Students and faculty gathered on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at the Rowe Center for Undergraduate Education to hear from Dr. L. Monique Ward, a prominent researcher studying how media affects women’s self-perception, mental health and academic drive. Hosted by the Department of Human Development and Family Sciences (HDFS), this event is part of the Luckey Family Studies Lecture series, held annually in person with online participation also available.
Eva Lefkowitz, researcher and professor of human development and family sciences, began the talk with a brief introduction to HDFS and the Luckey Family Studies Lecture series, which honors Eleanor B. Luckey. Lefkowitz then moved on to introduce Dr. Ward.
Ward has a PhD from UCLA and is part of the faculty at the University of Michigan, where she researches adolescent development. Ward has published over 140 journal articles and has won awards, including APA Division 7 and the APA Distinguished Leader for Women in Psychology.
“This content is prevalent, common and probably unavoidable,” said Ward as she began her presentation, first focusing on sexually objectifying content in the media. “73% of images of teen girls were coded as seductive (vs. 29.5% of teen boys).”
Ward then mentioned some limitations in this field that she hoped to address, including the limited testing of girls of color.
“I think it’s important that social science research continues to explore experiences of racial minorities, gender minorities and sexual minorities,” said Naomi Inman, a third-year human and family development PhD student. “So much research focuses on cisgender, heterosexual and White young women, so it’s really valuable that we have researchers looking into the ways that this impacts not only White girls but girls who are also of racial minorities.”
Ward’s presentation includes six of her conducted studies and their findings. One study focused on the question “Does everyday media use predict self-sexualization and diminished academic motivations for adolescent girls across race?” In this study, 34% of the girls were Black, 36% were Asian and 30% were White, ensuring relatively equal representation across groups.
In another study, Ward analyzed the media consumption of young Black women, using 50 popular television shows —15 of which featured Black women in leading roles —to assess the impact on body image.
Ward concluded her presentation by stating that, after her studies, she has determined that media exposure is linked to objectifying body beliefs across all races.
“I am not saying that all media is bad,” she said. “The media can amuse, inspire, thrill and educate. But we need to acknowledge the power of media effects.”
“The media is a massive and powerful socializing force, and it’s really cool and important to explore how it impacts our youth and youth outcomes, especially as they relate to mental health and self-esteem concepts,” said Inman when asked about her main takeaway from the event.
After Ward’s talk, the event moved into the Q&A portion. People from the in-person and online audience asked about Ward’s ongoing research and future directions. The audience’s thoughtful questions reflected the depth of interest in Ward’s work and the importance of continuing to explore how media shapes identity and well-being.