Date of Graduation
5-2018
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Journalism
Advisor/Mentor
Lucy Brown
Committee Member/Reader
Ignatius Fosu
Committee Member/Second Reader
Brian Rickard
Committee Member/Third Reader
Ravi Damodar Barabote
Abstract
This comparative content analysis will investigate how African American women are depicted in Essence magazine advertisements and seeks to answer the research question: Are the characteristics of advertisements in Essence magazines significantly different when under complete corporate ownership compared to being under primarily African American ownership? The specific goal is to examine the extent to which Afrocentric or Eurocentric depictions are being reinforced, if at all, and to observe if depictions of African American women are shifting or are immobile. To do this, the study will compare advertisements in Essence magazines in 2001, when the magazine was 51 percent Black-owned, with advertisements in 2016, when the magazine was under the full ownership of Time Incorporated.
Following is a review of the representation of people of color literature. It examines relevant theories such as cultivation theory and research conducted on advancing knowledge about stereotypes in mass media, representation of African American women, and beauty and sexuality depictions.
Keywords
African American women, magazine, mainstream media
Citation
Phillips, R. (2018). Seeking Representations of Afrocentric Beauty: A Comparative Content Analysis of Advertisements in Essence Magazine. Journalism Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/jouruht/7
Included in
African American Studies Commons, African Languages and Societies Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, Hip Hop Studies Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Other Arts and Humanities Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons