Sex Roles, Vol. 53, Nos. 1/2, July 2005 ( C  2005) DOI: 10.1007/s11199-005-4270-0 Objectification in Fitness Centers: Self-Objectification, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating in Aerobic Instructors and Aerobic Participants Ivanka Prichard 1,2 and Marika Tiggemann 1 This study was designed to investigate self-objectification, its theoretical consequences, and its relationship to reasons for exercise within a fitness center environment. Sixty female aer- obic instructors and 97 female aerobic participants, who ranged in age from 18 to 45 years, completed questionnaire measures of self-objectification, reasons for exercise, body dissat- isfaction, and disordered eating. Increased self-objectification (and self-surveillance) was re- lated to disordered eating symptomatology, body dissatisfaction, and appearance-related rea- sons for exercise. Aerobic instructors scored significantly lower on self-objectification, body dissatisfaction, and disordered eating than did aerobic participants, and they exercised more for enjoyment and less for appearance-related reasons. For aerobic participants, location of exercise (inside or outside the fitness center) moderated the relationship between frequency of exercise and self-objectification, such that exercising within fitness centers was associated with relatively higher self-objectification. Higher levels of self-objectification were also re- lated to wearing tighter exercise clothing. These results support the general model of Objec- tification Theory, and provide practical implications for women who exercise within objecti- fying environments. KEY WORDS: self-objectification; body dissatisfaction; disordered eating; aerobics; exercise. Participation in regular physical activity has been shown to have a number of physical and psy- chological benefits for individuals’ well-being. In particular, aerobic exercise has been shown to en- hance mood, to combat mild depression and state anxiety, and to elevate self-esteem (Davis, 1990; Iannos & Tiggemann, 1997; Smolak, Murnen, & Ruble, 2000). However, these benefits have not been found in all samples. In young women, self-esteem and body satisfaction have actually been found to decrease with increasing amounts of exercise (Penas-Lledo, Sancho, & Waller, 2002; Tiggemann & Williamson, 2000). This may be because many 1 School of Psychology, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia. 2 To whom correspondence should be addressed at School of Psychology, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001; e-mail: ivanka.prichard@flinders.edu.au. women see exercise as a means of speeding up the weight loss process and adopt it as a primary strat- egy for altering body shape (Furnham, Badmin, & Sneade, 2002). Exercising for weight control, body tone, and attractiveness has in turn been associ- ated with increased body dissatisfaction, disturbed eating, and lower body-esteem (Furnham et al., 2002; McDonald & Thompson, 1992; Silberstein, Striegel-Moore, Timko, & Rodin, 1988; Tiggemann & Williamson, 2000). In contrast, functional reasons for exercise such as health, enjoyment, or fitness have been associated with increased self-esteem and body- esteem, as well as lower levels of body dissatisfaction (Strelan, Mehaffey, & Tiggemann, 2003; Tiggemann & Williamson, 2000). Strelan et al. (2003) suggested that one plausible explanation for the observed asso- ciations between reasons for exercise, body-esteem, and disordered eating is offered by Objectification Theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997). 19 0360-0025/05/0700-0019/0 C  2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.