Cary, Kyla

My name is Kyla Cary (she/her/hers), and I am a doctoral student in Human Development and Family Studies with a concentration in Lifespan Human Development and Family Diversity. My faculty advisor is Dr. Megan Maas. My research interests lie broadly at the intersection of human sexuality and media with a focus on adolescent and emerging adult development. These broad research interests have led me to collaborate with scholars in HDFS, Psychology, and Communications Arts and Sciences to research sexting among emerging adults, Instagram selfie posting and psychological well-being, as well as sexual consent and hookup experiences of college students. I am also currently involved in research assessing sexual misconduct policies of Michigan public schools in an effort to improve policies related to sexual harassment and violence at the state level. Finally, my major research focus is on the sexual objectification and self-objectification of young women, specifically how these phenomena are experienced by women within the online context. My research often draws upon feminist frameworks such as Objectification Theory and the Sexual Double Standard as well as theories of adolescent and emerging adult development.