From Lip Smackers to Wrinkle Cream: Priming the Next Generation of Consuming Women

The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a model of ideal femininity communicated through advertising in girls’ and women’s magazines. To assess the representations of women in magazine advertisements, a content analysis of advertisements appearing in three top-selling, demographica...

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Main Author: Elliott, Rebecca
Language:en
Published: 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10393/20230
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spelling ndltd-LACETR-oai-collectionscanada.gc.ca-OOU.-en#10393-202302013-01-11T13:33:11ZFrom Lip Smackers to Wrinkle Cream: Priming the Next Generation of Consuming WomenElliott, Rebeccaadvertisingcontent analysisfeminist theorygender representationshegemonyideologymagazinestweensteenswomen and advertisingThe purpose of this research was to determine if there is a model of ideal femininity communicated through advertising in girls’ and women’s magazines. To assess the representations of women in magazine advertisements, a content analysis of advertisements appearing in three top-selling, demographically-defined women’s magazines (Girls’ Life, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan) was conducted. Using feminist theory and hegemony theory as critical lenses, advertisements were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Each advertisement was assessed using five criteria: physical characteristics, social context, personality and attitude, and subtext. Using this data to establish the dominant representations of women, it was determined that there is a model of ideal femininity which is developed through establishing common ideals shared by all three magazines and by gradually introducing new ideals which correspond to shifts in real-world interests and experiences of women. It was concluded that a model of ideal femininity is developed through advertising in girls’ and women’s magazines, this model is used as a guide to direct girls and women towards specific ideal preferences, attitudes and behaviours, and this model continues to emphasise traditional cultural values and gender ideals which are not necessarily reflective of the range of roles women assume in today’s society.2011-09-22T15:19:28Z2011-09-22T15:19:28Z20112011-09-22http://hdl.handle.net/10393/20230en
collection NDLTD
language en
sources NDLTD
topic advertising
content analysis
feminist theory
gender representations
hegemony
ideology
magazines
tweens
teens
women and advertising
spellingShingle advertising
content analysis
feminist theory
gender representations
hegemony
ideology
magazines
tweens
teens
women and advertising
Elliott, Rebecca
From Lip Smackers to Wrinkle Cream: Priming the Next Generation of Consuming Women
description The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a model of ideal femininity communicated through advertising in girls’ and women’s magazines. To assess the representations of women in magazine advertisements, a content analysis of advertisements appearing in three top-selling, demographically-defined women’s magazines (Girls’ Life, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan) was conducted. Using feminist theory and hegemony theory as critical lenses, advertisements were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Each advertisement was assessed using five criteria: physical characteristics, social context, personality and attitude, and subtext. Using this data to establish the dominant representations of women, it was determined that there is a model of ideal femininity which is developed through establishing common ideals shared by all three magazines and by gradually introducing new ideals which correspond to shifts in real-world interests and experiences of women. It was concluded that a model of ideal femininity is developed through advertising in girls’ and women’s magazines, this model is used as a guide to direct girls and women towards specific ideal preferences, attitudes and behaviours, and this model continues to emphasise traditional cultural values and gender ideals which are not necessarily reflective of the range of roles women assume in today’s society.
author Elliott, Rebecca
author_facet Elliott, Rebecca
author_sort Elliott, Rebecca
title From Lip Smackers to Wrinkle Cream: Priming the Next Generation of Consuming Women
title_short From Lip Smackers to Wrinkle Cream: Priming the Next Generation of Consuming Women
title_full From Lip Smackers to Wrinkle Cream: Priming the Next Generation of Consuming Women
title_fullStr From Lip Smackers to Wrinkle Cream: Priming the Next Generation of Consuming Women
title_full_unstemmed From Lip Smackers to Wrinkle Cream: Priming the Next Generation of Consuming Women
title_sort from lip smackers to wrinkle cream: priming the next generation of consuming women
publishDate 2011
url http://hdl.handle.net/10393/20230
work_keys_str_mv AT elliottrebecca fromlipsmackerstowrinklecreamprimingthenextgenerationofconsumingwomen
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