Jennifer L Stevens Aubrey

Interests

Research

Media effects and the individual, specifically the impact of the media on adolescents’ sexual socialization and health, perceptions of romance, body image, and gender-role attitudes.

Teaching

Media literacy, media effects, mass communication theory, children and the media, and quantitative research methods.

Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Chapters

• Aubrey, J., Yan, K., & Gahler, H. (2023). Digital technologies and adolescents’ body image. In Encyclopedia of Child and Adolescent Health. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-818872-9.00156-4
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  For teens today, the time they spend with digital technologies represents more than a 40-h work week. In light of the prominent role that technologies take in their lives, this chapter is a review of research on the role of digital technologies in shaping adolescents’ body image. Grounded in sociocultural and social comparison theories, we review evidence on social media, selfies, image retouching, fitspiration, and body-related online forums. We also highlight an important future direction in this research literature: the examination of how digital technologies shape and sustain positive body image. Also, in this review, we foreground the developmental considerations of the adolescent audience and the affordances of digital technologies, ultimately providing a conceptual map of the research by examining the intersections between developmental considerations and technological affordances.
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., Dajches, L., & Terán, L. (2021). Media as a source of sexual socialization for emerging adults: A review of evidence from content analyses and effects studies of TV/films, music/music videos, and pornography.. In Sexuality in Emerging Adulthood(pp pp. 312–332). Oxford University Press.
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Roberts, L. (2020). Effects of media use on development of gender role beliefs (includes responses to counter-stereotypical depictions).. In The International Encyclopedia of Media Psychology. J. Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119011071.iemp0081
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Yan, K. (2020). Gender-based media stereotypes and their effects on audiences: The more gender changes, the more media representation stays the same. In Media Stereotypes: From Ageism to Xenophobia(pp 73-92). Peter Lang.
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Roberts, L. (2019). The dark-side gateway of self-objectification: Examining the media’s role in the development of body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. In Dark Side of Media and Technology(pp 85-105). New York, NY: Peter Lang. doi:https://doi.org/10.3726/b14959
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Terán, L. (2019). Be Your Selfie!: Examining the links between selfie posting, editing, and investment on trait self-objectification and negative body emotions. In Race/Gender/Class/Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content, and Producers. Boston, MA: Pearson.
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Gamble, H. (2017). Media influence on sexuality and sexual health. In International Encyclopedia of Media Effects. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Gamble, H. (2014). Sex, romance, and media: Taking stock of two research literatures. In Media and Social Life(pp 121-141). New York: Routledge.

Journals/Publications

• Aubrey, J., Gahler, H., Daniels, E., Choi, H., & Speno, A. (2024). Examining Relations Between Sexualizing Media Exposure and Sexting Attitudes and Behaviors among U.S. Adolescents. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 53(10). doi:10.1007/s10508-024-02984-5
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  Based on social cognitive processes (Bandura, 2009), sexualizing media likely provide adolescents with credible role models for their own sexualized self-presentation in other mediated contexts, such as sexting. A survey of 6,093 US adolescents was conducted (Mage = 15.27 years, SD = 1.37; 69.1% cisgender girls; 26.8% cisgender boys, 4.2% gender-minority participants) to examine relations between three types of sexualizing media exposure (reality television, music videos, pornography) and active sexting behaviors (i.e., requesting and sending). Among cisgender boys, exposure to sexually oriented reality television was positively related to active sexting behaviors, but this link was not found for cisgender girls or gender-minority participants. Music video exposure was related to active sexting behaviors only among cisgender boys and pornography consumption was positively related to active sexting behaviors among all gender groups. A positive outcome expectancy (i.e., sexting is fun) consistently mediated these relations. A negative outcome expectancy (i.e., sexting is risky) only mediated the relations between pornography consumption and active sexting behaviors among cisgender girls. Results are discussed in light of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 2009) and the 3AM Model (Wright, 2011).
• Aubrey, J., Zeng, J., Saha, K., Gahler, H., & Dajches, L. (2024). The body positive… or the body neutral? A content analysis of body positivity and body neutrality hashtagged videos on TikTok. Body Image, 50. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101737
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  The goal of the present study was to examine how body positivity and body neutrality are presented on TikTok. Based on a grounded-theory analysis, body-positivity themes included Broadly Conceptualizing Beauty (i.e., diversity in appearance types is beautiful), Body Acceptance and Love (i.e., love for and comfort in one's body), and Critiquing Standards (i.e., rejecting strict appearance standards). Body-neutrality themes included Size Inclusivity (i.e., people's activities/preferences should be based on body size), Adaptive Self-Investment (i.e., self care focused on health), Body Appreciation (i.e., respect for what one's body can do), and No Judgment (i.e., a person's worth should not be based on appearance). Further, based on a content analysis of 394 TikTok vidoes that were hashtagged with body positivity and/or body neutrality terms, at least one body-positivity theme occurred in 35.3% (n = 141) of videos, and at least one body neutrality theme occurred in 45.0% (n = 180) of videos. Body Acceptance and Love was the most common body-positivity theme, and Size Inclusivity was the most common body-neutrality theme. Understanding how TikTok videos present body positivity and neutrality is essential to further theorizing about how they might affect social media users.
• Belmonte, A., Hopper, K., & Aubrey, J. (2024). Instagram Use and Endorsement of a Voluptuous Body Ideal: A Serial Mediation Model. Sex Roles, 90(2). doi:10.1007/s11199-024-01442-9
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  Most studies on the effects of social media on young women’s ideal body image and self-perceptions are focused on the exposure to thinness and/or fitness portrayals that emphasize the thin ideal. However, today’s digital content exhibits the ideal female body as a hybrid of physical characteristics such as an hourglass figure consisting of full breasts, thin waists, and large buttocks of well-known celebrities (or influencers) on social media and specifically on the social media platform, Instagram. A fusion of attributes from Kim Kardashian, Scarlet Johansson, and other curvy celebrities reflects the “ideal body” that is voluptuous rather than thin all over. Like the ultra thin ideal, this voluptuous ideal body represents a physical figure that is impossible to achieve for most women. Based on sociocultural theory Thompson et al. (1999) and social comparison theory Festinger (1954), the present study surveyed 189 emerging adult women’s use of Instagram and employed a three-stage serial mediational model of Instagram use and endorsement of the voluptuous body ideal. Results found intensity of Instagram use to be linked to viewing Instagram as a source of information and pressure, which was then linked to participants making more appearance-related comparisons and greater endorsement of a voluptuous body type as ideal. Our study indicates the thin ideal is not the only harmful and influential pressure on women’s body image and supports our argument that the influence of the voluptuous body types should not be overlooked by researchers as well as therapists, counselors, and educators.
• Dajches, L., Gahler, H., Yan, K., Zeng, J., Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2024). “I Made You Look”… and Comment: Exploring the Role of TikTok on Body Image and Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery. Psychology of Popular Media. doi:10.1037/ppm0000566
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  In light of extant research demonstrating that social media influences young women’s body image ideals, the present research examines whether these findings extend to TikTok. Three types of appearance-related engagement on TikTok (i.e., leaving appearance-related comments on others’ TikTok videos, following health/fitness TikTok accounts, and following celebrity TikTok accounts) were investigated as correlates of young women’s body image and acceptance of cosmetic surgery. Based on a survey of 424 young adult women, leaving appearance-related comments on others’ TikTok videos and following health/fitness TikTok accounts were related to the acceptance of cosmetic surgery. Moreover, body dissatisfaction mediated the link between following celebrity TikTok accounts and acceptance of cosmetic surgery.
• Daniels, E., Dajches, L., Gahler, H., Choi, H., Speno, A., Stevens Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2024). The Sexual Landscape of Youth: How Adolescents From the U.S. Make Sense of Sexting. Journal of Adolescent Research. doi:10.1177/07435584241231448
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  The present study examined the role of sexting in adolescents’ peer environment and romantic relationships with attention to gender patterns. Thirty adolescent girls and boys (ages 16 or 17) of varying racial/ethnic background residing in Los Angeles or Phoenix participated in in-depth interviews about their experiences and attitudes toward sexting. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interview data. In total, we identified 5 main themes and 15 subthemes. Participants reported that sexting is normal in their peer groups (Main theme #1 Everyone’s Doing It) and that sexting occurs within a cultural milieu of the sexual double standard (Main theme #2 Sexual Double Standard). They described sexting as a part of expressing romantic interest in someone and playing a role in defining and furthering romantic relationships (Main theme #3 Romantic Relationships). Participants also identified social (Main theme #4 Social Consequences) as well as psychological and long-term consequences of sexting (Main theme #5 Psychological or Long-Term Consequences). Findings of this study have implications for educational interventions.
• Roberts, L., Dajches, L., & Stevens Aubrey, J. (2024). Total Frat Moves: Assessing Enactments of Masculinity on Fraternity Instagram Accounts. Communication Reports, 37(2). doi:10.1080/08934215.2024.2311912
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  Society has expectations that dictate “acceptable” gender portrayals for men and women. Societal expectations are often produced and reinforced by the media. Using content analytic methods, the present study examined masculinity as gender performance among fraternity Instagram pages. A total of 393 Instagram posts were analyzed across five dimensions of masculinity. Our results indicated that more than two-thirds of the posts had at least one dimension of hegemonic masculinity. Furthermore, there were dimensions of hegemonic masculinity that occurred more frequently than other dimensions. Additionally, there were significant differences between the number of the likes received for posts with specific indicators of masculinity. Future research and theoretical implications regarding these dimensions of masculinity are discussed.
• Schooler, D., & Aubrey, J. (2024). Objectification and the Candidate: Examining the Effects of Objectification Paired with Candidate Coverage on Candidate Evaluations and Gender Bias. Western Journal of Communication, 88(2). doi:10.1080/10570314.2023.2176193
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  In an experiment conducted during the 2016 presidential primary season, participants viewed an article about a speech attributed to either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. Men who read the Clinton article alongside an ad featuring an objectified woman (deemed paired objectification) rated Clinton as significantly less competent than when the article was accompanied by a neutral ad. No effect of paired objectification was found among women nor among participants who read the Sanders article. These results support existing calls to reduce media sexual objectification of women, highlighting its potential role in the underrepresentation of women in politics.
• Aubrey, J., Dajches, L., Gahler, H., Yan, K., & Terán, L. (2023). Is Sexual Consent Sexy?: Investigating the Effects of a Televised Depiction of Verbal Sexual Consent on College Students’ Sexual Consent Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions. Health Communication, 38(12). doi:10.1080/10410236.2022.2087264
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  Although depictions of sexual consent are rare in the media, such portrayals have the potential to instruct young people on the procedural details of sexual consent. Taking an entertainment-education (E-E) perspective, we examined the effects of a televised depiction of sexual consent that contained verbal sexual consent, versus a televised depiction that only included nonverbal sexual consent, versus a no-exposure control group to test for changes in college students’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward sexual consent. In the pretest-posttest experimental design, those who were assigned to the nonverbal video condition reported less favorable attitudes about sexual consent between pretest and posttest. Additionally, interpersonal liking was an important facilitator of the E-E impact of the verbal sexual consent condition; the more the participants liked the characters in the verbal condition, the more positively about sexual consent they felt and the more likely they were to plan to engage in sexual consent. Narrative engagement did not mediate the effects of experimental condition on sexual consent attitudes and behavioral intentions. The implications for E-E are discussed.
• Gahler, H., Aubrey, J., Yan, K., & Terán, L. (2023). #Grab, #Touch, #Drink: A Content Analysis of College Party Culture in Instagram Fraternity Pictures. Psychology of Popular Media, 13(3). doi:10.1037/ppm0000468
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  The purpose of this study was to understand how elements of the “party culture” (i.e., grabbing, touching, alcohol, inebriation, and risk-taking) are represented in Instagram fraternity pictures, as well as which photos are the most “liked.” Our sample included 600 Instagram pictures that tagged fraternities. Grabbing, defined as forceful touching a person’s body parts with obvious pressure from the hands, occurred in one out of every four pictures, whereas touching occurred in one out of five. Also, 11.7% of pictures contained inebriation cues, 17.0% contained alcohol presence, and 6.3% contained risk-taking. Photos containing depictions of inebriation were significantly less likely to be “liked.” Findings are discussed in light of a scriptsbased theory approach, suggesting that such social media depictions of Greek Life members could serve two purposes: (a) they reinforce to other Greek life members how to apply the party scripts they have acquired elsewhere (e.g., personal experience, the media), and (b) they could provide non-Greek life members the party scripts that might be activated and applied in similar contexts.
• Gahler, H., Dajches, L., Yan, K., Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2023). Instagram influences: An examination of the tripartite influence model of body image among a racially diverse sample of young-adult women. Computers in Human Behavior, 145. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2023.107785
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  A burgeoning research literature documenting the effects of social media, such as Instagram, on women's body image outcomes has thus far examined mostly White samples. Because body image ideals are often situated within racialized appearance expectations, it is important to examine the role of race in the links between social media use and body image. In the present study, we tested (1) the associations between Instagram use and self-image activity (i.e., activities that reflect a preoccupation with how the self is presented on Instagram), and body image outcomes, and (2) the mediating effect of social media internalization of appearance ideals in these links, and (3) we compared these links between four racial identity groups. Our sample included U.S. women who identified as Asian-American (n = 97), Black (n = 101), Latina (n = 98), or White (n = 237). Results suggest that social media internalization of appearance ideals mediated the relations between Instagram use (for Asian-American and Black participants) and self-image activity (for Latina and White participants) and body image outcomes. Social media internalization of appearance ideals also was associated with a desire to be thinner among Asian-American participants, and it was associated with a desire to be curvier among Black participants.
• Gahler, H., Zeng, J., Yan, K., Dajches, L., Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2023). Birds of a feather flocking together on Instagram: How racially similar followers and followings on Instagram are linked to young women's body image. Body Image, 47. doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.101626
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  In light of recent studies demonstrating the detrimental effects of social media use on young women's body image, we examined the racial composition of young women's Instagram followers, as well as the racial composition of the individuals in young women's followed Instagram accounts, in relation to their appearance ideals and body image. Based on social identity theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), we tested two main propositions. First, women who have racially similar followers and followed accounts will be more likely to internalize body ideal preferences that are relevant to their in-group (i.e., thinness for Asian-American and White women; curviness for Black and Latina women). Second, following and being followed by people of one's racial identity in-group will have ameliorative effects on young women's body image (i.e., more body appreciation; less body dissatisfaction). Our sample included 533 U.S. women who identified as Asian-American (n = 97), Black (n = 101), Latina (n = 98), or White (n = 237). The results provided more support for the notion that racially similar followers and accounts followed are related to better body image outcomes rather than to the internalization of body ideals. Specifically, following a higher percentage of racially similar accounts was positively associated with body appreciation among Asian-American and White participants and negatively associated with body dissatisfaction among Asian-American participants. Likewise, being followed by a higher percentage of racially similar others was positively associated with body appreciation among Asian-American, Black, and White participants, and negatively associated with body dissatisfaction among Latina participants. The findings are discussed in light of social identity theory.
• Stevens Aubrey, J., Miller, B., Bond, B., & Roberts, L. (2023). The Lessons Will Be Televised: Examining Television Portrayals of Sexual Consequences by Gender. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 100(1). doi:10.1177/10776990211073953
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  This study examined the sexual double standard in the portrayal of sexual consequences on television. A content analysis of television programs nominated for Teen Choice Awards from 2012 to 2015 revealed that female characters received more negative sexual consequences than male characters, but there was no gender difference in who received positive sexual consequences. The gendered distribution of negative sexual consequences was qualified by age of the casts in the television programs. Negative sexual consequences were significantly more likely to be experienced by female characters than male characters within shows that primarily featured teens, thus reinforcing a discourse of sexual risk and danger for teen girls.
• Dajches, L., & Aubrey, J. (2022). Queer folklore: Examining the Influence of Fandom on Sexual Identity Development and Fluidity Acceptance Among Taylor Swift Fans. Psychology of Popular Media, 12(3). doi:10.1037/ppm0000408
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  The present study fills a gap in the media entertainment and fan studies literatures with an exploration of media fandom in relation to fans’ sexual identity acceptance. Using a sample of Taylor Swift fans who identify as women (N = 771), we address how fans’ motivations, practices, and oppositional readings of Taylor Swift’s 2020 album, folklore, are related to their sexual identity development as well as their acceptance of fluidity in others’ sexual orientations. Results indicated that eudaimonic motivations to listen to folklore predicted bisexual, demisexual, and pansexual fans’ acceptance of others' sexual orientation fluidity. Further, we examined fans’ “queer shipping,” which occurs when fans imagine two same-gender media persons/characters to be in a romantic relationship. Queer shipping was positively related to fans’ sexual orientation fluiditiy acceptance, mainly through their oppositional reading of the album. Overall, our results differed by sexual identity group, with fan practices being consistently more predictive of sexual orientation fluidity acceptance among heterosexual women.
• Jiao, J., Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2022). Buffering an Objectifying Culture: Interpersonal Sexual Objectification, Self-Objectification, and Attachment Anxiety. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 46(4). doi:10.1177/03616843221115335
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  In this article, we report two studies that examined the dynamics between interpersonal sexual objectification, self-objectification, and individuals’ attachment in romantic relationships. Study 1 was based on data from 392 college students (Mage = 21.42 years, 66.8% women). Results showed positive associations between interpersonal sexual objectification, self-objectification, attachment anxiety, and attachment avoidance among women. For men, significant and positive associations were only observed between interpersonal sexual objectification and self-objectification and between self-objectification and attachment anxiety. Study 2 was a 6-month longitudinal study where we recruited participants through CloudResearch (n = 638, Mage = 24.26 years, 55.8% women at Time 1; n = 283, Mage = 24.43 years, 56.9% women at Time 2; return rate = 44.36%). Results from longitudinal analyses showed that women reported stronger stability in self-objectification than men, and for both women and men, their attachment anxiety predicted increased self-objectification. Additionally, in both studies, women reported higher levels of interpersonal sexual objectification, self-objectification, and attachment anxiety than men. Overall, the findings suggest that high-quality relationships may help buffer the negative effects engendered by an objectifying culture. Based on our results, we recommend that clinicians and parents work to foster secure and healthy relationships as a means of reducing the extensive negative repercussions of objectification.
• Lapierre, M., & Aubrey, J. (2022). Resisting Privilege: Effects of a White Privilege Message Intervention and Conservative Media Use on Freedom Threat and Racial Attitudes. Mass Communication and Society, 25(3). doi:10.1080/15205436.2021.1996610
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  Identifying ways to effectively communicate about racial/ethnic disparities is a place where communication scholars can make vital contributions. Yet, existing studies on this subject are scarce. Borrowing from reactance theory and the 3D model of White identity management, the present study tested whether exposing White adults to White privilege messaging helps them to become more aware or deny racial privilege. The results of our experiment revealed that there was a main effect for reading about racial privilege and increased awareness of privilege. However, in keeping with reactance theory, if the message stoked a perceived threat to freedom, message exposure resulted in the denial of both blatant and institutional racism. We also found a moderating role for Fox News viewing such that awareness of racial privilege was not affected by the intervention for heavy Fox News viewers, but it was for low Fox News viewers. We conclude that messages focused on explaining White privilege are promising, but there are risks.
• Lapierre, M., Ashtaputre, A., & Stevens Aubrey, J. (2022). Boys Go, Girls Go Along: exploring gender and price differences regarding themes present on children’s graphic t-shirts. Young Consumers, 23(3). doi:10.1108/YC-07-2021-1353
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  Purpose: Using gender schema theory, this study aims to explore how children’s graphic t-shirts from clothing retailers in the USA differed on gendered themes for graphic t-shirts targeting boys or girls, in addition to differences for shirts that were higher in cost. Design/methodology/approach: This content analysis of children’s t-shirts included 866 child-targeted shirts taken from the online retail portals from 11 clothing retailers in the USA. Shirts were coded for gendered themes on the front torso part of the shirt and included traditional boy themes (e.g. aggression, instrumentality) and girl themes (e.g. compassion, passivity). In addition, the retail prices for each shirt were recorded at the time of data collection. Findings: The results demonstrated that children’s graphic t-shirts starkly differentiate between femininity and masculinity based on their target. Boys’ shirts were significantly more likely to feature active themes, whereas girls’ shirts were more likely to focus on social belonging and interpersonal connection. Boys’ shirts were also more likely to display themes linked to dominance/aggression but not compassion. Girls’ shirts were more likely to tout both shyness and attention seeking. Finally, results generally showed that higher priced t-shirts were less likely to feature gender stereotypes than lower-priced t-shirts. Originality/value: To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known study that has looked at the marketing of children’s clothes in retail environments with a specific focus on gender and gender stereotyping.
• Roberts, L., Yan, K., Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2022). Are We Past the Heterosexual Script? A Content Analysis of Contextual Cues Within the Heterosexual Script in Tween, Teen, and Young Adult Television Programs. Mass Communication and Society, 25(3). doi:10.1080/15205436.2021.1962912
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  In light of recent research establishing the prevalence of the heterosexual script on television (Aubrey et al., 2020; Kim et al., 2007), the present study investigated the context of the heterosexual script in 182 episodes of tween, teen, and young adult television programs. The following scripts were assessed: sex as masculinity (masculinity is achieved through sexuality), good girls (women are sexual gatekeepers), male commitment (men avoid commitment), and female commitment (women seek commitment). Results revealed that depictions of the heterosexual script varied with sexual behavior, sexual talk, and the composition of gender in conversation dyads but not with the gender of sexual initiators. Sex as masculinity was most likely to occur with intimate touching, talk about sexual interests, and mostly discussed within female-female dyads. The good girls script was most likely to occur with instances of intimate touching and talk about sexual advice, whereas male commitment was most likely to occur in portrayals of intercourse and talk about sexual experiences. Lastly, female commitment was most likely to occur in talk toward sex and in male-male dyads.
• Yan, K., Gahler, H., Salmon, J., Dajches, L., Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2022). The Costs of Sexualization: Examining Viewers’ Perceptions of Sexualized Profile Owners in Online Dating. Psychology of Popular Media, 12(1). doi:10.1037/ppm0000391
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  Previous research has documented the social costs of sexualized Facebook profiles (Daniels, 2016, 2020; Daniels & Zurbriggen, 2016), yet little is known whether such effects exist in a critically important venue for relationship formation: online dating. Using the stereotype content model, this online experiment examined whether sexualized dating profiles, versus nonsexualized dating profiles, incur social costs (e.g., being rated low on competence, warmth, humanity, liking, social attractiveness, romantic attractiveness, and likelihood of experiencing sexual cyber dating abuse). A total of 262 heterosexual undergraduates (166 women and 96 men) participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to evaluate 2 sexualized or nonsexualized online dating candidates of the opposite sex. Results indicated that sexualized profile owners were evaluated lower on competence, liking, social attractiveness, were perceived to be at a heightened likelihood of experiencing sexual cyber dating abuse, and were considered less likely to seek long-term relationships than their nonsexualized counterparts. Some interaction effects between target gender and sexualization were also observed and discussed.
• Yan, K., Salmon, J., & Aubrey, J. (2022). A Sexy Post a Day Brings the “Likes” Your Way: A Content Analytic Investigation of Sexualization in Fraternity Instagram Posts. Sexuality and Culture, 26(2). doi:10.1007/s12119-021-09915-9
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  Fraternities and sororities are popular organizations within university life. Even though their activities are usually secretive and protected, social media offer a chance for the public to understand these groups. In the present study, we investigated how sexualization is communicated on fraternities’ location pages on Instagram. Applying a multi-dimensional coding scheme composed of 12 sexualization variables, we analyzed 600 Greek life posts from 49 fraternities. Among the posts, we found (a) body shots, (b) revealing clothing, (c) sexualized mouths, and (d) breasts/chests to be the most frequently used sexualization cues. In addition, there was a positive association between the number of sexualization cues in a post and the number of likes the post received. The results also point to gender differences: fraternity posts portraying only women included a greater number of sexualization cues, on average, than posts showing only men or mixed genders. Also, gender of individuals in the pictures moderated the relationships between sexualized mouths/buttocks and likes. Implications for gender inequality and risks of sexualization are discussed.
• Aubrey, J. S., Yan, K., Terán, L., & Roberts, L. (2020). The Heterosexual Script on Tween, Teen, and Young-Adult Television Programs: A Content Analytic Update and Extension. Journal of Sex Research, 57(9), 1134-1145. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2019.1699895
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  In a well-cited 2007 paper in , Kim and colleagues proposed and documented a heterosexual script on primetime television. In the present study, we provide a 15-year update on the portrayal of the heterosexual script, and we further examine how it relates to three contextual variables: target age of the audience, age of the characters, and relational context of the script. Drawing from a 2016 sample of television programs that featured tween, teen, or young-adult characters, we documented three complementary sexual scripts: the sexual double standard (sexuality is equated with masculinity, women's virtue is tied to their sexuality), commitment (men avoid commitment, women seek it), and homophobia (men must avoid homosexuality, female homosexuality is voyeuristically appealing to men). Like the Kim et al. study, the dominant heterosexual script was sex as masculinity; this script was equally represented in tween, teen, and young-adult shows. The second most common script was that men prioritize sex over commitment, followed by the notion that women's virtue is tied to their sexuality. The commitment scripts were most often invoked by young-adult and adult characters, while the sexual double standard scripts were more pronounced in hookups than in committed relationships.
• Dajches, L., Yan, K., Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2021). Not Another Teen Show: Exploring the Impact of Sexual Scripts in Sexually Oriented Teenage Television on Adolescent Girls’ Romantic Relationship and Sexual Expectations. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 65(4). doi:10.1080/08838151.2021.1981903
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  Television narratives present conflicting information regarding heterosexual, adolescent sexuality. In response to this, the present study examined the associations between adolescent girls’ (N = 419, Mage = 16.37, SD = 1.36) sexually oriented television viewing and their expectations in romantic and sexual relationships in two related domains. Results showed that sexually oriented teen television viewing was positively associated with adolescent girls’ endorsement of the sexual double standard in relationships and earlier expectations about the timing of sexual activities in relationships. This relationship did not differ by levels of perceived television realism, and remained even after controlling for covariates.
• Jiao, J., Aubrey, J., & Terán, L. (2021). The Relational Burden of Objectification: Exploring How Past Experiences of Interpersonal Sexual Objectification Are Related to Relationship Competencies. Sex Roles, 84(9-10). doi:10.1007/s11199-020-01188-0
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  The present study examines the associations between past experiences of interpersonal sexual objectification (ISO) on relationship initiation, social withdrawal, and positive relationships (which we refer to as relationship competencies). Consistent with objectification theory, we predicted that ISO would be associated with self-objectification, which would then be associated with body shame, appearance anxiety, and stress. In turn, these negative affect variables would be negatively associated with relationship competencies. Data were collected from 392 U.S. college students (M = 21.42 years, SD = 4.03; 32.9% male, 66.8% female). Results show that men and women’s ISO was consistently associated with self-objectification, which was associated with negative affect; direct effects revealed that men’s and women’s ISO was positively associated with relationship initiation. For women, self-objectification, appearance anxiety, and stress serially mediated the associations between ISO and all relationship competencies. For men, self-objectification and appearance anxiety serially mediated the associations between ISO and relationship initiation and social withdrawal whereas self-objectification and stress serially mediated the associations between ISO and social withdrawal and positive relationships. For both women and men, evidence did not support body shame being a link in the serial mediation from ISO to relationship competencies. Results are unpacked illustrating the relational burden of objectification.
• Roberts, L., Stevens Aubrey, J., Dajches, L., Ward, L., & Terán, L. (2021). The super man: Examining associations between childhood superhero imaginative play and wishful identification and emerging adult men’s body image and gender beliefs.. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 22(2). doi:10.1037/men0000335
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  Despite the prominence of superheroes in the current cultural landscape, there is little research on the influences of these characters on boys’ and men’s notions of masculinity. In the current study, we examined the associations between emerging adult men’s recollections of superhero imaginative play and superhero wishful identification during childhood and their consequent body image and gender beliefs in young adulthood. Based on a sample of 616 undergraduate men (Mage = 19.16, SD = 1.18) from two universities, the results indicated that childhood superhero wishful identification was a predictor of both body image outcomes (the internalization of media ideals for male appearance standards and self-worth based on physical appearance) and endorsement of traditional masculine norms. Although superhero imaginative play was not a consistent predictor of body image or gender beliefs, counter to our predictions, this variable was negatively related to traditional masculinity norms. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Public Significance Statement—The present research suggests that idolizing superheroes during early childhood was associated with more traditional beliefs about masculinity and stricter, media-based ideals of attractiveness, but imaginative play was related to less traditional beliefs about masculinity. Based on this research, parents, caregivers, and educators might encourage children to engage imaginatively with superheroes, but they might also need to intervene to temper idolization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)
• Aubrey, J. S., Pitts, M. J., Lutovsky, B. R., Jiao, J., Yan, K., & Stanley, S. J. (2020). Investigating Disparities by Sex and LGBTQ Identity: A Content Analysis of Sexual Health Information on College Student Health Center Websites. Journal of Health Communication, 25(7), 584-593.
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  Student Health Centers (SHCs) are important resources on U.S. college campuses. In light of recent calls for creating more opportunities for health care services to young men and sexual/gender minorities, this content analytic study evaluated how sexual health information and resources are communicated on SHC websites. Utilizing a stratified random sample of 400 U.S. colleges/universities, we assessed how often sexual health is explicitly labeled for particular groups, the types of sexual health topics on SHC websites, the depth of sexual health information, and the sexual health resources offered on SHC websites. Our findings revealed that women's health webpages far outnumbered men's health webpages, sexual health topics were more common on women's health webpages, and sexual health topics were covered at greater depth on women's health webpages compared to men's health webpages. Similar disparities were found for sexual/gender minorities. General sexual health webpages on SHC websites addressed significantly more sexual health topics in greater depth and offered more sexual health resources than LGBTQ health webpages. The practical implications for college student health and potential health disparities are discussed.
• Aubrey, J. S., Speno, A. G., & Gamble, H. (2020). Appearance Framing versus Health Framing of Health Advice: Assessing the Effects of a YouTube Channel for Adolescent Girls. Health Communication, 35(3), 384-394.
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  The present experimental study tested the effects of appearance framing of health advice on adolescent girls' state self-objectification, appearance anxiety, and preference for appearance-enhancing products. The stimuli consisted of informative YouTube-style videos about doing yoga, drinking water, or using sunscreen, and these videos were either appearance-framed (experimental condition) or health-framed (control condition). In total, 154 adolescent girls ( = 15.67,  = 1.07) participated in the experiment. The effect of appearance-framed videos on state self-objectification scores was moderated by age, such that the effect of viewing the appearance-framed videos positively predicted state self-objectification among the younger adolescents. In addition, self-objectification mediated the effect of condition on appearance anxiety and on their appearance-enhancing product preferences, again with the predicted effects supported for the younger adolescents in the sample.
• Dajches, L., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2020). Defining the relationship: An examination of sexual behaviors and relational contexts across tween, teen, and young adult U.S. television. Communication Reports, 23(2), 136-147. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/08934215.2020.1803389
• Rousseau, A., Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Eggermont, S. (2020). The impact of sports magazine consumption on mesomorphic body standards and self-sexualizing behaviors: A panel study of preadolescent boys.. Men and Masculinities, 23(2), 368-394. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/1097184X18767224
• Teran, L., Jiao, J., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2020). The relational burden of objectification: Exploring the roles of interpersonal sexual objectification and self-objectification on relationship competence. Sex Roles, 343-360. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2019.1697319
• Terán, L., Yan, K., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2020). “But first let me take a selfie”: U.S. adolescent girls’ selfie activities, self-objectification, imaginary audience beliefs, and appearance concerns.. Journal of Children and Media, 14(3), 343-360. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/17482798.2019.1697319
• Aubrey, J. S., Gamble, H., & Speno, A. G. (2019). Appearance Framing versus Health Framing of Health Advice: Assessing the Effects of a YouTube Channel for Adolescent Girls. Health Communication, 35(3), 384-394. doi:10.1080/10410236.2018.1564955
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  The present experimental study tested the effects of appearance framing of health advice on adolescent girls’ state self-objectification, appearance anxiety, and preference for appearance-enhancing products. The stimuli consisted of informative YouTube-style videos about doing yoga, drinking water, or using sunscreen, and these videos were either appearance-framed (experimental condition) or health-framed (control condition). In total, 154 adolescent girls (Mage = 15.67, SD = 1.07) participated in the experiment. The effect of appearance-framed videos on state self-objectification scores was moderated by age, such that the effect of viewing the appearance-framed videos positively predicted state self-objectification among the younger adolescents. In addition, self-objectification mediated the effect of condition on appearance anxiety and on their appearance-enhancing product preferences, again with the predicted effects supported for the younger adolescents in the sample.
• Aubrey, J. S., Roberts, L., Terán, L., & Yan, K. (2019). The Heterosexual Script on Tween, Teen, and Young-Adult Television Programs: A Content Analytic Update and Extension. The Journal of Sex Research, 57(9), 1134-1145. doi:10.1080/00224499.2019.1699895
• Aubrey, J. S., Terán, L., & Yan, K. (2019). “But first let me take a selfie”: U.S. adolescent girls’ selfie activities, self-objectification, imaginary audience beliefs, and appearance concerns. Journal of Children and Media, 14(3), 343-360. doi:10.1080/17482798.2019.1697319
• Bond, B. J., Miller, B., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2019). Sexual references and consequences for heterosexual, lesbian, gay, and bisexual characters on television: A comparison content analysis.. Mass Communication and Society, 22, 72-95. doi:doi: 10.1080/15205436.2018.1489058
• Stanley, S. J., Yan, K., Jiao, J., Lutovsky, B., Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Pitts, M. J. (2019). Communicating about sex when it matters: A content analytic investigation of sexual health information on college student health center websites.. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 47, 591-610. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/00909882.2019.1675895
• Aubrey, J. S., & Speno, A. G. (2018). Adolescent Sexting: The Roles of Self-Objectification and Internalization of Media Ideals. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 43(1), 88-104. doi:10.1177/0361684318809383
• Aubrey, J. S., Bond, B. J., & Miller, B. (2018). Sexual References and Consequences for Heterosexual, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Characters on Television: A Comparison Content Analysis. Mass Communication and Society, 22(1), 72-95. doi:10.1080/15205436.2018.1489058
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  A content analysis was conducted to examine sexual references and consequences among lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), and heterosexual characters on television. The sample was composed of programs portraying an LGB lead or reoccurring character. Results showed that heterosexual and LGB characters engaged in sexual talk and behavior in similar contexts. When discussing LGB sexualities, however, heterosexual characters were disproportionately likely to make jokes; LGB characters were disproportionately likely to discuss coming out. LGB characters depicted in sexual references were more likely to be in dialogue with a heterosexual character than another LGB character. Sexual consequences were more common for heterosexual characters than LGB characters. No gender differences existed in frequency of sexual references or consequences among LGB characters, evidence that the sexual double standard found in previous research may not apply to LGB characters. Results are discussed in terms of potential effects of exposure.
• Eggermont, S., Rousseau, A., & Stevens Aubrey, J. (2018). The Impact of Sports Magazine Consumption on Mesomorphic Body Standards and Self-sexualizing Behaviors: A Panel Study of Preadolescent Boys. Men and Masculinities, 23(2), 368-394. doi:10.1177/1097184x18767224
• Gerding Speno, A., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2019). Adolescent sexting: An examination of the roles of self-objectification and internalization of media ideals. Psychology of Women Quartlery, 43(1), 88-104. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0361684318809383
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• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., Click, M., & Behm-Morawitz, E. (2018). The Twilight of youth: Understanding feminism and romance in Twilight Moms’ connection to the young-adult vampire series. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 7(1), 61-71. doi:10.1037/ppm0000127
• Aubrey, J. S., Behm-Morawitz, E., Kim, K. B., & Pennell, H. (2017). Examining the Effects of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant on Adolescent Girls’ Sexual Health: The Implications of Character Affinity, Pregnancy Risk Factors, and Health Literacy on Message Effectiveness. Health Communication, 34(2), 180-190. doi:10.1080/10410236.2017.1399506
• Behm-Morawitz, E., Stevens Aubrey, J. L., Pennell, H., & Kim, K. (2019). Examining the effects of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant on adolescent girls’ sexual health: The implications of media affinity, pregnancy risk factors, and health literacy on message effectiveness. Health Communication, 34, 180-190. doi:10.1080/10410236.2017
• Hahn, R., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2018). The tween television diet: A content analysis of tween program food references. Journal of Children and Media, 12, 175-191. doi:10.1080/17482798.2017.1405830
• Mbure, W., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2017). A transnational analysis of skin tone ideals in cosmetic advertisements in women’s lifestyle magazines.. Howard Journal of Communications, 28(4), 339-355. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2017.1300964
• Speno, A. G., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2017). Sexualization and age compression: A content analysis of adultification and youthification of girls and women in magazines. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, ONLINE FIRST. doi:10.1177/1077699017728918
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Hahn, R. (2016). Health versus appearance versus body competence: A content analysis investigating frames of health advice in women’s health magazines. Journal of Health Communication, 21, 496-503. doi:10.1080/10810730.2015.1103328
• Click, M., Miller, B., Behm-Morawitz, E., & Aubrey, J. (2016). Twi-dudes and Twi-guys: How Twilight’s Male Fans Interpret and Engage with a Feminized Text. Men and Masculinities, 19(3). doi:10.1177/1097184X15575159
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  The Twilight franchise, based upon the popular Young Adult vampire romantic series, is, unquestionably, female-driven. However, the series’ romantic themes and enthusiastic female fans, as well as the public disdain they have received, have overshadowed the male fans of the series. To explore male fans’ interest in Twilight, how they reconciled their masculine identities with their attraction to a feminine text, and what they learned from Twilight’s romantic messages, we discuss our findings from surveys and group interviews with male Twilight fans. Both the lack of scholarly literature on male audiences of romantic media and the experiences of male Twilight fans reveal that we know little about the roles romantic media play in boys’ and men’s lives. We argue that studying male audiences of romantic media is a useful approach to begin to build an understanding of the roles feminine media forms play in boys’ and men’s gendered identities.
• Hopper, K. M., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2016). Bodies after babies: The impact of depictions of recently post-partum celebrities on non-pregnant women’s self-objectification and body surveillance. Sex Roles, 24-34. doi:10.1007/s11199-015-0561-2
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Smith, S. E. (2016). The impact of exposure to sexually oriented media on the endorsement of hookup culture: A panel study of first-year college students. Mass Communication & Society, 19, 74-101. doi:10.1080/15205436.2015.1070875
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., Gamble, H., & Hahn, R. (2016). Empowered sexual objects?: The priming influence of self-sexualization on thoughts and beliefs related to gender, sex, and power.. Western Journal of Communication, 81, 362-384. doi:10.1080/10570314.2016.1257822
• Click, M., Brandon, M., Behm-Morawitz, E., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2015). Twi-dudes and Twi-guys: How Twilight’s male fans interpret and engage with a feminized text. Men and Masculinities.
• Kim, K., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2015). A cross-cultural comparison of cognitive and affective mediators in the relationship between thin ideal media use and body image disturbance: Focusing on U.S. and Korean women. Asian Journal of Communication, 25, 507-524. doi:10.1080/01292986.2014.995681
• Kratzer, J., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2015). Is the actual ideal?: A content analysis of college students’ descriptions of ideal and actual hookups. Sexuality and Culture. doi:10.1007/s12119-015-9318-x
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., & Gerding, A. (2015). The cognitive tax of self-objectification: Examining sexually objectifying music videos and college women’s cognitive processing of subsequent advertising. Journal of Media Psychology, 27(1), 22-32. doi:DOI: 10.1027/1864-1105/a000128
• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., Behm-Morawitz, E., & Kim, K. (2014). Understanding the effects of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant on adolescent girls’ beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward teen pregnancy. Journal of Health Communication, 19(10), 1145-1160.
• Aubrey, J. S., & Rill, L. (2013). Investigating relations between Facebook use and social capital among college undergraduates. Communication Quarterly, 61, 479-496.
• Aubrey, J. S., & Smith, S. (2013). Development and validation of the Endorsement of the Hookup Culture Index. Journal of Sex Research, 50, 435-448.
• Aubrey, J. S., Rhea, D., Olson, L., & Fine, M. (2013). Conflict and control: Examining the association between exposure to television portraying interpersonal conflict and the use of controlling behaviors in romantic relationships. Communication Studies, 64, 106-124.
• Hopper, K. M., & Aubrey, J. (2013). Examining the impact of celebrity gossip magazine coverage of pregnant celebrities on pregnant women's body image. Communication Research, 767-788.
• Aubrey, J., Olson, L., Fine, M., Hauser, T., Rhea, D., Kaylor, B., & Yang, A. (2012). Investigating Personality and Viewing-Motivation Correlates of Reality Television Exposure. Communication Quarterly, 60(1). doi:10.1080/01463373.2012.641830
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  This study investigated the personality and viewing-motivation correlates of reality television exposure. Results from a survey of 592 undergraduates showed that extroversion negatively predicted reality television exposure, whereas neuroticism was not associated with it. Both instrumental (social interaction, information, and arousal) and ritualized (relaxation, pass time, entertainment, and companionship) viewing motivations positively predicted exposure to reality television. A two-stage model by which personality traits contributed to viewing motivations, which, in turn, contributed to the selection of reality television, was tested and offered an adequate fit to the data. Implications for uses and gratifications research are discussed. © 2012 Copyright Eastern Communication Association.
• Frisby, C., & Aubrey, J. (2012). Race and Genre in the Use of Sexual Objectification in Female Artists' Music Videos. Howard Journal of Communications, 23(1). doi:10.1080/10646175.2012.641880
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  The present study examines the use of sexual objectification by popular female music artists in their music videos. To obtain a current assessment of sexual objectification within pop, country, and hip hop music videos, a content analysis was performed. Our primary purposes were to examine (a) differences by race (in particular, differences between White and Black artists) and (b) by genre (i.e., pop, hip hop/R&B, and country). Results revealed only 1 race difference. In that case, Black artists were nearly twice as likely to wear sexually provocative attire. The results yielded consistent genre differences in which country artists were less likely to engage in sexual objectification, probably because of the socially conservative nature of the genre. However, in the main, there were few differences in sexual objectification between pop and R&B/hip artists. Findings are discussed in relation to objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson & T. A. Roberts, 1998) and the framework of post-feminism (e.g., Gill, 2007; McRobbie, 2004). © 2012 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
• Aubrey, J., & Frisby, C. (2011). Sexual objectification in music videos: A content analysis comparing gender and genre. Mass Communication and Society, 14(4). doi:10.1080/15205436.2010.513468
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  Although sexual objectification is commonplace in media culture, music videos provide the most potent examples of it. In the current study, we developed a coding system to measure sexual objectification and its correlates in music videos. Our analysis compared sexual objectification across artists' gender and musical genres (R&B/hip-hop, pop, and country). Compared to male artists, female artists were more sexually objectified, held to stricter appearance standards, and more likely to demonstrate sexually alluring behavior. In addition, sexual objectifica-tion was more prominent in R&B/hip-hop and pop videos than in country videos. The results are discussed in light of objectification theory and sexual agency. © Mass Communication & Society Division.
• Aubrey, J., Hopper, K., & Mbure, W. (2011). Check that body! The effects of sexually objectifying music videos on college men's sexual beliefs. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 55(3). doi:10.1080/08838151.2011.597469
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  The present study examined the effects of sexual objectification of female artists in music videos onmale undergraduates' sexual beliefs. Findings showed that participants who viewed music videos of highly objectified female artists reported more adversarial sexual beliefs, more acceptance of interpersonal violence, and, at a level of marginal significance,more negative attitudes about sexual harassment than participants assigned to low-sexual objectifying music videos by the same female artists. Pathmodels indicated that adversarial sexual beliefs mediated the relationship between condition, and (1) acceptance of interpersonal violence and (2) negative attitudes regarding sexual harassment. © 2011 Broadcast Education Association.
• Aubrey, J. (2010). Looking good versus feeling good: An investigation of media frames of health advice and their effects on women's body-related self-perceptions. Sex Roles, 63(1). doi:10.1007/s11199-010-9768-4
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  The present research had two goals: (1) to document how health advice is framed on the covers of women's health magazines, and (2) to investigate whether exposure to appearance frames (i.e., do something in order to look better) affected women's body-related self-perceptions compared to health frames (i.e., to do something in order to feel better). Study 1, a content analysis of 426 cover headlines on the five highest-circulating women's health magazines in the United States, revealed that appearance frames were just as prevalent as health frames. Study 2, an experiment conducted on 103 U. S. undergraduate women, showed that those assigned to appearance frames reported more body shame and appearance-related motivation to exercise than women assigned to health frames. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
• Aubrey, J., & Taylor, L. (2009). The role of lad magazines in priming men's chronic and temporary appearance-related schemata: An investigation of longitudinal and experimental findings. Human Communication Research, 35(1). doi:10.1111/j.1468-2958.2008.01337.x
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  We present a program of research investigating the effects of lad magazines on male body self-consciousness and appearance anxiety. Study 1, based on panel data from undergraduate men, showed that lad magazine exposure in Year 1 predicted body self-consciousness in Year 2. Study 2 was an experiment that showed that men assigned to view objectified women in lad magazines reported significantly higher levels of appearance anxiety and appearance-related motivations for exercise than men assigned to view male fashion models. We speculated that participants believed that to be romantically successful with these women would require them to conform to an idealized appearance standard. Study 3 replicated the finding that exposure to sexually objectified women primed body self-consciousness, and it further showed that this effect was mediated by romantic confidence. © 2009 International Communication Association.
• Aubrey, J., Henson, J., Hopper, K., & Smith, S. (2009). A picture is worth twenty words (About the Self): Testing the priming influence of visual sexual objectification on women's self-objectification. Communication Research Reports, 26(4). doi:10.1080/08824090903293551
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  Extending a major premise of objectification theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997), this article tests the notion that visual depictions of sexual objectification of women's bodies can amplify women's state self-objectification (SO) in the short term. After deriving two operationalizations of sexual objectification that conformed to the tenets of objectification theory, results showed that women who were assigned to images of female models with high skin exposure (the first operationlization of sexual objectification) used more negative words to describe their appearance than participants assigned to control images. In addition, the body-display images produced more state SO and more negativity about one's appearance than images of women segmented into body parts (which represented the second operationalization). Implications for objectification theory and media priming effects are discussed. © 2009, Eastern Communication Association.
• Aubrey, J., Click, M., Dougherty, D., Fine, M., Kramer, M., Meisenbach, R., Olson, L., & Smythe, M. (2008). We do babies! The trials, tribulations, and triumphs of pregnancy and parenting in the academy. Women's Studies in Communication, 31(2). doi:10.1080/07491409.2008.10162531
• Aubrey, J. (2007). Does television exposure influence college-aged women's sexual self-concept?. Media Psychology, 10(2). doi:10.1080/15213260701375561
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  The present study examined whether television exposure shapes female emerging adults' sexual self-concept, defined as self-perceptions of one's qualities in the sexual domain. Results from two-year panel data collected from undergraduate women suggested that Time-1 exposure to soap operas, prime-time dramas, and amount of television viewing predicted a deflation in college women's Time-2 sexual self-concept. In addition, Time-1 sexual self-concept negatively predicted Time-2 prime-time drama exposure and Time-2 television watched per day. The results are interpreted in light of the cognitive information processing model (Huesmann, 1997) and the selective exposure hypothesis (Festinger, 1957).
• Aubrey, J. (2006). Effects of sexually objectifying media on self-objectification and body surveillance in undergraduates: Results of a 2-year panel study. Journal of Communication, 56(2). doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00024.x
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  This study used objectification theory (B. L. Fredrickson and T.-A. Roberts, 1997) to predict that the media's insidious practice of objectifying bodies socializes individuals to take an outsider's perspective on the physical self (i.e., self-objectify) and to habitually monitor their appearance (i.e., engage in body surveillance). To test these hypotheses, a 2-year panel study using an undergraduate sample was conducted. Cross-lagged path models showed that exposure to sexually objectifying television measured during Year 1 increased trait self-objectification (trait SO) during Year 2 for both women and men. At the same time, trait SO during Year 1 decreased exposure to sexually objectifying television during Year 2, suggesting that both male and female participants selectively avoided sexually objectifying television based on antecedent trait SO. Moreover, exposure to sexually objectifying television and magazines increased body surveillance for men only. The discussion focuses on the process by which the media create body-focused perceptions. © 2006 International Communication Association.
• Aubrey, J., & Harrison, K. (2004). The gender-role content of children's favorite television programs and its links to their gender-related perceptions. Media Psychology, 6(2). doi:10.1207/s1532785xmep0602_1
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  Two studies were conducted to (a) examine the gender-role stereotypical, counterstereotypical, and gender-neutral messages contained in a sample of first- and second-grade children's favorite television programs; and(b) to link the results of the content analysis to the children's gender-role values and interpersonal attraction to same- and opposite-gender television characters while the content analysis showed that there was a great deal of gender neutrality in the programs the children preferred. However, as predicted, male characters were still more likely than female characters to answer questions, boss or order others, show ingenuity, achieve a goal, and eat. The results of the survey showed that preference for stereotypical content predicted boys'valuing hard work and humor. In addition, for girls preference for male stereotypical and male counterstereotypical content negatively predicted interpersonal attraction to female characters, whereas preference for female counterstereotypical and gender-neutral content positively predicted interpersonal attraction to female characters. For boys preference for female counterstereotypical content positively predicted interpersonal attraction to male characters.

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• Stevens Aubrey, J. L., Robb, M., Bailey, J., & Bailenson, J. (2018. VR101: What you need to know about virtual reality and how it affects kids. San Francisco.
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• Ward, L. M., & Stevens Aubrey, J. L. (2017. Watching gender: How stereotypes in movies and on TV impact kids’ development. San Francisco, CA.