Article And Advertisements In Marie Claire example essay topic

One of the most prevalent forms of invisible social control is the creation and perpetuation of stereotypes. Today's society is filled with stereotypes and the media has proven to be an excellent breeding ground. Research in the stereotype domain indicates that the media can prime stereotypes, and these primed stereotypes do influence how people are later perceived. Also the research on media priming of stereotypes generally increases confidence in the generality of the media as a prime.

Television, movies, newspapers and magazines contain millions of images that feature individuals portrayed in stereotypical ways. This paper will examine the February issue of Marie Claire and the gender and racial stereotypes that are evident within the advertisements and articles. For many years society has embraced the idea that the differences between men and women are biologically determined and certain roles, behaviors and attitudes constructed by society assign and control how men and women behave and are perceived. Sex is determined by genetics while our gender is programmed by social customs. Some theories interpret that a women is tender and a loving mother while on the other hand men are aggressive hunters and are the dominant one of the family. Gender roles prescribe norms, which instruct people to pursue specific careers and lifestyles.

Marie Claire, a typical trashy magazine geared towards women, regularly features stories focused on how to make women beautiful, thin, and desirable to men. Its pages are also full of advice regarding who your Prince Charming will be and how he should and shouldn't treat you. The writers and editors lure women by strategically placing beautiful images on glossy covers amongst articles that focus on body image, style, and relationships. The advertisements and articles in Marie Claire help fuel assumptions made about the specific roles and abilities of men and women.

Simply glancing at the magazine section, while waiting in the checkout line, any individual, man or woman, is able to make their own assumptions about how they are perceived and how they are supposed to behave from article headlines, such as those in February's Marie Claire which included: "Fire up His Desire", "Sexy or Skanky?" , "Best Beauty Bargains Ever", "What his Cell Phone Style says about him", and more advice related to fashion and health. These headlines give the impression that its part of a woman's role to be obsessed with their image and their relations with men. Not all articles are written for women however, some specifically instruct the reader to show the article to their boyfriend so he will know what he is and isn't doing correct in the relationship. Men may then be perceived as being incapable of understanding women's needs and wants.

Certain articles help support women in standing up against the pressures of men and society; others encourage women to use top-of-the-line cosmetics in order to prevent wrinkles and signs of aging. Unfortunately, many women get caught up by the pressures of being a woman and are led to believe that one must be extremely skinny and gorgeous to be successful. Certain articles, such as "Beauty Editors' Favorite Bargains" make purchasing beauty products essential by providing less expensive options. This specific article lists the products and descriptions as well as price and makes it seem as if every woman should own each of the products, as if it is part of their role, especially Almay Kinetic Skincare Advanced Anti-Aging Series Firming and Brightening Eye Cream, for approximately $16. This article also makes the suggestion that women are forever supposed to possess young, firm, radiating skin, and that they must go to great lengths to achieve beauty or they will not be accepted by society.

A large portion of the magazine is devoted to advertisements, which feature attractive women and men enthusiastically promoting make-up, designer clothing, and perfume. The sheer amount of advertisements reinforce assumptions and suggestions that women are to be kept neat, stylish, thin, and ready for men. Some, on the other hand, like Pontiac's ad for their Sunfire, Vibe, and Grand Am, which has a headline that instructs women to "Unleash your Nasty Little Urges" attempt to defy the pressures of a male dominated society. Neutrogena uses actor Angie Harmon to sell their Visibly Firm moisture make-up, while Andie McDowell is used to promote the sale of milk. The use of celebrities not only helps the product sell more successfully, but it also reinforces ideas within women's heads, telling them that they too should be using that product or consuming that beverage. Gender roles have formed assumptions about men and women that suggest that they have distinct responsibilities and capabilities.

For centuries men have been perceived to be dominant and aggressive, while women have been seen as passive and submissive. The thought of being masculine conjures up images of muscles, power, and influence, while feminine qualities by and large are associated with childbearing and vulnerability. According to Nancy Chodorow, femininity includes being involved in a continued relationship with a man and having the ability to work productively in specific occupations reserved for females, such as childcare and secretarial work. People who speak loudly and interrupt conversations are generally perceived as having masculine attributes, while people who minimize their spatial use by crossing their arms or pointing their toes inward are seen as feminine. The contents of Marie Claire emphasize gender roles because the majority of its pages are concerned with making a woman look her best so that she can find a man who will eventually be the father of her children. Solomon and Massif discuss the fact that women are beginning to transform roles and change tradition by introducing programs such as Sex and the City; the discussion continues on emphasizing the fact that although these women tell themselves that they are independent and empowered they all still become entwined and hurt by men and obsess over who will provide them with a child.

The article and advertisements in Marie Claire both agree and disagree with the traditional characteristics of male and female gender roles. Many ads are primarily based on how one can make themselves sexually desirable to men, while there remains to be no hint of homosexual behavior throughout the magazine. Rather than discuss childbearing options Marie Claire generally features articles and advertisements concerning birth control, which is where this magazine bends the gender role a bit. Traditionally women were not given the power to influence their reproductive cycles because their primary goal was to procreate. Nowadays as gender roles bend, women are becoming more educated and successful and do not feel the pressure to solely be at home with children. The dominance that men hold over women is emphasized on almost every page of this magazine.

Women claim in advertisements that the use of the product will make them more desirable to males and that if one wears a certain brand name or style they will be perceived as more professional. The men that are featured throughout the magazine seem less aggressive and have more of a feminine ambiance, which makes women feel less threatened. Throughout the entire magazine I was only able to find one ad that featured only one male model. The man is promoting L'Oreal Mega Gel with a headline that reads: Fierce Hold for Extreme Displays of Emotion. This ad goes against societal norms because having emotions is considered to be a feminine quality. The fact that he resembles a woman with make-up and styled hair makes the impression that he is trying to cross gender lines, which is also non-traditional and infrequent within this magazine.

In today's world the media plays a huge role in the way in which people's minds are shaped and formed concerning attitudes about others. In this respect it tends to stereotype racial and minority groups in ways that are consistent. Although racial tensions in America have gotten better, minorities of this sort are still often portrayed in a stereotypical manner throughout the media. This issue of Marie Claire did not have much variance in terms of race. It is definitely a magazine aimed at white, middle to upper class women. When minorities were shown they were extremely attractive, which may seem obvious since the magazine is superficially focused on beauty, but in some contexts a less attractive white woman was shown, however that was not the case for any of the racial minorities.

Any time that a racial minority was present he / she was either a model or celebrity. This does not make much of a representation for the racial group. There were only a select number of Hispanic and Asian women. The few Hispanic and Asians that were present in the magazine were all found in the "fashion" section. That section did not have much content beyond the women wearing the clothing, and therefore it was difficult to uncover any stereotypical portrayals. There were more African-Americans in the magazine than Hispanics and Asians, but still not very many considering the amount of whites seen throughout the entire issue.

Be once, Puff Daddy and a few more of the current African-American pop. culture stars were shown in their usual light. One advertisement that stood out was of a black woman cleansing her face; it was for Noxzema wet cleansing cloths and read, "Instant glow, just add face". The focus of the picture is the woman's face which appears very light, almost white compared to the rest of her body. The advertisement seems to be targeted towards those who wish to look more "white". Another interesting portrayal of an African-American was in an article titled, "The Four Sexiest New Makeup Trends".

It featured four different women modeling four different looks; the three white women were dressed in everyday American fashions and labeled; "the femme fatale,"the glam goddess", and "the classic cutie". However, the black woman was labeled "the tropical temptress" and was dressed in very exotic clothing and jewelry. This article appeared to be drawing some kind of division between the African-American and the rest of the women by making her stand out in her clothes and makeup. One of the African-American males in the magazine was featured as "this month's half-naked hunk". It shows him without a shirt and includes a couple trivial facts, such as his age, height, hometown, and zodiac sign. There is nothing that gives any evidence of him as being anything more than a sex symbol, as opposed to when some of the white males were shown there was information about their occupation or they were portrayed doing some kind of positive act.

Although, there was not much racial stereotyping in the issue of Marie Claire; there was not much representation of racial minorities. This magazine is full of white middle class women, because that's what society says is right. Society creates these stereotypes and we fall into them. The media spreads these memes and they multiply. Society must rise above these petty differences and expel these stereotypes.