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Athlete or Sex Symbol: What Boys Think of Media Representations of Female Athletes

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Abstract

Little research has investigated males’ reactions to non-objectified media images of women, including those that depict women in instrumental activities like playing a sport. Using a survey methodology, this study examined U.S. adolescent boys’ open-ended responses to images of performance athletes, sexualized athletes, and sexualized models. Participants were 104 adolescent boys from California (ages 12–17, primarily European-American). They remarked on the performance athletes’ physical competence and focused on the athletic context depicted in the photograph. In contrast, participants focused on the physical appearance and attractiveness of the sexualized athletes and sexualized models. Overall, findings suggest that performance images of women evoke instrumental evaluations of women from male viewers, while sexualized images induce objectified appraisals.

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Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Andrea Niles for her invaluable work on the coding scheme as well as other insights she contributed to the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Oregon, Chandler Lab, 1027 NW Trenton, Bend, OR, 97701, USA

    Elizabeth A. Daniels & Heidi Wartena

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  1. Elizabeth A. Daniels
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  2. Heidi Wartena
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Correspondence to Elizabeth A. Daniels.

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Daniels, E.A., Wartena, H. Athlete or Sex Symbol: What Boys Think of Media Representations of Female Athletes. Sex Roles 65, 566–579 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-9959-7

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