Thesis
Perceptions of sexualized and non-sexualized images of women in alcohol advertisements: factors associated with intentions to sexually coerce
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
2015
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102507
Abstract
Objective: Sexual coercion, a form of sexual assault, is defined as a person using verbal or physical means to obtain any sexual activity without freely given consent (Adams-Curtis & Forbes, 2004). Previous research has determined that sexual coercion is associated with gender, gender roles, and exposure to media and the heterosexual scripts in the media. The purpose of this study is to identify additional factors associated with college students' intentions to sexually coerce. The current study tests the influence of forced exposure to images of sexualized or nonsexualized women in magazine alcohol advertisements. Further, the current study examines participants' perceptions of the women in the advertisements and how these interpretations influence intentions to sexually coerce. Method: A web-based experiment was conducted using Qualtrics. The participants (N = 1,234) were randomly placed in one of two conditions. One group was exposed to three alcohol advertisements that portrayed a sexualized woman. The other group was exposed to same alcohol advertisements, but the images were digitally altered to remove the sexualizing content. Participants were asked a series of questions about their perceptions of the people in the advertisements and additional measures. Results: OLS hierarchical regression was used to test all hypotheses. Identifying as a man, adherence to traditional gender roles and heterosexual scripts, and exposure to alcohol advertisements with sexualized images of women were positively associated with intentions to sexually coerce. Participants' perceptions of women in alcohol advertisements were associated with their intentions to sexually coerce such that participants who saw the women in the alcohol advertisements as appealing or sexualized were less likely to report intentions to sexually coerce. There were two significant interaction effects: condition by perceiving women as appealing and condition by perceiving women as sexualized. Conclusions: Intentions to sexually coerce are associated with participants' exposure to sexualized women in alcohol advertisements and participants' perceptions of women in alcohol advertisements as appealing or sexualized. These findings can help researchers understand the complexities behind intentions to sexually coerce and have implications for dating violence prevention programming.
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Details
- Title
- Perceptions of sexualized and non-sexualized images of women in alcohol advertisements
- Creators
- Stephanie Harrington Ebreo
- Contributors
- Stacey J. T. Hust (Degree Supervisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Identifiers
- 99900525025401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis