Resisting oppression: body psychotherapy techniques to empower women

Abstract

Many women regularly experience sexist events and are the targets of sexual objectification. Objectification theory claims that repeated exposure to sexual objectification is likely to result in self-objectification, where value is put on external appearance over internal experience. Ambivalent sexism theory explains a two-factor system, made up of hostile sexism and benevolent sexism, which acts to keep women in a marginalised position. Both theories expose a plethora of potential negative consequences, including body shame, self-doubt, and self-harming tendencies. Somatic literature demonstrates that oppression can live in the body and posits that an important path to healing can be through the body. The theoretical model presented here aims to decrease self-objectifying behaviour in women by proposing body psychotherapy techniques intended to increase internal somatic awareness and cultivate greater relationship with the body.