Development and Psychometric Validation of the Women-Sexually Objectifying Media Exposure Scale (W-SOMES) and Men-Sexually Objectifying Media Exposure Scale (M-SOMES)

Abstract

Abstract In this digital era, individuals are regularly exposed to sexual objectification in a variety of media types, which may negatively affect body image. However, existing measures do not fully capture exposure to and direct experiences of sexual objectification in different media. The purpose of the current programme of research was to develop and evaluate the Women-Sexually Objectifying Media Exposure Scale (W-SOMES) and Men-Sexually Objectifying Media Exposure Scale (M-SOMES), to measure exposure to and experiences of sexual objectification in the media. In Study 1, drawing from existing literature and two online surveys (women = 80, men = 76, age representative samples), items for the W-SOMES and M-SOMES were developed. Optimal items solely reflected exposure to sexual objectification in the media. In Study 2, exploratory factor analysis (women = 340, men = 100) suggested an underlying structure of three correlated factors for the W-SOMES and a single factor for the M-SOMES. In Study 3, confirmatory factor analysis (women = 331, men = 328) supported a higher-order model for the W-SOMES (15 items across three subscales: Importance of Physical Appearance, Sexualised Body Representation and Body Evaluation) and a single factor model for the M-SOMES (4 items measuring Sexualised Body Representation). The W-SOMES and M-SOMES displayed satisfactory internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and differentiation by known groups but did not adequately display convergent and discriminant validity. The M-SOMES also displayed satisfactory incremental validity. Future research should further examine the psychometric properties of the W-SOMES and M-SOMES for measuring exposure to sexual-objectification in the media.