What influences self-commodification of young women on social media and leads to their increased desire to undergo cosmetic surgery?

What influences self-commodification of young women
on social media and leads to their increased desire to
undergo cosmetic surgery?




Natalia Kraskowska

19017459

Fashion PR and Communication

Year 3




An extended essay submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the
degree BA (Hons) Fashion Public Relations and Communication

London College of Fashion

University of the Arts London

18th January 2021



1

,Statement of Originality


I, Natalia Kraskowska, certify that:


- This is an original and individual piece of work and that no part of this has been
written by anyone else;

- I have acknowledged (appropriately referenced using the Harvard Referencing
system) all sources and citations;

- No section of this essay has been plagiarised (*);

- This work has not been submitted for any other assessment



(*) plagiarism forms part of Academic Misconduct




Acknowledgements



I would like to thank my supervisor Djurdja Bartlett for her support, guidance and feedback.
I would also like to thank my mother for her unconditional love, unwavering support, and
encouragement. Finally, to all of the women who feel like they are not enough - you are
worthy of it all.




2

,Table of Contents



Introduction


Methodology


Chapter 1: The Internalised Male Gaze and Self-Commodification

1.1 The Male Gaze Theory

1.2 The Relationship Between Sexual Objectification, Self-Objectification, and the

Male Gaze

1.3 Adopting the Objectifying Gaze and Subsequent Gazing Behaviour

1.4 Case Study: Self-Objectification of Women on TikTok


Chapter 2: How the Male Gaze Alters the Way Women See Themselves?


2.1 The Effect of The Male Gaze on Appearance Concerns in Women

2.2 Reflecting on Female Beauty: Cosmetic Surgery and the Internalised Male Gaze

2.3 Unrealistic Beauty Standards on Social Media

2.4 Case Study: Resisting the Male Gaze and the Unrealistic Beauty Ideal


Conclusion


Bibliography


List of illustrations
3

, Introduction



This dissertation will analyse the effects of the objectifying male gaze on
women. It will examine the consequences of the internalised male gaze and
determine whether women are in control of their self-commodification.
Moreover, it will seek to interrogate to what extent the internalised male gaze
affects the way women portray themselves on social media. Lastly, it will argue
that the internalised male gaze and the exposure to over-edited images on social
media increase the desire for cosmetic surgery among young women.




According to the Male Gaze Theory, as described by Laura Mulvey (1975),
women in film are portrayed as inactive objects of male desire. She proposes
that “in a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split
between active/male and passive/female” (1999, p. 808). Thus, female
characters are depicted from a heterosexual perspective that sexualises and
objectifies them. The Male Gaze Theory also suggests that women are objects
of vision, sights (Berger, 1972, p. 47). They are reduced down to passive
objects of male desire, which consequently influences their self-perception.
Although Mulvey's definition of the male gaze refers to how women are
depicted in film, it is not limited to cinema. Rather, it can be applied to other
media, such as social media and television, advertisements, and real-life
experiences.

4