Inversion Effect

A study conducted by Phillipe Bernard (2012) used an approach defined as “the sexualized body inversion” hypothesis, the inversion effect follows the concept that inverted stimuli are more difficult to recognize than upright ones and occurs for person recognition but not object recognition. Based on the idea that sexualized women are perceived similarly to objects, it was hypothesized that an inversion effect would emerge for the recognition of sexualized men, but not women. It was studied that if women are viewed as objects and sexualized men are viewed as persons, then sexualized female bodies will be recognized equally well when inverted as when upright (object-like recognition), whereas sexualized male bodies will be recognized better when upright than when inverted (person-like recognition). This is based upon the fact that people are viewed configurally, whilst objects are percieved analytically, the inversion effect can only occur in person identification and not object. Therefore it becomes difficult to recognize faces and body postures when inverted as opposed to being upright.

Results from the study show that when images were inverted, the inverson effect only applied when participants viewed images of the sexualized male. Therefore indiciating that sexualized men are perceived as persons on a congitive level, whereas women are perceived as objects. Similarly participants in the study had better recognition of the inverted females than that of the males, this perception of sexualized women was manifested by both male and female participants, it supports previous reseearch by Goldenberg, Cooper, Heflick, Routledge & Arndt (2010) in which they found from their study that when focus is placed on the targets appearance, on...

... middle of paper ...

...

Eroticizing men occurs throughthe visual display of aadults when the female remains fully clothed and the man accompanies her fully naked, it sees a contradiction of gender sterotypes, in which the gaze is switched from male to female. However, the question must be asked, how much are we empowring ourselves by oppressing the other? Women are fighting the cause by inflicting the situation on men, therefore objectification occurs not only in women but also in men. As a result of this it is liekly that future generations of boy and girls alike will continue to place emphasis on sexuality as opposed to personal attributes. Soceity will also continue to percieve both sexes based on their attractiveness and sexual assets, in which does not promote the end to objectification in women but rather seems to have spread the mentality of sexual degrading to btoh men and women.