© 2021 Tarika Sandhu and Sargun Sandhu. This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 4.0 license. Current Research in Psychology Original Research Paper Body Consciousness and Self-Objectification in Gen Z Adolescent Girls Tarika Sandhu and Sargun Sandhu Department of Psychology, Punjabi University Patiala, India Article history Received: 12-12-2020 Revised: 25-02-2021 Accepted: 01-03-2021 Corresponding Author: Tarika Sandhu Department of Psychology, Punjabi University Patiala, India Email: tarika@pbi.ac.in Abstract: In contemporary Indian society media has magnified age-old pressures for teenage girls to conform to stereotypical standards. Contemporary Indian mythologist and author, Devdutt Pattanaik gives us a vivid picture of the socio-cultural and religious genesis of the Indian society. He validates the inherent gender-based inequality so characteristic of the Indian society in his book, 7 Secrets of the Goddess “A woman stops being a person; she is dehumanized and turned into a symbol of masculine honor, this transformation from prized possession to venerated object marks the triumph of patriarchy". This objectification of the female body not only instigates shame and dread but also encourages chasing what society thinks is ideal. The present study thus aimed to explore the role of self-objectification in objectified body consciousness i.e., body surveillance, body shame and appearance control beliefs of adolescent females age ranging (15 to 19) from Punjab (n=60). Self-Objectification Scale was used to screen in females high and low on self-objectification. Alongside scores on the subscales of Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (OBCS) were obtained. The findings suggested that media images have a detrimental effect on adolescent psyche. It’s imperative to improve a woman's experience of her own body. Psycho-educational interventions in school and colleges should be introduced which focus on presenting and reinforcing a critical stance toward female beauty standards, in order to prevent-or at least reduce- high levels of internalization and social comparison. Keywords: Self-Objectification, Objectified Body Consciousness, Adolescent Females Introduction Contemporary times have heralded an objectified perspective in the understanding of a woman. Self- objectification, is a particular view of self that can lead to a form of self-consciousness characterized by the habitual monitoring of the body’s outward appearance. Objectification of the female body prevails along a continuum ranging from the literal (e.g., human sex trafficking, modelling, participating in pageants) to figurative (e.g., media representations, using women’s bodies in advertising etc.). Objectification can be experienced both directly (e.g., women and girls’ personal experiences of being judged on their appearance and sexual desirability) as well as indirectly (i.e., women and girls’ reflection of the treatment and objectification of other women and girls) (Crawford et al., 2009). This objectification has evolved as a manifestation of consumerist and patriarchal mindsets both at cultural as well as interpersonal levels. The consumerist trend finds it convenient to primarily value women for their appearance since males have long been enticed by tapping on the basal instincts. On the other hand, a patriarchal society as an organized structure of interpersonal relationships within groups or clusters of people subliminally and out rightly introjects within the female psyche that she needs to be protected and is not equal to the male counterpart. Unknowingly women too have internalized these externally derived standards of valuing themselves and are thus caught in proving themselves to others rather than becoming inner oriented to their genuine character. These feelings have unfortunately passed down to Generation Z females as well who are caught in the same whirlpool of self-doubt, self-scrutiny, shame etc. Generation Z (or simply Gen Z), popularly known as Zoomers, is the demographic unit succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media draw the mid-to-late 1990s as starting