masculine/presidential trait is intellectual strength,
the denial of female expert status, on the
part of both male and female audience members, ties into foundational beliefs about who can be
a possessor of knowledge and is an impediment to the election of a female president.
In addition to altering expectations of female candidates among the electorate, the
normalization of female objectification in American society also influences personal ambition.
Researchers have discovered a disturbing new trend of self-objectification where girls/women
increasingly internalize the male gaze, viewing themselves through this lens as a result of
pervasive sexual objectification. Self-objectification is causally related to a variety of mental
health disorders, including clinical unipolar depression,
“habitual body monitoring,” body
shame, diet restriction, symptoms of anorexia and bulimia, shame about menstrual cycles; and
“gaze anticipation” leading to social physique anxiety.
Self-objectification has also been linked
to lower cognitive functioning,
and a lower average grade point average
in college.
Self-objectification also has consequences for politics beyond lowered self-esteem
and cognitive functioning. The more a woman self-objectifies, the lower her external political
efficacy.
This finding has serious implications, considering that an increasing percentage of
each generation of girls self-objectify, and political efficacy is linked to likelihood of voting as
well as actually running for office. Widespread female embrace of the male gaze solidifies the
subject/object binary and makes it difficult to reform gender stereotypes about womens’ cultural
identity that militate against the electoral chances of a female presidential candidate.
The President in Popular Culture
Popular culture both reflects cultural values and shapes them through images and content.
Visual entertainment mediums are particularly important when it comes to shaping national
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Convention