"Conceal your body or not? The relation between self-objectification, self-determination, and body concealment in Turkish and Italian women."

In the present study, our objective is to investigate the relation between self-objectification (assessed as the observer’s perspective and body as self), body concealment/exposing, and subjective well-being among a sample of Turkish and Italian women, considering potential cultural and religious differences in this association. Drawing upon self-objectification theory by Fredrickson & Roberts (1997), we examine whether body concealment affects subjective well-being in Turkish and Italian women. A sample of 156 Turkish women and 168 Italian women participated in the online questionnaire, which included a total of nine scales. Our findings support two main hypotheses: we found body concealment is positively related to well-being for Turkish women, suggesting that adherence to possible cultural patterns of modesty might enhance subjective well-being. Conversely, our findings support that body concealment is negatively related to well-being for Italian women. In addition to these findings, in this dissertation, the headscarf, which is a tool for Turkish women to conceal their bodies based in accordance with cultural and religious norms, has been discussed in detail in terms of Turkish women’s body concealment and self-objectification within the framework of the literature; the use of the headscarf in Turkey, the relationship between the headscarf bans and self-determination, and the effect of veiling/unveiling on women’s well-being. The findings and their implications, along with the strengths and limitations of the research, are discussed within the context of existing literature.