Magazine 2007 Abstracts
Magazine Division
From Orient to Occident: Progress and Traditionalism in National Geographic Coverage of Israelis and Palestinians • Mary Abowd, Ohio University • This study examined National Geographic’s coverage of Israelis and Palestinians from 1948 to the present. Using frame analysis, it found that Israelis were depicted as technologically advanced, while Palestinians appeared as underdeveloped. This perspective began to shift during the 1990s, likely as a result of movement toward Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Thus, National Geographic’s editorial content changed over time, with increased and more nuanced coverage of Palestinians during the 1990s and into the 21st century.
Likelihood to Buy a Product from a Magazine Advertisement and the Third-Person Effect: Magazine Consumer Perceptions of the “Other” • Stephen Banning, Bradley University • Using magazine advertisements, this study examined consumer behavior in regard to likelihood to buy and the third-person effect. The third-person effect, the tendency for people to believe others are more affected by media messages then they themselves are, was tested in regard to several advertising related variables including susceptibility to influence, attitude to advertising, likelihood to buy the advertised product, and perception that the advertising was aimed at the participant.
Images of Subordination, Independence, and Sexual Overtones: A Comparison of Advertisements in Seventeen and Girl’s Life Magazines • Anya Britzius and Carol Schwalbe, Arizona State University • This study compares how advertisements in two teen magazines–Seventeen and Girl’s Life—in 2006 conveyed messages of subordination, independence, and sexual overtones. Frame analysis is used to examine the gestures, expressions, and postures of female models. Unlike previous studies of teen magazine ads, which found females depicted as subordinate rather than independent, this research reveals more balance, with at least one subordination cue or independence cue in half of all 266 full-page ads analyzed.
The Changing Landscape of Women’s Magazines in Asia: A Singapore Case Study • Katherine Frith and Hyun Sook, Nanyang Technological University • Since the Singapore government first opened the door to Elle in 1994 there has been a substantial increase in women’s magazines. Today, there are between 35-40 women’s magazines available. This preliminary study examines the growth and content of international and local women’s magazines in Singapore and through a case study of one country aims to shed light on some of the trends in publishing to women in the Asian region.
Sexual Health and Female Teen Magazines: Dangerous Gendered Codes • Katherine LaVail, University of Iowa • This paper examines sexual health coverage of Teen People and Cosmo Girl from 2000 to 2006 from a third wave feminist perspective. With close attention to sexually transmitted diseases and infections, three dominant trends emerge. First, sexual health information is restricted to advising readers to deny their sexuality, recommending abstinence and using strong anecdotal consequences for those who do not take this advice.
Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except for Me and John Lennon: Rolling Stone’s Creation of a Mythic Pop Culture Icon • Bryan McGeary, Ohio University • John Lennon became a revolutionary force in popular music beginning in the 1960s. Despite his murder in 1980, his larger-than-life status continued to grow. Magazines have contributed to the increasing culture of celebrity worship. Rolling Stone was one of the magazines highly responsible for the transformation of popular musicians like Lennon into mythic figures. This qualitative, grounded framing study examined 243 articles and found six major recurring content frames in Rolling Stone’s presentation of Lennon.
Male Body Image & Magazine Standards: Considering Dimensions of Age and Ethnicity • Donnalyn Pompper, Jorge Soto, and Lauren Piel, Florida State University • This study contributes to two theory streams by examining magazine use among males, along dimensions of age and ethnicity. First, we use social comparison theory to examine how males use magazine images to shape their own perceptions of the “ideal” male. Second, a developing theory of magazines as standard bearers for “the ideal woman” is modified to suggest that magazines now also set standards for “the ideal man.”
The Changing Shape of Beauty: An Analysis of Non-Stereotypical Body Types in Women’s Magazine Advertising • Kate Reil, Greg Mason Advertising Arts and Jennifer Greer, University of Alabama • This content analysis of 941 models female-targeted magazine ads found that the buzz generated by the “real beauties” in Dove’s 2005 firming cream ads didn’t lead to changes in female model body shape and size. This finding suggests that even a high-profile campaign from a well-respected agency had only a limited agenda-setting effect. Models with “non-model” bodies are rarely depicted, and when they are, they are stereotyped in ads as non-sexual, unglamorous moms and professionals.
Examining Media Coverage of Organized Labor: U.S. News Magazines’ Portrayal of Unions • Dave Sennerud, Ohio University • This paper examines the extent to which coverage of labor unions in United States news magazines changed from 1970 to 2000. While previous studies of newspaper coverage discovered a focus on worker action against employers, news magazines concentrated more on institutional stories about union policy and organization, which were usually negative in nature. While the number of stories about labor unions did drop significantly over this span, these organizations already were receiving scant coverage.
Selling LSD: Clare Boothe and Henry Luce and Coverage of LSD in Time, 1954 – 1968 • Stephen Siff, Ohio University • For more than a decade before it was uniformly criminalized in the United States, LSD was the subject of numerous stories in Time and Life magazines. Archival evidence suggests that the extensive and largely positive coverage of LSD in these magazines reflected the beliefs of publisher Henry Luce and his wife, Clare Booth, who were recreational users. Documentary evidence also suggests that the publisher exerted his influence in favor of positive coverage of the drug.
Top American Consumer Magazines • David E. Sumner, Ball State University • This studied surveyed magazine journalism professors to ask, “”What are the top 25 American consumer magazines of the past 25 years?”” The top five vote-getters were: National Geographic, The New Yorker, Sports Illustrated, Newsweek and Time. The study used statistical correlation to determine independent variables that may affect professors’ perceptions. Their ranking correlated significantly with the number of National Magazine Awards won in the past 25 years by the top magazines.
A Comparison of Bust and Bitch: The Paradox of Alternative Magazines • Tracey Thomas, Ohio University • Bust and Bitch are the leading magazines for third wave feminists. Despite their similar beginnings as ‘zines, they have developed distinct identities as two very different kinds of alternative magazines. Both are trying to create a dialogue in a space that was nonexistent prior to their publications, which is an overarching goal of both ‘zines and alternative magazines. However, they have chosen to have their messages heard by different audiences. Ultimately, they are complementary publications.
How The Advocate Covered AIDS: A Content Analysis of the Gay Magazine’s AIDS Coverage, 1981-2006 • Yi Tian, Ohio University • While studies of mainstream media’s AIDS coverage are adequate, an extensive literature review revealed few studies that empirically examined the AIDS coverage in the gay press. There are several historical studies that look at the gay press’ responses to AIDS from the early 1980s to early 1990s, but no quantitative study has ever been done to track the AIDS coverage in the American gay press.
Selling an issue: The Presence of Issue Stories on Covers of City and Regional Magazines • Teresa Weaver, University of Missouri • City and regional magazines showcase both strong service and community issue reporting, but which is more important? This study examines sell lines at seven city and regional magazines to determine at what level these topics surface on the cover. Results show that while cover stories remain mostly lifestyle topics, community issues are overrepresented through secondary sell lines as compared to the table of contents, suggesting these magazines remain committed to reporting a variety of topics.
Prowess Unlimited: The Valorization of Science and Technology in Life Magazine • Sheila Webb, Marquette University • This paper looks at the promulgation of science and technology in Life magazine in a critical period in American history, the 1930s and 1940s. This is when the United States became an international power, a power critically enhanced by scientific and technological prowess. Media coverage was one element in the surrounding culture that advocated increased attention to science and technology.
What Do Couples Do? – A Content Analysis of “Couple Images” in Magazine Advertising • Fei Xue and Marilyn Ellzey, University of Southern Mississippi • Based on a content analysis of couple images in advertisements in six different consumer magazines (Cosmopolitan, Vogue, Glamour, Men’s Health, Esquire and GQ) published in 2005 and 2006, the current paper suggested that a typical couple image portrayed in mainstream magazine advertising was a young, male-female Caucasian couple with thin body and trendy style in either a posing or a relaxing setting. Differences were found between men’s magazines and women’s magazines.
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