Michelle M Dionne - Ryerson University, SRG 2006
Français
A relatively new and interesting line of research suggests that media portrayals of unrealistic standards of attractiveness for women affect more than just their body image. The Theory
of Self-Objectification (SO) holds that due to multiple pressures in Western culture, women take on a view of themselves as ‘objects’ for the visual pleasure of others. Preliminary research has shown that both performance on cognitive tasks and the motivation to engage in them are compromised when state SO is elicited in the laboratory. Currently, it is unclear whether physical-performance domains could be similarly affected. The current study will investigate the influence of a state of self-objectification elicited by snug-fitting athletic clothing and body size estimation tasks on physical and cognitive performance in female university students. Participants will be assigned to wear either snug-fitting and revealing clothing, or loose-fitting but fully-covering athletic clothing. All participants will then complete a perceptual estimation task in which they will estimate the size of either their body or a neutral object. Each participant will then complete questionnaires measuring state self-objectification, trait self-objectification, and appearance anxiety. Next, all participants will complete a golf-putting task to assess their physical performance. Following this, participants will complete a computerized Stroop task as a measure of cognitive performance. Finally, the height and weight of participants will
be measured before they are fully debriefed. It is anticipated that increased attention to one’s body as a result of wearing tight fitting clothing will compromise performance. If women’s performance in sport is compromised by SO, one might anticipate that participation will be less reinforcing and motivation to play may diminish. This may show that recent appeals by certain sport governing bodies to have female athletes wear more feminine or revealing clothing may actually be working against the goal of enhancing participation.
In 2004, Sepp Blatter, the president of the international governing agency for soccer, suggested
that women players should wear tighter shorts, and “more feminine clothing” to attract more
attention to their sport. While outraged, female athletes were likely not surprised. Women in
sport have endured years of cynicism regarding their physical abilities, much of which is
perpetuated via media portrayals that emphasize their appearance, femininity, and
(hetero)sexuality rather than performance or skill. Since social-psychological research clearly
demonstrates that we live up to expectations that are set for us, such attitudes could pose
serious barriers to women’s participation and performance in sport.
Two recently-developed theories describe what may be at work. The theory of Self-
Objectification (SO) holds that women take on a view of themselves as ‘objects’ for the visual
pleasure of others. The phenomenon of Stereotype Threat (ST) refers to the distress felt over
the possibility of confirming negative stereotypes about one’s own group. Prior research has
shown that both performance on cognitive tasks and the motivations to engage in them are
compromised when these states are elicited. Currently, it is unclear whether performance in
physical domains could be similarly affected when cognitive resources are tied up with concern
over gender roles and expectations.
The research to be undertaken in this grant will apply for the first time two complimentary
perspectives and theories for systematically demonstrating the real impact of stereotypes about
women and sport. Various stages of the research will incorporate descriptive, correlational and
quasi experimental methods. Experimental studies will consider whether eliciting SO and ST
leads to performance decrements considering both gross and fine motor skills. Ultimately, this
leads to the question of whether the effects of SO or ST can be alleviated through psycheducational
interventions, with the goal of improving women’s health and quality of life.
SCRI 2007 Presentation Slides
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