Models Adriana Lima (L) and Candice Swanepoel (R) dance during the finale of the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York, November 13, 2013. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

The Sex Roles academic journal published a study entitled "My Eyes Are Up Here: The Nature of the Objectifying Gaze Toward Women" which confirms that men look at bodies of women more than their faces. University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers led by psychologists Michael D. Dodd, Arianne M. Holland and Sarah J. Gervais reportedly conducted a research study on how much time participants (male and female) look at women. The research paper can be found online at Springer Science+Business Media global publishing company's Web site.

According to the research paper published on Springer, the study's main purpose was to further examine the objectification theory including the nature and causes of the objectifying gaze from the perspective of the perceivers. Another purpose of the research was to study the body shape's impact on the objectifying gaze.

The researchers also wanted to understand the objectification of women to prevent them from limitations brought about by it, including underperforming at work, etc.

"It can undermine work performance," said Gervais in a WA Today report.

"It can cause [women] to self-silence and it's related to increased perceptions of sexual harassment. If you think about all of the negative consequences, figuring out what's triggering all of those consequences, that's the first step towards stopping it from happening," she added.

PARTICIPANTS:

There were 65 participants in the study, with 36 men and 29 women from a large Midwestern University in the U.S. Dodd, Holland and Gervais used a special eye tracking technology to measure the participant's objectifying gazes toward the women.

FOCUS OF THE STUDY:

1. APPEARANCE OF WOMEN - participants were presented three photos of 10 different women who have various body shapes that were considered attractive.

Body Shapes:

  • Small breasts, large waist-to-hip ratios - LOW IDEAL
  • Average breasts, average waist-to-hip ratios - AVERAGE IDEAL
  • Hourglass-shaped women with large breasts, small waist-to-hip ratios - HIGH IDEAL

2. PERSONALITY

Participants rated the appearance or personality of the women in the pictures with the original image manipulated to depict the various body types on the same woman. This determines what particular body type they respond to and prefer to look at more.

Miss Poland 2013 Paulina Krupinka (L-R), Miss Panama 2013 Carolina Brid, Miss Mexico 2013 Cynthia Duque, Miss India 2013 Manasi Moghe, Miss Italy 2013 Luna Voce and Miss Belgium 2013 Noemie Happart pose during Fashion Day at Crocus City Mall in Moscow October 27, 2013. Miss Universe will be held at Crocus City Hall in Moscow on November 9. REUTERS/Darren Decker/Miss Universe Organization

FINDINGS OF THE STUDY:

  • Appearance-focused - participants focused on women's waists and chests more than the faces
  • Women with HIGH IDEAL body shapes were looked at more than the LOW and AVERAGE IDEAL body shapes
  • Men showed increased tendency to exhibit the objectifying gaze (initially)
  • Men regarded women with HIGH IDEAL ideal body shapes more positively, (both appearance-focused or personality-focused studies)
  • Women also tend to objectify bodies of other women

"We do have a slightly different pattern for men than women, but when we looked at their overall dwell times-how long they focused on each body part - we find the exact same effects for both groups," explained Gervais in the WA Today report.

"Women, we think, do it often for social comparison purposes," added Gervais.

Dodd suggests that people, regardless of gender, should become aware of how they look at women - and make the necessary behavioural adjustments to reduce objectification.

Other findings of the study including theories on person perception and the implications for objectification are further discussed in the research paper.

In order to access the full contents of the "My Eyes Are Up Here: The Nature of the Objectifying Gaze Toward Women" research paper, you will need to purchase the Sex Roles academic journal December 2013 issue (Volume 69, Issue 11-12) at Springer.com for $39.95, €34.95 or £29.95 (Final gross prices may vary according to local VAT). The research paper by Michael D. Dodd, Arianne M. Holland and Sarah J. Gervais is on pages 557-570 of the said journal.

The Sex Roles academic journal which contains the study "My Eyes Are Up Here: The Nature of the Objectifying Gaze Toward Women," that confirms men do look at women's bodies more than their faces, says a lot about how men perceive women and what are they really physically attracted to. People always knew men love to look at women's bodies, but it's still a bit surprising to know that they look at it more than the facial area. If this is indeed the case, then all the makeup, hairstyle and amount of time primping is a waste after all because it is secondary to a hot body.