(Not) mine to show: Boosting self-determination to reduce body concealment

In a society where sexual objectification is pervasive, women may experience self-objectification as an external motivator for their appearance management, thus experiencing reduced bodily self-determination. We here tackle two specific strategies of appearance management in response to low self-determination, namely body concealment and exposure. In two studies, we investigate the association between bodily self-determination, body concealment, and body exposure. In Study 1 (N = 200), self-determination (assessed as motivation driving self-presentation) was negatively linked to body concealment and positively to body exposure. In particular, extrinsic motivation mediated the link between self-objectification and body concealment/exposure. In Study 2 (N = 173), participants recalled experiencing either intrinsic or extrinsic motivation for self-presentation: when extrinsic motivation was elicited, participants reported greater body concealment and reduced body exposure, a process mediated by negative and positive emotions, respectively. This work highlights the relevance of self-determination in self-objectification processes, and expands the investigation of body concealment and body exposure by identifying a key predictor of these attitudes and behaviors.