The purpose of the dissertation is to investigate how women are portrayed in two chosen countries: Russia and France. More specifically, it will be investigated whether women are portrayed as sexual objects in both countries or differently. The purpose is to investigate whether this is indeed true by choosing woman magazine Elle to investigate whether women are primarily used as sex objects or not to advertise different products and for what kind of products in France and Russia and whether there is a difference in one of the countries in particular the degree of body revealing clothes plays an important role as well as the gaze of women. As France is supposed to be open-minded to nudity, it was interesting to find out whether this is indeed true and whether Russia is the same because the culture differs. Therefore, a content analysis of magazine advertisements in women magazine Elle has been conducted of the French and Russian issue of Elle from May to September 2014 to investigate the degree sexuality by looking at body revealing clothes that is body display, facial expression as well as nudity will be taken into consideration. In addition, gender roles in advertisements will be considered where women are with a men in advertisement regarding women role allocation. As a guideline, variables will be applied developed by sociologist Ervin Goffman, who developed gender categories which can be applied in advertisements. They are the following: Licensed withdrawal, relative size, function ranking, feminine touch and ritualization of subordination which will be covered and explained in the literature review in more detail. To classify roles women and men take in advertisements when being together, the relative size and function ranking categories will be applied to estimate gender roles in the analysis of advertisements. In addition, the gender roles, that is the position between a man is investigated by measuring size whether woman is equal, smaller or not important and whether she takes decorative roles, non-executive roles making her inferior or not. Goffman’s gender variables will be thus considered to help to find out whether women are portrayed unequal as well. Furthermore, two additional categories have been added by Kang (1997) who did a content analysis using Goffman’s variables, these are body display and self-assertiveness/independence.
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: Introduction
- Chapter 2: Literature Review
- 2.1. Gender roles in magazine advertisements
- 2.3. Cultural theories related to marketing
- 2.4. Communication
- 2.5. Cultural differences between Russia and France
- 2.6. International advertising strategies
- 2.7. Summary of the literature review
- Chapter 3: Research methodology
- Chapter 4: Analysis and discussion of advertisements
- Chapter 5: Conclusion
Objectives and Key Themes
This dissertation aims to investigate the portrayal of women in French and Russian Elle magazine advertisements, specifically examining whether women are portrayed as sexual objects and if there are cultural differences in this portrayal. The study utilizes content analysis to compare advertisements from May to September 2014.
- Cultural differences in the portrayal of women in advertising
- The use of sexual appeal in advertising across different cultures
- Gender roles and their representation in magazine advertisements
- Content analysis as a research methodology for studying advertising
- Application of Goffman's gender categories to analyze advertisements
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1: Introduction: This chapter introduces the dissertation's objective: to investigate the portrayal of women in French and Russian Elle magazine advertisements, focusing on the use of women as sexual objects and potential cultural variations. The study will use content analysis of advertisements from May to September 2014, considering factors like body display, facial expressions, nudity, and gender roles within the advertisements. Goffman's gender categories (licensed withdrawal, relative size, function ranking, feminine touch, ritualization of subordination) and additional categories (body display, self-assertiveness/independence) will guide the analysis to assess the degree of sexuality and gender inequality portrayed.
Chapter 2: Literature Review: This chapter reviews existing literature on gender roles in magazine advertising across different historical periods, exploring how these portrayals have evolved. It also delves into relevant cultural theories, specifically Hofstede's cultural dimensions and Hall's high vs. low context model, to understand the cultural context of French and Russian advertising. The chapter examines communication models and international advertising strategies (standardization vs. adaptation), laying the groundwork for a comparative analysis of French and Russian advertising practices. The chapter concludes by summarizing the key insights from the literature, providing a framework for the research.
Chapter 3: Research methodology: This chapter details the research approach, strategy, and methodology employed in the study. It outlines the research questions and hypotheses, explains the sampling process, and describes how data was collected from French and Russian editions of Elle magazine. The chapter addresses the validity and reliability of the findings and acknowledges potential limitations of the study. The specific process of coding the advertisements to categorize the variables is also explained here.
Chapter 4: Analysis and discussion of advertisements: This chapter presents the analysis of the collected advertisements using Goffman's gender categories and additional variables. It examines the prevalence of specific indicators such as licensed withdrawal, relative size, function ranking, feminine touch, ritualization of subordination, body display, and self-assertiveness/independence in both French and Russian advertisements. The analysis will compare and contrast the findings across both countries, exploring the extent to which advertisements utilize sexual appeal and portray women in stereotypical gender roles. The discussion section will interpret the findings in light of the literature review and explore the implications of the results.
Keywords
Women, advertising, gender roles, content analysis, France, Russia, Elle magazine, sexual objectification, cultural differences, Goffman's gender categories, body display, international advertising, marketing management.
Frequently Asked Questions: Analysis of Gender Portrayal in French and Russian Elle Magazine Advertisements
What is the main topic of this dissertation?
This dissertation investigates the portrayal of women in French and Russian Elle magazine advertisements. It specifically examines whether women are portrayed as sexual objects and explores potential cultural differences in this portrayal between the two countries.
What is the time period covered by the study?
The study analyzes advertisements from the May to September 2014 editions of Elle magazine in both France and Russia.
What research methodology is used?
The research employs content analysis. Advertisements are coded and categorized based on specific variables to assess the portrayal of women.
What theoretical frameworks are used?
The study utilizes Goffman's gender categories (licensed withdrawal, relative size, function ranking, feminine touch, ritualization of subordination) and additional categories (body display, self-assertiveness/independence) to analyze the advertisements. Additionally, relevant cultural theories, such as Hofstede's cultural dimensions and Hall's high vs. low context model, are incorporated to understand the cultural context of French and Russian advertising.
What are the key variables analyzed in the advertisements?
The key variables analyzed include body display, facial expressions, nudity, gender roles, licensed withdrawal, relative size, function ranking, feminine touch, ritualization of subordination, and self-assertiveness/independence.
What is the purpose of Chapter 1?
Chapter 1 introduces the dissertation's objective and outlines the research questions. It explains the methodology and the theoretical framework used in the study.
What is covered in Chapter 2 (Literature Review)?
Chapter 2 reviews existing literature on gender roles in magazine advertising, exploring their historical evolution. It also delves into cultural theories relevant to understanding the context of French and Russian advertising, examining communication models and international advertising strategies.
What is the focus of Chapter 3 (Research Methodology)?
Chapter 3 details the research approach, including the sampling process, data collection methods, and the coding process used to categorize the advertisements. It also addresses the validity and reliability of the findings and acknowledges potential limitations.
What does Chapter 4 (Analysis and Discussion) entail?
Chapter 4 presents the analysis of the collected advertisements using Goffman's gender categories and additional variables. It compares and contrasts the findings across both countries, exploring the extent to which advertisements utilize sexual appeal and portray women in stereotypical gender roles. The discussion interprets the findings in light of the literature review.
What are the key findings of the study (in general terms)?
The key findings are presented in Chapter 4 and compare the portrayal of women in French and Russian Elle magazine advertisements, assessing the frequency and nature of sexual objectification and stereotypical gender roles across both cultures.
What are the keywords associated with this dissertation?
Keywords include: Women, advertising, gender roles, content analysis, France, Russia, Elle magazine, sexual objectification, cultural differences, Goffman's gender categories, body display, international advertising, marketing management.
- Quote paper
- Christin Thieler (Author), 2014, The portrayal of women in Elle magazine advertisements. A comparison between France and Russia, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/441297
