Depictions of Women and Men in Advertisements Featured in Japanese Fashion Magazines

This study examined the representations of men and women in advertisements appearing in Japanese fashion magazines. Through a form of frame analysis, the overall findings showed that men were more likely to be presented as in control than women. The percentage of women exuding confidence, however, was just as high as it was for the men in the advertisements. No difference was found between the placement of men and women in positions of dominance. In terms of being presented as sexual objects, women were more likely to be presented in a sexually suggestive manner than men. Certain variations in the overall findings did exist depending on whether or not the advertisements appeared in a male-targeted Japanese fashion magazine or a female-targeted Japanese fashion magazine.

Publisher: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, TBA, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 22, 2008
Year of Publication: 2008