Exploring Self-Objectification Among Queer Community in IndiaA Qualitative Study

Title

Exploring Self-Objectification Among Queer Community in IndiaA Qualitative Study

Creator

Saini, Harsha; Majumdar, Ilika Guha

Description

The objectification theory proposes that membership in sexually objectifying societies gradually socializes queer individuals to adopt an observers perspective on their physical self, which in turn leads to negative emotional and behavioral consequences. The queer community in India has existed for centuries, but their rights have only received attention recently. They still continue to be deprived of societal and legal status. With an aim to understand self-objectification among the queer community in India, this qualitative study attempts to explore the interplay of external factors and their relationships in shaping self-image and self-acceptance. This phenomenological study used an interpretive paradigm on the self-objectification of members of the queer community in India. The study was conducted on 10 individuals from the queer community using semi-structured interviews, and the obtained data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings indicate the profound impact of societal beauty norms, family dynamics, peer interactions, and media influence on their self-esteem, body image, and identity. Implications of these findings call for increased awareness, education, and support to create a more inclusive and accepting environment for the queer community. Future recommendations include the development of interventions, educational programs, and mental health support services tailored to the needs of this community. 2025 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

Source

Journal of Psychosexual Health;Volume;7;Issue;2;pp.160-165

Date

01-01-2025

Publisher

SAGE Publications Ltd

Subject

body image; LGBTQIA+; phenomenology; self-image; thematic analysis

Coverage

Saini H., Department of Psychology, Christ University, Delhi, India; Majumdar I.G., Department of Psychology, Christ University, Delhi, India

Rights

All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access

Relation

ISSN: 26318318;

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1177/26318318241302389

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105007363133?origin=resultslist