Athlete or Sex Symbol: What Boys Think of Media Representations of Female Athletes

Little research has investigated males’ reactions to non-objectified media images of women, including those that depict women
in instrumental activities like playing a sport. Using a survey methodology, this study examined U.S. adolescent boys’ open-ended
responses to images of performance athletes, sexualized athletes, and sexualized models. Participants were 104 adolescent
boys from California (ages 12–17, primarily European-American). They remarked on the performance athletes’ physical competence
and focused on the athletic context depicted in the photograph. In contrast, participants focused on the physical appearance
and attractiveness of the sexualized athletes and sexualized models. Overall, findings suggest that performance images of
women evoke instrumental evaluations of women from male viewers, while sexualized images induce objectified appraisals.