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Bodies After Babies: The Impact of Depictions of Recently Post-Partum Celebrities on Non-Pregnant Women’s Body Image

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Abstract

The present study investigated the notion that the scrutiny of post-partum celebrity bodies by gossip media reinforces the message to all women that their bodies are vulnerable to close, critical scrutiny and that their value is contingent upon their appearance (e.g., Gentile 2011). Using objectification theory (Fredrickson and Roberts 1997) and the media priming framework (Roskos-Ewoldsen and Roskos-Ewoldsen 2009), the present study examined the impact of depictions of post-partum celebrities on never-pregnant young women. College women (N = 127) were randomly assigned to view full-body images and accompanying photo captions depicting recently post-partum celebrities, headshot-only images and captions depicting the same recently post-partum celebrities, or control images and captions featuring home décor and travel destinations. Results revealed that assignment to both the full-body and headshot conditions resulted in higher state self-objectification compared to the control condition. However, those in the headshot condition reported higher body surveillance scores than those in the full-body condition. Results are discussed in light of objectification theory.

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Acknowledgement

Support for the research was provided by a faculty research initiative grant to the lead author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Communication, Illinois State University, Campus Box 4480, Normal, IL, 61790, USA

    K. Megan Hopper

  2. Department of Communication, University of Arizona, 1103 E. University Boulevard, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA

    Jennifer Stevens Aubrey

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  1. K. Megan Hopper
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  2. Jennifer Stevens Aubrey
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Correspondence to K. Megan Hopper.

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Support for the research was provided by an Illinois State University College of Arts & Sciences faculty research initiative grant awarded to the lead author.

We received Institutional Review Board approval for our research involving human participants before we began the study.

All individuals were provided with informed consent materials prior to participating and had the option to stop participation at any point during the study with no penalty.

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Hopper, K.M., Aubrey, J.S. Bodies After Babies: The Impact of Depictions of Recently Post-Partum Celebrities on Non-Pregnant Women’s Body Image. Sex Roles 74, 24–34 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-015-0561-2

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