Abstract
This article represents an analysis of the sexual images of women in magazine advertisements. I examined advertisements in Black- and White-oriented, men’s and women’s magazines to compare the images of women’s sexuality that are constructed for each specific audience. Over 600 images of women were analyzed based on seven dimensions, including function/role, relative function/authority, physical/body position, relative size/height, character traits, body view, and physical characteristics. The images of women’s sexuality vary depending on the race of the intended audience and the race of the women in the advertisements. Advertisements for White audiences portray women in roles and with characteristics that suggest dependency and submissiveness, whereas advertisements for Black audiences portray women as independent and dominant. I also found that White women are objectified much more than Black women are.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Archer, D., Iritani, B., Kimes, D., & Barrios. M. (1983). Face-ism: Five studies of sex differences in facial prominence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 725–735.
Collins, P. (2000). Black feminist thought (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge.
Coltrane, S., & Messineo, M. (2000). The perpetuation of subtle prejudice: Race and gender imagery in 1990s television advertising. Sex Roles, 42, 363–389.
Cortese, A. (1999). Provocateur: Images of women and minorities in advertising. Oxford: Rowman & Littlefield.
Courtney, A., & Whipple, T. (1983). Sex stereotyping in advertising. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.
Frankenberg, R. (1993). White women, race matters: The social construction of whiteness. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Franklin, C. (1994). “Ain’t I a man?” The efficacy of Black masculinities for men’s studies in the 1990s. In R. Majors & J. Gordon (Eds.), The American Black male: His present status and his future (pp. 271–283). Chicago: Nelson-Hall.
Frisby, C. (2004). Does race matter? Effects of idealized images on African American women’s perceptions of body esteem. Journal of Black Studies, 34, 323–347.
Gillum, T. (2002). Exploring the link between stereotypic images and intimate partner violence in the African American community. Violence Against Women, 8, 64–86.
Goffman, E. (1979). Gender advertisements. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gornick, V. (1979). Introduction. In E. Goffman (Ed.), Gender advertisements (pp. vii–ix). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Humphrey, R., & Schuman, H. (1984). The portrayal of Blacks in magazine advertisements. Public Opinion Quarterly, 48, 551–563.
Jackson, L., & Ervin, K. (1991). The frequency and portrayal of Black females in fashion advertisements. Journal of Black Psychology, 18, 67–70.
Jewell, K. (1993). From Mammy to Miss America and beyond. New York: Routledge.
Kang, M. (1997). The portrayal of women’s images in magazine advertisements: Goffman’s gender analysis revisited. Sex Roles, 37, 979–996.
Kilbourne, J., & Jhally, S. (producer). (2000). Killing us softly 3 [videotape]. Northampton, MA: Media Education Foundation.
Krassas, N., Blauwkamp, J., & Weaseling, P. (2001). Boxing Helena and Corseting Eunice: Sexual rhetoric in Cosmopolitan and Playboy magazines. Sex Roles, 44, 751–771.
Lavine, H., Sweeney, D., & Wagner S. (1999). Depicting women as sex objects in television advertising: Effects on body dissatisfaction. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 1049–1058.
Lindsey, L. (1997). Gender roles (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Loury, G. (2000). Twenty-five years of Black America: Two steps forward and one step back? Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 27, 19–52.
Lueptow, L., Garovich-Szabo, L., & Lueptow, M. (2001). Social change and the persistence of sex typing: 1974–1997. Social Forces, 80, 1–36.
MacKinnon, C. (1989). Toward a feminist theory of the state. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
McLaughlin, T., & Goulet. N. (1999). Gender advertisements in magazines aimed at African Americans: A comparison to their occurrence in magazines aimed at Caucasians. Sex Roles, 40, 61–71.
Mediamark Research, Inc. (2003). Available from: http://www. mediamark.com.
Milburn, S., Carney, D., & Ramirez, A. (2001). Even in modern media, the picture is still the same: A content analysis of clipart images. Sex Roles, 44, 277–294.
Paff, J., & Lakner, B. (1997). Dress and the female gender role in magazine advertisements of 1950–1994: A content analysis. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 26, 29-58.
Patel, K., & Gray, J. (2001). Judgement accuracy in body preference among African Americans, Sex Roles, 44, 227–235.
Plous, S., & Neptune, D. (1997). Racial and gender biases in magazine advertising: A content analytic study. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 627–644.
Rainwater, L., & Yancey, W. (1967). The Moynihan report and the politics of controversy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Renzetti, C., & Curran, D. (1999). Women, men, and society (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Ross, K. (2000). In whose image? TV criticism and Black minority viewers. In S. Cottle (Ed.), Ethnic minorities and the media (pp. 133–148). Philadelphia: Simon Cottle.
Simmons Market Research Bureau. (1998). Simmons study of media and markets. Tampa, FL: Simmons Market Research Bureau.
Strinati, D. (1995). An introduction to theories of popular culture. New York: Routledge.
Thomas, M., & Treiber, L. (2000). Race, gender, and status: A content analysis of print advertisements in four popular magazines. Sociological Spectrum, 20, 357–371.
White, D. (1981). Ain’t I a woman? Female slaves in the antebellum south. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Illinois at Chicago Circle, 1979). Dissertation Abstracts International, 40 (04), 2205A. (UMI No. 7923030)
Wilson, W. (1987). The truly disadvantaged. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Baker, C.N. Images of Women’s Sexuality in Advertisements: A Content Analysis of Black- and White-Oriented Women’s and Men’s Magazines. Sex Roles 52, 13–27 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-1190-y
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-005-1190-y