Objectified Appearance Consciousness Scale: Preliminary Psychometrics and Racial/Ethnic and Sexual Identity Group Invariance

This study provided preliminary support for the Objectified Appearance Consciousness Scale (OACS) as an extension of the Objectified Body Consciousness Scale to assess body surveillance and body shame. New OACS items were generated to improve psychometrics and include additional physical features reflecting white heteronormative beauty standards (e.g., hair, skin, and facial features). Survey data were analyzed from 918 women residing in the United States, recruited from Prolific, and diverse in racial/ethnic and sexual identity. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a three-factor structure comprising Body Surveillance related to overall appearance, body shape and size, and other physical features (6 items); Body Shape Shame focused on body shape, size, and weight (3 items); and Body Features Shame focused on hair, skin, and facial features (3 items). Scalar invariance was supported across four racial/ethnic identity groups (African/African American/Black, Asian/Asian American, Caucasian/European American/White, and Latina/o/x/Hispanic American) and two sexual identity groups (heterosexual and sexual minority). Cronbach's alphas were strong. All three subscales correlated positively with and accounted for unique variance in internalized sociocultural beauty standards, eating disorder symptoms, and psychological distress. Results support using OACS subscale scores to model an overall objectified appearance consciousness latent variable or its three separate constructs.