Abstract:
Objectified body consciousness (OBC) is a third-person perspective that locates an
individual's body-self relationship primarily in the appearance of her/his body as an outside
observer rather than in how her/his body feels or what her/his body can do. We know very little
about OBC in relation to physical self variables recognized in the sport and exercise psychology
literature and shown to be associated with physical activity behavior, or about our ability to
intervene and bring about change with OBC.
In Study One, a cross-sectional study, the notion of objectified body consciousness and
the associations with certain self-conceptions and physical activity behaviors were measured in
undergraduate students (N = 394). Females reported significantly higher levels of OBC body
surveillance and OBC body shame than males with no significant difference in the levels of OBC
appearance control beliefs between females and males Canonical correlation analyses revealed
significant and different relationships between the set of OBC variables and the set of self-concept
variables for both females and males A second canonical correlation, used to explore the
relationship between the set of three OBC variables and physical activity behavior (weekly
vigorous physical activity and MET levels), was non-significant for both females and males.
In Study Two, using a theory-to-practice approach, an attempt was made to change
undergraduates' OBC, as measured by the OBC Scales (McKinley & Hyde, 1996), through the
design and delivery of a body consciousness-raising curriculum (BCRC). In a 2 (time) x 2
(gender) x 5 (class) quasi-experimental study, undergraduate female and male students (N = 87)
were participants in the BCRC, which was designed to raise awareness of the influence of
sociocultural messages on their body-self relationship. Data collected from undergraduate
students (N = 114) enrolled in courses with similar and dissimilar content served as a comparison.
RM MANOVA revealed a significant 3-way interaction F(12, 189) = l.843,p =.039. Follow-up
analyses showed that the interaction was primarily influenced by within-class gender differences
across time with no significant between-class differences. A qualitative evaluation of the BCRC
from the students' perspective contributes to the discussion of the effectiveness of the curriculum.
