Body Consciousness and Self-Objectification in Gen Z Adolescent Girls

Abstract

In contemporary Indian society media has magnified age-old pressures for teenage girls to conform to stereotypical standards. Contemporary Indian mythologist and author, Devdutt Pattanaik gives us a vivid picture of the socio-cultural and religious genesis of the Indian society. He validates the inherent gender-based inequality so characteristic of the Indian society in his book, 7 Secrets of the Goddess “A woman stops being a person; she is dehumanized and turned into a symbol of masculine honor, this transformation from prized possession to venerated object marks the triumph of patriarchy". This objectification of the female body not only instigates shame and dread but also encourages chasing what society thinks is ideal. The present study thus aimed to explore the role of Self-Objectification in objectified body consciousness i.e., body surveillance, body shame and appearance control beliefs of adolescent females age ranging (15 to 19) from Punjab (n=60). Self-Objectification Scale was used to screen in females high and low on self-objectification. Alongside scores on the subscales of Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS) were obtained. The findings suggested that media images have a detrimental effect on adolescent psyche. It’s imperative to improve a woman's experience of her own body. Psycho-educational interventions in school and colleges should be introduced which focus on presenting and reinforcing a critical stance toward female beauty standards, in order to prevent-or at least reduce-high levels of internalization and social comparison.