Abstract
This study was designed to examine whether radio format and musical artists' gender predict sexual content in trade advertisements geared toward radio program directors. Advertisements were coded from one of the leading music trade magazines, Radio & Records magazine, between 2002 and 2003. Results indicated that overall women artists used sexual content in trade advertisements more often and to a greater degree than did men. In some cases, advertisements in radio formats with younger demographic markets, such as pop or hip-hop, also used higher levels of sexual content. It is concluded that the organizational context of the commercial music industry helps to perpetuate status differences between women and men artists, which may then bring about a cognitive bias in the field that promotes women artists' over reliance on using sexual content in trade advertisements.
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We thank Deanne Casanova for her administrative support and Laura Carpenter, Steve Lee, and Jennifer Lena for providing comments on an earlier draft.
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Appendix
Appendix
Summary of Sexual Content Measures
Overall degree of sex
None | 0 | |
Low | 1–3 | e.g., Implies sexual teasing |
Medium | 4–6 | e.g., Implies sexual foreplay |
High | 7–9 | e.g., Implies intercourse |
Self-touch
None | 1 | |
Low | 2 | e.g., Touching face |
Medium | 3 | e.g., Touching torso/chest |
High | 4 | e.g., Touching groin |
Nudity
None | 1 | |
Low | 2 | e.g., Bare midriff |
Medium | 3 | e.g., Bare cleavage/chest |
High | 4 | e.g., Nude |
Sexy clothing
None | 1 | |
Low | 2 | e.g., High heels, tight shirt |
Medium | 3 | e.g., Short shorts, tight jeans, visible underwear, unbuttoned shirt |
High | 4 | e.g., Lingerie, swimwear, body suit, unbuttoned pants |
Sexual body positioning
None | 1 | |
Low | 2 | e.g., Knee bend, hip thrust, shoulder tilt |
Medium | 3 | e.g., Laying down, leaning forward, kneeling |
High | 4 | e.g., Legs spread, bending over |
Seductive facial expressions
None | 1 | |
Low | 2 | e.g., Hair on face, winking, batting eyelashes, squinting |
Medium | 3 | e.g., Moist/parted lips, puckering, pouting |
High | 4 | e.g., Licking lips |
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Tanner-Smith, E.E., Williams, D.T. & Nichols, D. Selling Sex to Radio Program Directors: A Content Analysis of Radio & Records Magazine. Sex Roles 54, 675–686 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9033-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-006-9033-z