Abstract

Most literally, objectification refers to perceiving a person as an object, and consequently, less than fully
human. Research on perceptions of humanness and the stereotype content model suggests that humanness is
linked to perceptions of warmth, morality and competence. Merging these insights with objectification
theory, we hypothesized that focusing on a woman's, but not a man's, appearance should induce
objectification, and thus reduce perceptions of these characteristics. In three studies, females, but not
males, were perceived as less competent (Studies 2 and 3) and less warm and moral (Studies 1, 2 and 3) when
participants were instructed to focus on their appearance. These findings support our position and help rule
out stereotype activation as an alternative explanation to dehumanization. Further, they generalized to
targets of different races, familiarity, physical attractiveness and occupational status. Implications for gender
inequity and the perpetuation of objectification of women are discussed.