"Don't cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" Examining the impact of music videos on adolescent female body dissatisfaction and self-objectification

Abstract

The present study aimed to examine whether relationships exist between viewing objectifying music video images and adolescent female body dissatisfaction and self-objectification. Objectification Theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) was used as a framework for understanding the potential impact of music video viewing. Participants completed the following self-report measures: the Body Image States Scale (BISS; Cash, Fleming, Alindogan, Steadman & Whitehead, 2002) to assess levels of body satisfaction, Self-objectification Questionnaire (SOQ; Noll & Fredrickson, 1998) to measure levels of self-objectification, and the researcher-created Music Video Viewing Survey (MVVS) to determine amount of music video viewing. Sequential multiple regression analyses controlling for Body Mass Index and Ethnicity were conducted. A sample of 108 females ages 16 – 18 years was recruited from public high schools in North-Central Saskatchewan. Findings revealed significant relationships between self-objectification and body satisfaction, as well as body mass index (BMI) and body satisfaction scores. A significant relationship between music video viewing and body satisfaction scores, but not with self-objectification scores, was observed. This finding suggests that body satisfaction decreases as amount of music video viewing time increases. Strengths and limitations of the present study and implications for practice and future research are discussed. Future research is needed to further explore the relationship between music video viewing and body dissatisfaction in adolescent females and begin to examine the potential impacts of music video viewing on male viewers.