Advance Search

Female role portrayal in South African magazine advertisements

Juanne Lauer
University of Pretoria
Keywords:
Copyright and Licensing:
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Share:

How to Cite

Female role portrayal in South African magazine advertisements. (2013). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 32(1), 21-37. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v32i1.1618
  • Articles
  • Submited: October 15, 2022
  • Published: July 1, 2013

Abstract

Even though women actually fulfil many roles in real life, advertisements targeting female
consumers are often accused of depicting women in traditionally stereotypical roles. The purpose
of this article is to analyse the visual elements of the roles portrayed by female models in South
African magazine advertisements. The study on which this article is based has made a unique
contribution by investigating not only the relationship between the roles portrayed and the ethnicity
of the female models, but also the relationship between the product categories advertised and
the ethnicity of the female models. A total of 258 full-page and double-page advertisements were
sampled from two issues of nine consumer magazines published in South Africa. The research,
using content analysis, found that female models were predominantly portrayed as consumers
and as the decorative focal points in advertisements advertising apparel, accessories and
personal care products. A significant relationship was moreover identified between the product
categories advertised and the ethnicity of the female models

Pdf
Pdf

Article Metrics Graph

Article Views | PDF Downloads
Chart Graph | Range Graph

References

  1. Get persistent links for your reference list or bibliography.
  2. Copy and paste the list, we’ll match with our metadata and return the links.
  3. Members may also deposit reference lists here too.
  4. Associated Media Publishing. (2010). Associated media pack. Retrieved April 24, 2013 fromhttp://www.assocmags.co.za.
  5. Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. (2012). Consumer magazines summary. Retrieved February 22, 2013, from http://www.abc.org.za.
  6. Belch, G.E. & Belch, M.A. (2009). Advertising and promotion: an integrated marketing communications perspective. (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
  7. Belkaoui, A. & Belkaoui, J.M. (1976). A comparative analysis of the roles portrayed by women in print advertisements: 1958, 1970, 1972. Journal of Marketing Research, 13(May): 168-172. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224377601300207
  8. Berelson, B. (1952). Content analysis in communication research. New York: Hafner Publishing Company.
  9. Blythe, J. (2008). Consumer behaviour. London: Thomson Learning.
  10. Borgerson, J.L. & Schroeder, J.E. (2002). Ethical issues of global marketing: avoiding bad faith in visual representation. European Journal of Marketing, 36(5/6):570-594. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560210422399
  11. Brassington, F. & Pettitt, S. (2007). Essentials of marketing. (2nd ed.). Essex: Pearson Education.
  12. Bryman, A. & Bell, E. (2007). Business research methods. (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
  13. Caxton Magazines. (2013). Our magazines. Retrieved March 27, 2013, from http://www.caxtonmags.co.za.
  14. Cohan, J.A. (2001). Towards a new paradigm in the ethics of women's advertising. Journal of Business Ethics, 33(4):323-337.
  15. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011862332426
  16. Cooper, D.R. & Schindler, P.S. (2003). Business research methods. (International edition). NewYork: McGraw-Hill.
  17. Courtney, A.E. & Lockeretz, W. (1971). A woman's place: an analysis of the roles portrayed by women in magazine advertisements. Journal of Marketing Research, 8(1):92-95. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224377100800114
  18. Dahlen, M., Lange, F. & Smith, T. (2010). Marketing communications: a brand narrative approach. West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
  19. Ford, J.B., LaTour, M.S. & Honeycutt, E.D. (1997). An examination of the cross-cultural female response to offensive sex role portrayals in advertising. International Marketing Review, 14(6):409-423. https://doi.org/10.1108/02651339710192966
  20. Holtzhausen, T. (2010). Content analysis of roles portrayed by women in advertisements in selected South African media. Unpublished Doctoral thesis, University of Pretoria.
  21. Holtzhausen, T., Jordaan, Y. & North, E.J. (2011). The portrayal of women in South African television commercials. Southern African Business Review, 15(3):167-183.
  22. Hung, K. & Li, S.Y. (2006). Images of the contemporary woman in advertising in China. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 19(2):7-28. https://doi.org/10.1300/J046v19n02_02
  23. Kerin, R.A., Hartley, S.W., Berkowitz, E.N. & Rudelius, W. (2006). Marketing. (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
  24. Khairullah, D.H.Z. & Khairullah, Z.Y. (2009). Cross-cultural analysis of gender roles: Indian and US advertisements. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 21(1):58-75. https://doi.org/10.1108/13555850910926245
  25. Krippendorff, K. (2004). Content analysis: an introduction to its methodology. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  26. Leigh, T.W., Rethans, A.J. & Whitney, T.R. (1987). Role portrayal of women in advertising: cognitive responses and advertising effectiveness. Journal of Advertising Research, October/November:54-63.
  27. Mager, J. & Helgeson, J.G. (2011). Fifty years of advertising images: some changing perspectives on role portrayals along with enduring consistencies. Sex Roles, 64:238-252. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9782-6
  28. Neuendorf, K.A. (2002). The content analysis guidebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  29. North, E. (2003). The roles portrayed by children in South African magazine advertising: a longitudinal study. Communicare, 22(1):58-79.
  30. OMD. (2013). South Africa and SADC: Media facts 2013. Retrieved March 27, 2013, from http://www.omd.co.za.
  31. Orr, R.S., Van Rheede van Oudtshoorn, G.P. & Kotzé, T. (2005). The perceptions of consumers aged 18-30 of "lesbian" appeals in advertising. Communicare, 24(1):49-68.
  32. Peterson, R.T. (2007). Consumer magazine advertisement portrayal of models by race in the US:an assessment. Journal of Marketing Communications, 13(3):199-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527260601086488
  33. Plakoyiannaki, E. & Zotos, Y. (2009). Female role stereotypes in print advertising: identifyingassociations with magazine and product categories. European Journal of Marketing, 43(11/12):1411-1434. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560910989966
  34. Pollay, R.W. & Lysonski, S. (1993). In the eye of the beholder: international differences in ad sexism perceptions and reactions. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 6(2):25-43. https://doi.org/10.1300/J046v06n02_04
  35. Razzouk, N., Seitz, V. & Vacharante, S. (2003). Content analysis of women's magazine advertising in Thailand: implications for global branding. Marketing Management Journal, 13(1):118-125.
  36. Romaniuk, J. (2003). Brand attributes - 'distribution outlets' in the mind. Journal of Marketing Communications, 9(2):73-92. https://doi.org/10.1080/1352726032000088896
  37. Rudansky, S. (1991). The roles portrayed by women in magazine advertisements. Unpublished Master's dissertation, University of South Africa.
  38. Sexton, D.E. & Haberman, P. (1974). Women in magazine advertisements. Journal of Advertising Research, 14(4):41-46.
  39. Shimp, T.A. (2010). Integrated marketing communication in advertising and promotion. (8th ed.). China: South-Western Cengage Learning.
  40. Sullivan, G.L. & O'Connor, P.J. (1988). Women's role portrayals in magazine advertising: 1958- https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00287788 1983.
  41. Sex Roles, 18(3/4):181-188.
  42. Wagner, L.C. & Banos, J.B. (1973). A woman's place: a follow-up analysis of the roles portrayed by women in magazine advertisements. Journal of Marketing Research, 10(2):213-214. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224377301000216
  43. Wang, Y. & Sun, S. (2010). Assessing beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral responses toward online advertising in three countries. International Business Review, 19(4):333-344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2010.01.004
  44. Wiles, J.A., Wiles, C.R. & Tjernlund, A. (1995). A comparison of gender role portrayals in magazine advertising: The Netherlands, Sweden and the USA. European Journal of Marketing, 29(11):35-49. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090569510100696
  45. Wilson, C.C. & Gutiérrez, F. (1995). Race, multiculturalism, and the media: from mass to class communication. (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
  46. Zhang, L., Srisupandit, P. & Cartwright, D. (2009). A comparison of gender role portrayals in magazine advertising: The United States, China and Thailand. Management Research News, 32(7):683-700. https://doi.org/10.1108/01409170910965279
How to Cite
Female role portrayal in South African magazine advertisements. (2013). Communicare: Journal for Communication Studies in Africa, 32(1), 21-37. https://doi.org/10.36615/jcsa.v32i1.1618

Send mail to Author

Send Cancel

Similar Articles

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Custom technologies based on your needs

  • ORCID
  • Crossref
  • PubMed
    • Clarivate