Selfie-Objectification: Self-Objectification and Positive Feedback (“Likes”) are Associated with Frequency of Posting Sexually Objectifying Self-Images on Social Media
Open accessAbstract
The present study is the first to examine the extent to which young adult women post objectifying self-images on social media, and whether the frequency of posting such content can be predicted by self-objectification and positive feedback (likes). Eighty-six young adult women from the UK (Age M = 19.88; SD = 1.34, Range = 18-24) completed self-report measures of self-objectification and social media use. The 20 most recent images they had posted on their personal Instagram accounts were downloaded (Image N = 1720) and content analysed for self-objectifying content. The analysis found that 29.77% of participants' Instagram images were objectified, though there were individual differences. Higher frequency of posting objectified self-images was associated with trait self-objectification and receiving more likes on this type of self-image, relative to non-objectified self-images. The implications of the novel findings for objectification theory are discussed within.
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Instagram use has been found to be positively correlated with self-objectification.
“Like Facebook use, Instagram use has also been found to be positively correlated with self-objectification (Bell et al., 2018; Cohen et al., 2018; Fardouly, Willburger, & Vartanian, 2018; Feltman & Szymanski, 2018).”
From Adolescents’ Body Shame and Social Networking Sites: The Mediating Effect of Body Image Control in Photos (2020) · cites this paper as Bell et al., 2018
SNS use leads to more self-objectification because it offers individuals who already self-objectify to present, manage, and promote their own images online, reinforcing self-objectification processes, and could potentially lead to problematic SNS use.
“It is likely that SNS use leads to more self-objectification because it offers individuals who already self-objectify to present, manage, and promote their own images online, reinforcing self-objectification processes (Bell et al., 2018; Fardouly et al., 2015, 2017; Veldhuis et al., 2020), and could potentially lead to problematic SNS use.”
From Adolescents’ Body Shame and Social Networking Sites: The Mediating Effect of Body Image Control in Photos (2020) · cites this paper as Bell et al., 2018
Social reward and approval are pivotal motivators of adolescents' behavior.
“This is because social reward and approval are pivotal motivators of adolescents' behavior (Bell et al., 2018; Foulkes, & Blakemore, 2016).”
From Adolescents’ Body Shame and Social Networking Sites: The Mediating Effect of Body Image Control in Photos (2020) · cites this paper as Bell et al., 2018
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- Authors
- Bell, B. T., Cassarly, J. A., & Dunbar, L.
- Affiliations
- York St John University (GB)
- Teesside University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Bell, Beth T.
- Venue
- Body Image
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2018-09
- Volume
- 26
- Pages
- 83-89
- ISSN
- 1740-1445 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2814117743
- Cited by
- 142
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 25 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 2
- FWCI
- 13.51
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.tees.ac.uk
- Licence
- Locations
- Body Image (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- TeesRep (Teesside University) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Teesside University Research Portal (Teesside University) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Research at York St John (York St John University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender, Feminism, and Media
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
- Keywords
- self-objectification, objectification theory, selfies, Instagram, social media posting, likes, positive feedback, young adult women
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Body Image, Emotions, Female, Humans, Self Concept, Sexual Behavior, Feedback, Psychological, Young Adult, Social Media
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