Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sexism advertising'

El sexismo en la publicidad se encuentra perenne en nuestra sociedad al mostrar a la mujer con estereotipos de comportamiento y como un objeto sexual. Con intención de visibilizar la competencia mediática de las mujeres limeñas, de una brecha generacional, desde sus dimensiones del lenguaje e ideología y valores, se realizó el presente trabajo en donde se podrá observar si existe una mayor competencia mediática por parte de las mujeres jóvenes (Grupo 1) o si existe una competencia mediática desarrollada parcialmente en ambas muestras (Grupo 1 y Grupo 2). Para indagar las percepciones de las consumidoras, se realizaron catorce entrevistas a profundidad en donde se mostraron cuatro publicidades y se realizaron preguntas dirigidas para dar respuesta a la pregunta de investigación planteada.
Sexism in advertising is perennial in our society by portraying women with stereotypical behaviors and as a sexual object. With the intention of making visible the media competence of Lima women, of a generation gap, from its dimensions of language and ideology and values, the present article was carried out where it can be observed if there is greater media competition on the part of young women (Group 1) or if there is a partially developed media competence in both samples (Group 1 and Group 2). To investigate consumer perceptions, fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted in which four advertisements were shown and directed questions were asked to answer the research question posed.
Tesis

Gender representation is a frequently addressed field within media and communication studies in general and in the subject of TV advertising in particular. Previous research mainly focused on the detection of commonly exploited stereotypes that are used to portray women and men respectively. Much emphasize has been placed on the relationship between the sexes regarding social roles and professions, embedded in a cultural and ideological context. The purpose of this scientific work however is to examine how the construction of gender stereotypes in media takes place, which practices are used to connote meaning. Using a qualitative method, namely a visual discourse analysis, the aim of the study is to unveil subtle but also obvious symbols and characteristics that are used to represent feminine and masculine traits respectively in order to expand the current body of research. This proceeding marks an approach to have a closer look at the social interaction of females and males in TV advertisements in order to get an insight in the allocation of power and subsequently, social roles. Four TV advertisements are used as objects of investigation. As a theoretical fundament, the gender theories of sexism, masculinism and feminism are introduced. The findings suggest that the representation of women and men still follows strong patterns of stereotyping, not just on the level of role allocation but also on a behavioral level. However, the study comes to the conclusion that an asymmetric treatment of the sexes is not necessarily the result of gender stereotyping; in the case, both sexes are stereotyped similarly, not depicting either men or women dominating their counterparts in a global context.

Advertising is constantly surrounding us in different shapes, meaning that companies need to stand out in order to invoke people's attention. Advertising reflects the society's current norms which means that the media and society's values affect each other (Fagerström & Nilsson, 2008). Women have for a long time been objectified and presented in stereotypical roles since sexism is a common component in advertising (Grau & Zotos, 2016). An industry that is frequently being accused of promoting an asymmetrical image of women's bodies is the fast fashion industry (Fay & Price, 1994). It is crucial in both a societal- and business perspective to take responsibility when it comes to sexism in advertising. This study aims to examine female consumers attitudes towards quality attributes in advertising within the female fast fashion industry. Given the research purpose of this thesis, the research questions are: 1) How can the quality attributes in the female fast fashion industry be used to satisfy women as customers? 2) How does quality attributes contribute to customer (dis-)satisfaction in the female fast fashion industry? A preliminary study was organized to state consumers’ different attributes of sexism to use in the questionnaire. Followed by this was the main study with Kano pair questions that included 201 respondents. The pair questions were formulated by the attributes identified in the preliminary study. This study shows how all the presented attributes (“Size zero”, “White people”, “CIS-person”, “Functional variation”, “Unrealistic ideals”, “High level of nudity”, “Erotic way”, “Sexual desire”, “Body focus”, “Behind or breasts” and “Lips or mouth”) were classified as “Reversed” which is an indication of dissatisfaction and an urge for the attribute to be the opposite. This thesis demonstrates the relationship between the quality attributes and theories regarding objectification and portrayal of women. The customers’ attitudes towards the quality attributes correlate with the consequences as results of advertising in a sexist way. Businesses within the female fast fashion industry can prioritise the customer requirements for their advertisements in all assistance measurement and estimation of customer satisfaction in order to rise above the current way of advertising and become more customer oriented and to take responsibility and participation in the development of a gender equal society.

Background: Brands that decide to publish sexist advertisements can generate issues for the company, as well as the perception the consumer has of the brand can become negative. This as consumers form attitudes towards the brand’s delivered communication which influence the overall evaluation the consumer has towards the brand. It is therefore of importance for brands to understand how to respond to sexist advertisements that have been published in order to determine the created negative publicity, where one given approach is to apply one of the image repair strategies. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe how a brand’s image repair strategy towards its sexist advertisement affects consumers’ attitudes. Methodology: This research undertook a qualitative research approach with a descriptive nature. In order to ensure that the advertisements were classified as sexist and that the image repair strategies correspond with the brand’s responses according to the public, a pre-study was conducted through five semi-structured interviews. For the main study eight semi-structured interviews were conducted with both men and women as participants within the ages of 19-56 years old. Findings: The thesis identified that consumers' attitudes were affected by the four components: correspondence between advertisement and response, authenticity in the response, clarity regarding what actions to take and pre-knowledge of the brand. These components are therefore of importance for companies to take in consideration when responding towards sexist advertisements that they have sent out. Conclusion: Regarding the image repair strategies it was found that the responses given through the strategies of denial, evasion of responsibility and reduction of offensives lacked in all detected components. Furthermore, mortification as a strategy was not perceived as negative regarding the responses, however it still lacked the components. Corrective action was the only strategy where consumers' attitudes did not become negative towards the correspondence and authenticity in the response. However, all five strategies lacked clarity regarding what actions to take.

The intention of this thesis is to gain a greater understanding, to how communicators who has been convicted for gender discrimination by The Swedish Advertising Ombudsman, view their own creative process and their ethical responsibility in society. With their answers we hope to be able to approach a greater understanding of why sexism in the advertising industry still occurs. To approach the question we have conducted qualitative semi-structured research interviews with communicators involved in the creative process of advertisements that have been convicted by the Swedish self-regulatory organization, The Swedish Advertising Ombudsman for gender discrimination. Our question is focusing on their creative process for the current ad, personal values and responsibility and how the conviction has affected them and their future processes. In the result we found out that external factors such as time, money and the client had a major role in the process but also in their general work. Most of the respondents answer to only themselves when they make moral judgements and they generally have a misplaced view of the definition of gender discrimination, or sexism. All respondents agree that communicators, including themselves, have an impact on our society but they do not consider their own work to be a part of reproducing values and stereotypes. Almost all respondents express a strong distrust for The Swedish Advertising Ombudsman where most of them do not agree with their decision. The convictions haven’t lead to any major consequences, although, most of the respondents claimed that they will spend more time reflecting about their ads before publishing it. Some of the respondents also said that they are going to ask the client twice if they really want to publish this work, even though it’s a risk that it might be convicted for gender discrimination. Many of these factors shows that the conviction has not led to any major consequences.

This study re-evaluates the Consciousness Scale originally formulated by Pingree et al. in 1976. The element of assumed power was added to the Consciousness Scale, which was then used to evaluate 516 magazine advertisements from 1999 to determine if the Consciousness Scale still accurately evaluates sexism in media. A set of advertisements was culled which had contradictory Consciousness Scale and power ratings. The set was evaluated, revealing common themes, which created difficulty in coding these modern images. The study revealed that while the Consciousness Scale can still provide a valuable tool in evaluating media images, the change in the social dynamic of women as well as minorities and how advertisers portray them must be taken into account. The element of power as well as a more nuanced reading of each level of the Consciousness Scale creates a more modern and complex evaluation of gender images in the media.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Akron, School of Communication, 2006.
"December, 2006." Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed 10/15/2007) Advisor, Dudley B. Turner; Faculty readers, N. J. Brown, Kathleen D. Clark; Director, School of Communication, Carolyn Anderson ; Dean of the College, James Lynn; Dean of the Graduate School, George R. Newkome. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this essay was to investigate and highlight the strengths and shortcomings of Critical Discourse Analysis and Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis when used as an analytical tool. By comparing the representation of women and men in print advertisements, and how there may be a difference in language being used to describe both genders, including the use of sexist language, a critique of CDA and FCDA could be established. In order to establish this all areas of the advertisements had to be taken into account, including layout and images used. The ads were read and interpreted through CDA and FCDA in order to investigate and identify the strengths, and any shortcomings, of the theories. The investigation shows that, although CDA and FCDA scholars could argue that women tended to be described in a more sexist manner overall, a counterargument could also be made on most accounts. The argument which supported sexism was especially observable through how women’s bodies were more often fragmented in images and positioned in more sexual positions, but also how the advertisements not only reinforced stereotypes as well as using distinctly negative language in their descriptions. However, gender stereotyping against men in the ads was also prevalent, which allowed an argument against CDA and FCDA’s theories about existing power struggles. Although the investigation did manage to substantiate the critique regarding how CDA and FCDA view the differences in gender representations, therefore fulfilling its aim, perhaps a more accurate result would have been possible to achieve if more print advertisements had been used in the investigation. However, this was not possible due to the qualitative nature of the investigation.

abstract: The advertising industry plays a crucial role in how ideals and norms are established in United States society. Recent work is revealing the negative impact advertisements can have on self-esteem and self-image, especially for women. Unrealistic body-types, often created through photo editing, continue to contribute to eating and emotional disorders. Such fabricated ideals hinder the progress of social and economic justice for women. This exploratory study investigates whether images of women in traditionally male-dominated roles can weaken sexist attitudes and whether less sexism and highly sexist groups differ in image processing. Participants who scored high or low on the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory were exposed to a set of images of females in the female-dominated occupation of waitress and females in the male-dominated occupation of construction while measuring their neural activity using EEG. Participants complete the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory before and after the experiment. P3 oddball effects are measured for each participant with the hypothesis that the High Sexism group will view female construction workers with a higher oddball effect than the low sexism group. With 38 participants, there is a significant difference between the groups with individuals scoring low on the ASI showing a greater difference between the waitress and construction worker images compared to individuals scoring high on the ASI. Further, exposure to these images did not significantly reduce ASI scores in either group.
Dissertation/Thesis
Masters Thesis Justice Studies 2015

This report examines the sexualization and objectification of women in print advertising, and the consequences of these depictions. The major themes found in advertising are discussed, and their role in reinforcing sexism and female stereotypes. Advertising’s impact on society’s attitudes, beliefs, and behavior in relation to social comparison theory and cultivation theory are examined. The report examines historical implications of women’s role in advertising and the gradual shift to new trends in advertising that seek to empower women. Through content analysis of the 2005 Nike Real Women campaign, implications and recommendations for future advertising are discussed.
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This diploma thesis compares linguistic and sexist expressions used in adverts and on websites of companies Free Rádio, ÚAMK, Pila Pasák and Rodinný pivovar Bernard. The first part of the thesis provides broad theoretical background focusing on media, media communication, new media, marketing communication, sexism and linguistic aspects of marketing communication. Great deal of attention is paid to pragmatic aspects of advertising language, the communication functions and speech acts in adverts. The work also deals with sexual information in adverts, e.g. types of sexual information used in advertising, its effectiveness, typical sexist expressions but also with legal and ethical frames in advertising. The second part of the thesis are the analyses themselves. The adverts are analysed through a questionnaire that covers pragmatic, semiotic and semantic aspects so that the intersemiotic character of advertising is covered; other issues included are types of sexual information and sexist expressions. The websites are analysed through a questionnaire that challenges the structure of the website, its aim, design, used vehicles of expression, pragmatic aspects of the used language and the presence of sexism. The aim of this thesis is to answer five questions covering such issues as used vehicles of...

Dissertação de mestrado em Marketing e Estratégia
O sexismo apresenta-se como um entrave à igualdade de género. É importante a compreensão de que o sexismo se encontra inserido em diferentes espaços da sociedade. O sexismo na publicidade apresenta-se como um dos principais promotores da perpetuação dos estereótipos de género, isto devido à influência que detém na criação de valores e normais sociais. Torna-se assim essencial compreender qual a influência da problemática no comportamento e processo de decisão do consumidor. Assim, o objetivo central da presente investigação consiste em compreender se o sexismo presente na publicidade influencia a decisão de compra do consumidor e quais os motivos que podem levar, ou não, a tal. Além disso, os investigadores consideram fundamental compreender o conhecimento dos indivíduos sobre o conceito e a consistência da perceção do sexismo existente nos diferentes formatos de anúncios publicitários. Um último objetivo compreende a comparação do comportamento do consumidor inserido em diferentes grupos geracionais, nomeadamente a geração X e a geração Y. Com base numa abordagem mista, a metodologia selecionada assentou, numa primeira fase, na aplicação de inquéritos por questionário a membros da geração X e geração Y, tendo sido obtidas um total de 140 respostas viáveis. Este primeiro método serviu os investigadores como uma plataforma que permitiu compreender o conhecimento existente perante o conceito de sexismo e a sua perceção por parte dos consumidores. Numa segunda fase foram realizados dois grupos de foco, com 8 participantes cada, divididos por grupos geracionais. O seu objetivo consistiu em solucionar a principal questão de investigação. Em última instância foi realizada uma análise geracional comparativa tendo por base os resultados obtidos nos grupos de foco. Os resultados sugerem que os consumidores se encontram familiarizados com o conceito de sexismo, percecionam a sua existência nos anúncios publicitários, mas este não se apresenta relevante aquando da decisão de compra. As diferenças geracionais não se apresentam massivas, existindo diversos pontos de concordância, nomeadamente em relação aos motivos pelos quais o sexismo não se revela como um agente influente. Os resultados fornecem conhecimento sobre a influência da problemática do sexismo na mente do indivíduo enquanto consumidor e proporcionam as bases para futuros investigadores combaterem a inércia reacional perante o sexismo na publicidade.
Sexism is an obstacle to gender equality. It is important to understand that sexism is embedded in different spaces of society. Sexism in advertising is one of the main promoters of the perpetuation of gender stereotypes, due to its influence in the creation of values and social norms. It is thus essential to understand the influence of the problem on consumer behaviour and decisionmaking. Thus, the central objective of the present investigation is to understand if the sexism present in advertising influences the purchase’s decision of the consumer and what are the reasons that can lead or not to such. In addition, researchers consider it fundamental to understand individuals' knowledge about the concept of sexism and the consistency of perceived sexism in the different formats of advertising. A final objective includes the comparison of the behaviour of the consumer inserted in different generational cohorts, members of generation X and generation Y. Based on a mixed approach, the selected methodology was based on the application of questionnaire surveys to members of generation X and generation Y, with a total of 140 viable answers obtained. This first method served the researchers as a platform that allowed them to understand the existing knowledge about the concept of sexism and its perception by the consumers. In a second phase two focus groups were carried out, with 8 participants each, and divided by generational groups. The aim of focus groups was to address the main research question. Ultimately a comparative generational analysis was performed based on the results obtained in the focus groups. The results suggest that consumers are familiar with the concept of sexism, perceive existence in commercials, but this doesn’t appear to be relevant at the time of purchase decision. The generational differences do not appear massive, and there are several points of agreement, especially regarding the reasons why sexism doesn’t reveal itself as an influential agent. The results provide insight into the influence of the issue of sexism on the individual's mind as a consumer and provide the basis for future researchers to counter reactionary inertia in the face of sexism in advertising.

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for PhD: Management Sciences , Durban University of Technology. Durban. South Africa, 2015.
The history of South Africa has many scars of oppression and women have long experienced a disempowered position in society. It is also a history of intrepid efforts to emancipate South Africans from past afflictions. Media in South Africa played a key role in amplifying the apartheid regime and also overthrowing it. Media has significant power, is regarded as a bastion of freedom and nation building, and by means of its representation, contributes to our individual and social identities. Magazine media, in particular, are modern and popular cultural forms of representation. It is a significant force in South African culture and plays a central role in shaping public opinion on women. South Africa has a deep-rooted patriarchal value system and while advances can be commended, significant challenges persist. Despite women actively engaging in various aspects of society, from business to sport, they continue to receive marginal support and media attention. Stereotypical representations abound in magazine content and women are often sexualised and objectified in traditionally feminine, decorative roles and framed by their social positions as homemakers and non-professionals. This study explores magazines’ representation of women and the influence on identity construction. The connected landscapes of media’s production and consumption practices is also addressed, as there is a powerful interplay of how the economics of publishing significantly shape media content. This study proposes a model that contributes to promoting diversity in media content, ownership and control, critical citizenry and media accountability in terms of social change and gender equality. The qualitative methodological approach addresses the issue of objectification of women in editorial content and advertisements of two of South Africa’s leading consumer magazines, YOU and DRUM. The findings reveal that gender stereotypes thrive in magazine texts that repeatedly represent women as objects for male consumption, thereby not reflecting the diverse and progressive roles of modern day women. Magazine media can play a powerful role in helping to dislodge the patriarchal, public attitudes towards women. Diversified, equitable representation of gender in media is important so that it may demonstrate, and influence, society’s shift towards egalitarian principles. This study serves as a catalyst for change by building a knowledge base and raising awareness regarding magazines’ role in identity construction, by advocating gender issues and by contributing to gender parity in and through the media.
D

This qualitative study uses narrative inquiry (Connelly & Clandinin, 1988, 1990, 2001) and self-study to investigate ways to further understand and facilitate the integration of holistic philosophies of education with media literacy pedagogies. As founder and director of the Youth Media Literacy Project and a self-titled Imagitator (one who agitates imagination), I have spent over 10 years teaching media literacy in various high schools, universities, and community centres across North America. This study will focus on my own personal practical knowledge (Connelly & Clandinin, 1982) as a culture jammer, educator and cancer survivor to illustrate my original vision of a ‘holistic media literacy pedagogy’. This research reflects on the emergence and impact of holistic media literacy in my personal and professional life and also draws from relevant interdisciplinary literature to challenge and synthesize current insights and theories of media literacy, holistic education and culture jamming.