Highlights
- Study on attitude towards the metoo-movement in 586 Flemish adolescents.
- Sexualizing media use relates to the acceptance of rape myths.
- Sexualizing media use relates to resistance towards the metoo-movement.
- Notions of women as sex objects is a valid mediator.
- No significant differences according to gender or self-esteem.
Abstract
Introduction
The current study addresses how sexualizing online media practices, i.e., exposure to sexually explicit internet material and receiving negative appearance feedback on social media, relate to the acceptance of sexist attitudes among adolescents. Specifically, it extends previous research on the acceptance of rape myths by exploring a construct related to these beliefs, i.e., resistance towards the metoo-movement.
Methods
The study is based on a cross-sectional paper-and-pencil survey among 568 Flemish adolescents (15–18 years old, Mage = 16.4, SD = .98, 58.3% girls) that measured adolescents’ sexualizing online media use, sexist attitudes and objectification processes.
Results
The results showed that exposure to sexually explicit internet material, but not receiving negative appearance feedback on social media, was related to more resistance towards the metoo-movement and the acceptance of rape myths through notions of women as sex objects. Self-objectification did not function as a valid mediator in the examined relations. Gender and self-esteem did not moderate the proposed relations.
Conclusions
The findings underline the role of media use in how adolescents develop sexist beliefs and, more precisely, beliefs about contemporary actions to combat sexism, i.e., the metoo-movement. The present study showed that sexual objectification fueled by sexually explicit internet material may result in less positive attitudes and, thus, more resistance towards this movement.
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