The Impact of Online Sexual Objectification on Appearance Anxiety through Body Surveillance in Women

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21294951

Meghna Basu Thakur, Rhythm Mehrok, Maryam Chowdhary, Niksha Amin, and Shravani Sutar (Department of Psychology, R. D. National & S. W. A. Science College, Mumbai, Maharashtra)

Even though there is ample evidence showing that digital objectification negatively impacts the mental health of women, mechanisms of how online interactions contribute to the development of appearance-related anxiety in them have not been fully understood yet. This paper examines the psychological mechanisms that have a link between online sexual objectification and appearance anxiety. The possibility of defining these pathways will help the research narrow down our perception of how to help women maintain their mental health in increasingly sexualized online spaces. Online sexual objectification (independent variable) and appearance anxiety (dependent variable) are the main variables in the given study. Body surveillance has been used as a medium to explain the relationship between these constructs. Quantitative correlational design was also utilized, where 200 women between the ages of 18 and 50 were used as a sample. The data were gathered using self-report scales, such as the Online Sexual Objectification Experience Scale (2024), the Body Surveillance subscale par of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (1996), and the Appearance Anxiety Inventory (2014). The correlation between the variables in the form of descriptive statistics and Pearson correlations was calculated to determine the relationships between the variables whereas a mediation analysis was conducted using R to determine that body surveillance mediates the correlation between online objectification and appearance anxiety. This study hopes to set the standard on the interactions of social media that influence the body self-perceptions of women by critically interrogating the value that they have produced in order to provide future interventions on body-image. The end goal will be to create media literacy and healthier digital behaviors among women in modern online culture.