Studies show that the positive emotions experienced by women who self-sexualize in social media, for example, are not actually correlated to the degree of self-sexualization but to a specific motivation: being admired, attracting attention—the likes and followers of social media. Those are symbols of influence and status. That is a far more accurate reflection of what women are reporting, as is the fact that sexualization remains the most available, albeit very narrow, path to power for girls.
