Examining the unique contribution of body appreciation to heterosexual women's sexual agency. (December 2018) - Grower, Petal
Highlights: Body appreciation was associated with heterosexual women's sexual agency. Body appreciation was uniquely associated with sexual agency beyond self-objectification. Body appreciation may uniquely position women to behave agentically in their sexual encounters. Abstract: Although numerous studies demonstrate links between negative body image and sexual well-being, recent research has emphasized studying the positive aspects of these constructs. The current study built upon this prior research by examining the association between body appreciation and sexual agency among a US community sample of 355 heterosexual women aged 18–40. This study also examined whether body appreciation is uniquely associated with sexual agency above and beyond levels of self-objectification. Regression analyses demonstrated that women who reported greater body appreciation also reported greater condom use self-efficacy, sexual satisfaction, sexual assertiveness, and feelings of entitlement to sexual pleasure, and lower levels of body self-consciousness during intimacy. These findings remained consistent even when self-objectification was entered into the model as a covariate. Results highlight the importance of studying how body appreciation may promote women's sexual agency.