Men Who Read Male-Focused Magazines Are More Likely To Objectify Women

Put down this month's Maxim — a new study has revealed that the men who read magazines that objectify women (like Playboy and Men's Health, to name a few of the few too many) are more likely to violate the sexual boundaries established by the females in their lives.

Washington State University researchers say that their findings indicate that the young men who read Maxim and other publications that often portray women as sexualized objects are less likely to seek their partners' consent or respect the boundaries they've set up.

Researchers believe that this might be a product of the unrealistic sex tips presented in the pages of the magazine, which create an erroneous sense of the proper negotiation and discussion that is needed to initiate a sexual encounter.

The study surveyed over 300 college students, and found that the guys who are picking up these magazines in the first place are much more likely to make inappropriate sexual advances, or fail to acknowledge when a woman says "stop."

This conclusion doesn't necessarily mean that men who read these types of magazines approach women in a predatory way.

Researchers acknowledged that the skew might already be present — perhaps, they say, the men who are interested in these macho publications and their tips for courting and "pleasing" women are already more dominant and dismissive of women's feelings.

But the study certainly points to the harmful impact that the media can have on women. If we're encouraging aggressive behavior or fueling the fantasies of guys who already are inclined to violate a women's right to say "no," then we're partially responsible for the entitled and egotistical attitude that we seemingly can't stop hearing about this week.

via Think Progress, Photo Courtesy: Tumblr