The necessity of objectification: Sartre and Lacan on online body shaming

In psychological research, online body shaming is typically linked to objectification, where objectification is considered something to be avoided and fought. In this paper, we take a somewhat different perspective: while agreeing that objectification is indeed a key element to understand online body shaming, our starting point is that objectification cannot be avoided. We argue that online body shaming is grounded in a mismatch between the way one self-objectifies and the way in which one is objectified by another. Drawing on Sartre, we argue that objectification enables a meaningful experience of self and world, particularly through its link to shame. We then turn to Lacan, whose account of objectification—via the real, the imaginary, and the symbolic—sharpens our understanding of bodily shame and its conditions of emergence. Finally, we use this framework to explain key differences between online body shaming and other forms of body shaming.