The Construction of Gender in Contemporary Magazine Advertisements.

Abstract

The advertising industry has historically legitimatized differences between the sexes by portraying gender norms in both idealized and stereotypical ways. With the media providing insight into acceptable social norms, and with greater visibility of diverse forms of gender expression emerging today, the study sought to explore whether the mass media is welcoming of contemporary understandings of gender that differ from the anticipated behaviours stemming from the gender binary system. Through the examination of traditional gender stereotypes in contemporary print advertising, the study analyzed how advertisements portray gender in 2017, how advertising helps society understand contemporary gender norms, and if the depictions of gender differ between representations found in American and Canadian magazines. The study utilized the theoretical underpinnings of Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann’s theory of social constructionism and Albert Bandura’s social learning theory as a way to examine dominant gender norms and how they are perpetuated in society by processes of socialization and reinforcement. Both theories were also used to study the role the media plays in reinforcing or destigmatizing traditional gender norms. Through a content analysis that drew inspiration from the coding framework from Erving Goffman’s (1979) historically acclaimed research on gender and advertising, as well as several modernized coding categories, the study examined 133 print advertisements found within the summer editions of two Canadian magazine publications, FASHION and Sharp, and two American magazine publications, Cosmopolitan and GQ. Notably, the study revealed that with greater trends of metrosexuality and effeminacy in men, stereotypes associated with traditional masculinity are being reduced at greater degrees in advertising than feminine stereotypes. Furthermore, the findings revealed that Canadian advertisements were more likely to be progressive in their representation of gender by including gender diverse individuals in their advertisements more often than American publications. The implications of the study reveal that traditional gender norms and stereotypes may be relaxing and advertising may be becoming more tolerant of gender diversity, but stigmas are not disappearing entirely. It can be anticipated that with greater understanding and educative efforts, the visibility of gender diverse individuals in advertisements will become more commonplace.