title: Gender differences in reactions to the sexualization of athletes.
abstract: Participants rated a series of photographs that depicted well-known male and female athletes in a sexualized fashion or not. In general, sexualized targets were perceived as more attractive but as less competent than non-sexualized targets, and for ratings of competence, sexualization effects were greater for female targets. Sexualization had no effects on women's perceptions of the competence of male targets, whereas for men, sexualization affected their perceptions of the competence of both male and female targets, although the influence of sexualization was stronger for female targets than it was for male targets. These findings suggest that the gender of the target and of the perceiver needs to be considered when evaluating the influences of sexualization. The implications of these findings are discussed within the context of objectification theory, which has focused on the objectification of women by women.
authors.affiliation: a College of William & Mary.
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Nezlek
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Krohn
authors.forename: Dannon
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maruskin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D056352:Athletes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011361:Professional Competence; D012737:Sex Factors; D063507:Sexism / Q000523:psychology*; D019529:Sexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: advertising; objectification; sex differences; sexualization