The Measurement Mechanism
Psychologists measure this perception using the inversion test. Subjects typically recognize upright faces at about 80% accuracy. When inverted, performance drops to roughly 55%. This upright advantageexists because brains process complex structures holistically. For objects like houses, orientation matters less. A 2012 study applied this test to sexualized images. It found that both men and women recognized men in lingerie better when upright. Recognition of women remained nearly identical regardless of orientation. This pattern is typical of object perception. A 2022 meta-analysis of 41 studies confirmed the upright advantage is significantly smaller for sexualized women.
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Objectification has profound effects. Women who are objectified are perceived as less competent and less „human”. Women who internalize this self-image tend to have poorer body image and worse mental, physical, and sexual health. Exposure to sexualized media is also associated with greater tolerance for sexual violence against women.
Context and Power
This tendency is not rigid; it varies by context. A 2015 study showed that covering breasts and groins, or describing women as medical graduates raising cancer research funds, made body recognition more similar to men's. Power also plays a crucial role. In a prior Canadian study, we asked participants to spend ten minutes writing about having power over someone or being powerless. Women who felt powerful showed the object pattern for sexualized men. Powerful men did the same for sexualized women. Powerless participants showed the upright advantage for both sexes. Power, not sex itself, appears central to objectification.
Brain Stimulation Approach
The idea of using brain stimulation comes from another lab study on the Thatcher illusion. In that illusion, a face with inverted eyes and mouth looks grotesque upright but normal when inverted. Inverting Thatcherizedfaces affects recognition much less than regular faces. We found that a mild current can make these faces easier to recognize upright, restoring the normal difference. We asked if the same mechanism works for sexualized women.
Study Design
In the new study, 76 university students memorized photos of male and female models in lingerie, half inverted. Later, these photos were shown again, mixed with 32 new images. Participants identified which they had seen before. Half received a mild electrical current for ten minutes using transcranial direct current stimulation. The other half received a placebo effect that stopped after 30 seconds. Neither students nor researchers knew which group got the real treatment.
Results
Results were clear. The placebo group showed the known pattern: they remembered men much better when photos were upright. For women, the difference was much smaller. In the stimulated group, recognition of upright women improved, and the difference between men and women disappeared completely. The current did not change the upright advantage for men's images.
Why It Works
Why does this happen? Our most plausible explanation comes from a theory of how humans learn to see. With experience, the brain learns to downplay common facial features and highlight distinguishing details. But some common features attract attention instead of being ignored, like the inverted eyes and mouth of a Thatcherized face. Or, as we hypothesize, the exposed body parts in sexualized images. These features captureattention. The electrical current may weaken this attentional capture, allowing the brain to process the image as a whole, not as separate parts.
Limitations
The study has important limitations. It was a single laboratory session with university students. Measurements covered only immediate effects, not long-term attitudes or behaviors.