Influences of Self-Objectification and Restrained Eating Behaviors in College Age Women by the Romantic Scripts Found in Modern Women’s Magazines

This study examines the link between romantic scripts and self-objectification. It investigates the influence of romantic scripts on self-objectification and consequently restricted eating. Previous research showed that women were more likely to self-objectify when under a high cognitive load. The sample will be restricted to 120, heterosexual, college age women. To understand the effects of cognitive load and romantic scripts on objectification, four groups will be employed: A. Math test and Romantic Script, B. Math test and neutral script, C. No math test and Romantic Script, and D. No math test and neutral script. The participants will also take a self-objectification survey, conformity to feminine norms inventory, and a participant reliability scale as well as a demographic questionnaire. Results are expected to connect romantic script to self-objectification and consequently, women in group A. will have the highest self-objectification scores, and show the most restricted eating. This research is unique because it is the first to study the romantic script in such a way, and can lead future research efforts to comprehensively understand college age women’s experience in college