This will surprise no one who has experienced street harassment, but it is good to have the evidence and data to support how we feel:
“New research provides evidence that sexual harassment is, in fact, traumatizing for women—especially for those who have experienced sexual abuse. The study, conducted by a team of seven women from theUniversity of Mary Washington Psychology Department, sought to explore the effects of “body surveillance” and “unwanted sexual advances” (translation: uncomfortable stares and harassment). They gathered women of various ethnicities and had each fill out an online survey. Researchers specifically designed the questions to test how women felt about the appearance of their bodies, and to identify feelings of shame.
Subjects were then asked directly about harassment. Did it happen often? What kind (verbal, physical) did they endure? In what must have been the most emotionally draining survey ever, participants were finally asked about their history of sexual abuse.
What did the researchers find? That objectification resulted in, and we quote, “insidious trauma.”
The effects on the psyche, researchers found, are long-term, piling up slowly. Women who experienced frequent sexual harassment displayed signs of trauma and PTSD. Those who had a history with sexual abuse endured a greater degree of trauma, regardless of how often they were harassed. Many women reported body shame—feelings that, not surprisingly, paralleled those who suffer from an eating disorder. The researchers concluded:
“Interpersonal objectification has the potential to have serious negative consequences, and unfortunately, failure to recognize these events may leave women wondering if the discrimination they believe they have experienced is real . . . Women become caught in a Catch-22; if they speak out about how they are treated, they are likely to be labeled as ‘overly sensitive,’ and if they say nothing, they have to live with these experiences without the chance of social support or vindication. The ambiguous and subtle nature of sexual objectification, particularly the experience of body evaluation, can make this experience of discrimination difficult to acknowledge, discuss, and cope with. Gender-based discrimination in the form of interpersonal sexual objectification can have a significant impact on the psychological health of women and, although some may wish to minimize the impact that these events can have, studies such as ours indicate that these are not matters to be taken lightly.”
More to come when I get my hands on the study. H/T Collective Action for Safe Spaces.
