Media and Gender Stereotyping :: Media Stereotyping of Men and Women

1 ABSTRACT Past search give that media culture, particularly magazines, present stereotypical notions of sexuality. Gender stereotypes are not inflexible, comparable a barometer stereotypes change to reflect twain societal and cultural values. This research set out to study current gender stereotypes types in quaternary popular magazines (Marie Claire, GQ, Shape and Mens Health). The advertise handsts were categorised into gender specific and gender neutral adverts. The results found that the mode for gender specific adverts for both men and womens magazines related to female specific related adverts. Although the findings did not support the forecasting of stereotypical gender specific advertising, the research itself was characterised by a derive of weaknesses. 2 INTRODUCTION Advertisements have appeared in print media since the invention of the garden truck press in the 1500s. The usage of the term magazine itself first came near wit h the publication of The Gentlemens Magazine and The Ladys Magazine in the 1730s by Edward Cave (1691-1754) (Connor, G 2001). Different types of magazines pull round for just about every age and social group, for any interest, interest and lifestyle. Advertisers make use of information gathered by agencies like first rudiment (Audit Bureau of Circulation) and the NRS (National Readership Survey), who categorise consumers by age, gender, occupation and socio-economic status. This knowledge enables advertisers to design ad campaigns specific to their target audience through the types of magazines they read (cited in Magazines and Gender, 2004). in time though adverts are designed with a specific audience in mind, they are still developed to appeal to the vast majority indoors that target audience there is no resource, finance or ability to market each unique individual. Advertisers exploit stereotypical gender types to produce advertisement to have the widest appeal. Societies have always had ways of oppositeiating between both men and women, between masculinity and femininity through the assertion of different attitudes and behaviour patterns onto each gender (as cited in Gender and Identity, 2004). It is therefore requirement to distinguish between sex, gender and