Fathers, daughters, and self-objectification: Does bonding style matter?

• Studied paternal bonding, self-objectification, depression, and eating attitudes.
• High care and low overprotection related to most positive attitudes about eating.
• Compared self-objectification outcomes among women with different bonding styles.
• Used SEM models to compare self-objectification sequelae between groups.
• Caring but overprotective dads may exacerbate the negative effects of body shame.

As women are exposed to objectification and the “male gaze,” they self-objectify, which predicts negative psychological outcomes. Given the centrality of the “male gaze,” positive father/child relationships may have a buffering effect. In this study, women (N = 447) completed a survey measuring paternal bonding (care and overprotection), self-objectification, negative eating attitudes, and depression. Women were categorized into four groups based on bonding style. Analyses indicated an interaction such that women who reported high care and low overprotection reported the fewest negative eating attitudes. A path model was tested for each group. The fit of the high care/high overprotection group's model significantly differed from that of the high care/low overprotection group. The relationships between body surveillance and shame as well as between shame and negative eating attitudes were stronger in the former group. These findings suggest that caring but overprotective fathers may exacerbate the negative effects of body surveillance and shame.