SELF-OBJECTIFICATION IN HETEROSEXUAL YOUNG MEN IN TÜRKIYE: EXAMINATION OF THE OBJECTIFICATION THEORY

Date

2025-8-6

Author

Şat, Fulya

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This dissertation investigated the body perception of heterosexual young men living in Türkiye based on objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), utilizing qualitative and quantitative research methods. In this regard, two studies were conducted. Study 1 sought to examine how the male body is represented in media, the norms regarding male physical appearance, the contexts in which men are exposed to these norms, the factors influencing men’s self-objectification processes. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 heterosexual undergraduate men. The findings revealed that the ideal male body is portrayed as strong, muscular, tall, and tough; that men exposed to this portrayal compare themselves and may experience negative emotions and appearance anxiety when they deviate from this ideal; and that possessing an ideal appearance is important for social acceptance and partner desirability. In Study 2, data were gathered from 205 heterosexual men to adapt the Male Assessment of Self-Objectification (MASO; Daniel et al., 2014) into Turkish. The MASO was determined to be a valid and reliable scale for measuring men’s self-objectification. Finally, Study 3 aimed to investigate the relationship between endorsement of male appearance norms and appearance anxiety, through self-objectification and body surveillance, as hypothesized in objectification theory. For this purpose, 311 heterosexual men participated in the study. Endorsement of male appearance norms was found to be associated with self-objectification and appearance anxiety, albeit at a low level, in the expected direction. However, contrary to expectations, body surveillance was not significantly associated with variables other than self-objectification. Objectification theory may highlight some relationships among variables related to men’s body image, but it has been inadequate in explaining men’s self-objectification experiences.

Subject Keywords

Self-objectification, appearance anxiety, endorsement of male appearance norms, body surveillance

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/115464

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis