sexualization to Influence Social Perceptions. Sex Roles (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-020-01143-z
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