What’s the Best Exposure? Examining Media Representations of Female Athletes and the Impact on Collegiate Athletes’ Self-Objectification

Many studies offer clear evidence that exposure to glamorized and sexualized media images results in distorted body image perceptions in girls and young women. Researchers have examined the link between sports media exposure and the negative effect on body perceptions of young girls and women, though a gap exists in the examination of the relationship between media images and positive impact. Grounded in the theories of self-objectification and social comparison, this study tested the relationships between self-objectification and body esteem and sports media exposure. Using a between-participants experimental design, this study examined how three different images of elite female athletes—performance, glamorized, and overly sexualized—impacted collegiate-level female athlete’s tendency to self-objectify and their levels of body esteem. Results suggest that less self-objectification occurs and greater body satisfaction is achieved when images of performance athletes are viewed, suggesting a need for more of these images in mainstream media.