Internalization of Media Appearance Ideals and Academic Intrinsic Motivation: Indirect Effects through Self-Objectification and Appearance Monitoring

The internalization of appearance ideals presented by the Western media has many maladaptive consequences, including increased trait self-objectification and appearance monitoring (Calogero et al., 2005). While previous research has evaluated internalization of media appearance ideals, trait self-objectification, and appearance monitoring as they relate to various domains of cognitive performance, no study has examined their potential relationship with academic intrinsic motivation. The present study seeks to add to the literature by examining relationships between the internalization of media appearance ideals, trait self-objectification, appearance monitoring, and academic intrinsic motivation among college women. Three hundred forty-three (N = 343) freshman and sophomore self-identified college females were recruited to complete questionnaires related to key study constructs. Path analyses via Structural Equation Modeling indicated that the internalization of media appearance ideals was indirectly related to academic intrinsic motivation through trait self-objectification and subsequent appearance monitoring. Specifically, the internalization of media appearance ideals was associated with increased trait self-objectification, which was in turn associated with increased appearance monitoring. This appearance monitoring was subsequently associated with decreased academic intrinsic motivation. Implications and future directions of findings are discussed.