OBJECTIFICATION THEORY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF WOMEN

A DECADE OF ADVANCES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Moradi, Bonnie
Huang, Yu-Ping

University of Florida

Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Bonnie Moradi, Department of Psychology, University of Florida, P.O. Box 112250, Gainesville, FL 32611–2250. E-mail: [email protected]

Bonnie Moradi and Yu-Ping Huang, Department of Psychology, University of Florida.

Initial submission: April 2, 2007 Initial acceptance: March 12, 2008 Final acceptance: July 21, 2008

Psychology of Women Quarterly 32(4):p 377-398, December 2008.

proposed objectification theory as an integrative framework for understanding how women's socialization and experiences of sexual objectification are translated into mental health problems. This article reviews the past decade of research grounded in objectification theory and highlights needed directions for future scholarship in this area. Specifically, this article reviews research organized according to the following themes: (a) self-objectification and its proposed consequences, (b) sexual objectification experiences as a proposed precursor, and (c) disconnections from bodily functions. An overview of emerging objectification theory research with men is also provided. The review concludes with needed directions for future theoretical and research efforts aimed to advance the psychology of women.