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Shifting the objectifying gaze: Focusing on women's personality disrupts sexual objectification

Sep 14, 2020
4 min

Shifting the objectifying gaze: Focusing on women's personality disrupts sexual objectification

By Marisa Ragonese I had a baby three summers ago, and she’s been hanging around me a lot ever since. One of the best parts about this whole kid thing, at least for me, is the radical shift from how men used to look at and treat me, and the way they do now. Most notably, the dudes I encounter in the day-to-day have generally stopped ogling my body, complimenting my body, insulting my body or otherwise harassing me. NOW they either look me in the eye when they talk to me or, i

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Teasing, self-objectification, and body image for adolescent athletes

Oct 24, 2019
4 min

Teasing, self-objectification, and body image for adolescent athletes

By Steph Anderson *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Growing up, I loved being active: climbing trees, riding bikes, building obstacle courses, you name it. If it involved dirt, even better. I loved testing my body’s limits, not to mention my parents’ nerves (but that’s another story). Once I was old enough to play an organized sport – basketbal

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Listen to your heart: Focusing on your heart beat can protect against self-objectification for women

Oct 24, 2019
4 min

Listen to your heart: Focusing on your heart beat can protect against self-objectification for women

By Marisa Ragonese *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Halloween—obviously the best holiday in the history of the world—is coming our way. Let’s talk about some recent heart-racing research, which is almost as fun as peeking under that thinned-out curtain between the living and the dead, or, let’s be real, trick-or-treating (My guess is most of u

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“Boys can be anything,” Or how Barbie limits girls’ career dreams

Aug 8, 2019
4 min

“Boys can be anything,” Or how Barbie limits girls’ career dreams

By Jenn Chmielewski *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Okay, I admit it. As much as I would love to say that I was a little feminist socialist as a child, impervious to the sexualized gendered marketing scheme that is Barbie, I cannot. I was one of the 99% of girls that played with that skinny, large-breasted, blond haired plastic toy[1] and I t

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6-pack abs & thigh gaps: Objectification, body image, & eating disorders for adolescent girls & boys

Jun 20, 2019
5 min

6-pack abs & thigh gaps: Objectification, body image, & eating disorders for adolescent girls & boys

#teengirlsy Jenn Chmielewski *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Illustration by Calvin Sprague I didn’t know what the ‘thigh gap’ was until very recently (you’re supposed to have space between your thighs?!). But I can honestly say that I have always been aware of the fact that my thighs don’t fit the standards of perfection according to the med

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Why do people objectify women’s bodies?

Jun 6, 2019
4 min

Why do people objectify women’s bodies?

By Marisa Ragonese Illustration by Neil Webb I had a baby three summers ago, and she’s been hanging around me a lot ever since. One of the best parts about this whole kid thing, at least for me, is the radical shift from how men used to look at and treat me, and the way they do now. Most notably, the dudes I encounter in the day-to-day have generally stopped ogling my body, complimenting my body, insulting my body or otherwise harassing me. NOW they either look me in the eye

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Sexualized music videos, self-objectification, and wellbeing for girls

May 29, 2019
4 min

Sexualized music videos, self-objectification, and wellbeing for girls

By Christin Bowman *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Music videos may be one of the most degrading pieces of media out there. I, for one, can’t remember the last time I watched a music video that didn’t incorporate women of the lip-licking, hip-humping, nearly-naked variety. Some experts suggest that almost 90% of music videos incorporate objec

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How do gender stereotypes affect girls' interest in pursuing STEM careers?

May 22, 2019
5 min

How do gender stereotypes affect girls' interest in pursuing STEM careers?

By Kim Belmonte *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Okay, let’s do a little exercise. Close your eyes and picture a “computer scientist.” Who is it that you picture? If the very first image that comes to mind is of, well, a man, alone in an office surrounded by computer bits, you wouldn’t be alone. Research shows that computer science and informa

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Too sexualized to be taken seriously? How sexualization affects judgments about girls accomplishment

May 15, 2019
4 min

Too sexualized to be taken seriously? How sexualization affects judgments about girls accomplishment

By Jenn Chmielewski *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Okay, let me get real with you when it comes to my perspective on how sexualized girls are in the media and advertising. Just a couple weeks ago, I was shopping online trying to find some leggings to keep me warm before spring finally came. As I sat browsing through images of models wearing

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Self-objectification discourages activism: "Objects don't object"

May 8, 2019
5 min

Self-objectification discourages activism: "Objects don't object"

By Christin Bowman *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Here at SPARK, if there’s one thing we all love, it’s activism. We protest and picket and petition for change. We struggle to take sexy back with a fiery passion that burns deep within all of us – a SPARK that ignites us (pun very much intended). Being an activist isn’t always easy. In fact,

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How do bullying and sexual harassment impact girls' feelings about school?

May 2, 2019
4 min

How do bullying and sexual harassment impact girls' feelings about school?

By Kim Belmonte *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement In my high school, boys would sneak up behind girls they found cute and unhook their bras. When this happened to me, I—like all the other girls—shrieked and ran off to re-adjust my bra. I was annoyed, embarrassed and also, a little confused. Even though it made me uncomfortable it was generally

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How do women deal with sexualized work environments?

Apr 11, 2019
5 min

How do women deal with sexualized work environments?

By Christin Bowman *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Women get sexually objectified all over the place. As recent installments of this blog have made clear, music videos and advertisements are prime examples of the sexualization of women in the media. This constant sexualization of girls and women makes me super-skeptical when I hear people arg

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Sexual objectification as everyday trauma

Mar 28, 2019
4 min

Sexual objectification as everyday trauma

By Jenn Chmielewski *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Like many women, I have put up with my share of sexual harassment, subway groping, and just dealing with plain old creepy dudes. This issue is so commonplace (women have been speaking up about it for ages) that the NYC MTA actually announces now that “a crowded subway is no excuse for unlawf

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Mar 20, 2019
5 min

Sexualization in social media profile pictures

By Marisa Ragonese *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Not too long ago, I worked at a drop-in center for LGBT youth in Queens. Every summer we participated in an activist “boot camp” for youth organizations all across NYC. We would plan workshops and lots of other activities for camp during the school year and then trek out to the country for a

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Sexual objectification in romantic relationships is related to lower relationship satisfaction

Mar 7, 2019
3 min

Sexual objectification in romantic relationships is related to lower relationship satisfaction

By Steph Anderson *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Valentine’s Day – that pink, red, and white chocolate-covered day where you have the chance to tell everyone how much you care for them. I have to confess: it was one of my favorite days growing up. The anticipation of carnations, chocolates, or Disney-themed cards from a “secret admirer” (eve

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Dancing and body image: Comparing belly dancers, hip hop dancers and exotic dancers

Feb 28, 2019
5 min

Dancing and body image: Comparing belly dancers, hip hop dancers and exotic dancers

By Christin Bowman *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement When I was a kid, gymnastics was my life. I spent hours and hours at the gym, and I was closer to my teammates than I was to my schoolmates. At school, I wrote all of my book reports and biography assignments about gymnasts, and I spent every recess balancing, swinging, flipping, and dancing.

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What's the link between reading Cosmo and self-sexualization?

Feb 21, 2019
3 min

What's the link between reading Cosmo and self-sexualization?

by Jenn Chmielewski *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Getting guys’ attention can be tough. I’m smart, friendly, and can bring down the house with my rendition of Lady Gaga – yes, I’m a little monster. But if you take a look at magazines and TV these days, you’d think that the only thing guys are after is super-sexy-looking gals who act in supe

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Too much Facebook: Social media use and negative body image for girls

Feb 14, 2019
5 min

Too much Facebook: Social media use and negative body image for girls

by Christin Bowman *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement Confession: Facebook is a big part of my life. I was actually one of the first people to sign up for an account in 2004, and I haven’t looked back since. For a long time, Facebook felt like a warm, cozy living room where my friends and family could meet and stay connected. I would eagerly upl

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Judgments of self-sexualization on Facebook, or, too sexy to be smart

Feb 7, 2019
4 min

Judgments of self-sexualization on Facebook, or, too sexy to be smart

by Jenn Chmielewski *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement It’s that time of year when I start seeing photo after photo on Facebook of people vacationing in awesome (warm) locations. While I am still cold in New York City, I see them lounging on beautiful beaches in bikinis or partying like rock stars in crop tops at Coachella. I will admit, as I si

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Buying into sexism is bad for young women's body image

Jan 31, 2019
6 min

Buying into sexism is bad for young women's body image

By Kim Belmonte *From the SPARK Research! Blog Archive: This blog was originally written for SPARK, a girl-fueled organization working to ignite an anti-racist gender justice movement When I told my mom that I was going to be blogging for a feminist website, she rummaged around her attic and found a box full of 1972 Ms. Magazines – the entire first year of publication. Excited, I browsed through the stack, hoping to find that the articles in the magazine would be outdated, th

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