Fashion Magazines Define Females Beauty Standard Media Essay

Fashion Magazines Define Females Beauty Standard Media EssayAdvertisements in women magazines has became active when marketer realised the purchase power of women, Marchland, 1985 suggested that in 1920s young-bearing(prenominal) purchasing power took over 80 percent of the whole consumer purchases. That was because the gender role of female at that time was home orientated, they were responsible for(p) for familial expenditure. As time changes, when the market of home orientated product got saturated, marketing then stereotypes women interconnected with sexuality. Courtney and Lockeretz suggested four general stereotypes of women were presented in print publicize A womans fix is in the home women do not make important decisions or do important things women are dependent and need mens auspices and men regard women primarily as sexual objects (Courtney Whipple, 1983 pp.7).The beginning of media act on beauty receivedThe advertising agencies referred women as General Purchasin g Agent, as purchasing agents, women could command respect for exhibiting qualities previously honoured primarily in men-capacities for planning, efficiency, and expert decision making (Marchand 1958 pp.168). The G.P.A has became a corner stone of advertising in the theater of operations of female market, during this period advertising often adopt the theme of successful woman gain neighborly acceptance and social approval by employing or consuming a particular product.McEwen suggested in 1976 that, from the field of social psychology, advertising agencies have employed the belief of the social self as a regulation technique in advertisements by defining what was socially approved and what was not. During the phrase of social acceptance, the media portrayed the role of women as universe responsible for broadening their social and intellectual interests as well as maintain youngful in order to be a modern companion for their husbands. They needed to preserve their youth so that they could beautify their husbands lives and keep pace with them during evenings of dancing and the theatre (Marchand 1985 pp.175).The importance of being self conscious of physical structure image and appearing has been introduced through media, especially with the reinforcement of advertising in the late 1920s. In the middle of her mechanically engineered kitchen, the modern housewife was expected to be overcome with issue of whether her self, her body, her personality were workable in the socio sexual market that define her job. Advertisements utilize pictures of veiled nudes and women in auto-erotic stances to encourage self comparison and to remind women of the primacy of their sexuality (McEwen 1976 pp.179). The holy manised female images in which portrayed in media has always been changing, so is the standard of beauty perceived within the society. The media provides idealised body images of women by providing role models or examples of captivating women, for example, ca twalk models and actresses. In which, audiences could compare themselves with the idealised body shape or appearance. The idealised body shaped has changed from being voluptuous and curvaceous in the 1940s and 1950s to being busty and narrow-hipped from the late 1960s through the 1980s (Straight 2005 pp.2)The reason of which the idealised beauty standard has always been changing was because companies need to create an unsustainable beauty standard to ensure targeted consumer go out keep purchasing diverse goods to maintain satisfied with their appearance. Freedman, 1986 mentioned the beauty ideal was impossible to achieve and this could lead to feelings of inadequacy. The feelings of inadequacy were often ply by cosmetic and diet product manufactures, in which the immemorial objective of their advertisement campaigns were to persuade women they could improve their imperfections only by consuming their products.However the make of media have on audience laughingstock vary due t o individual differences. Audience with different personalities, pass experiences and social context interpret the messages of the media differently, in addition, different medium also provides different influence for audience, and for example, the influence of advertisement shall be strongest among the mediums, because the principle of advertising is to influence audiences behaviour and value.Ethical issues with advertising influenceThe internalisation of an attractiveness ideal and a perception of body dissatisfaction may serve to mediate the consanguinity between media exposure and disordered eating (Stice et al, 1994). Media Awareness internet journal reported over three quarters of the covers of womens magazines include at least one message on how to alter and improve womans bodily appearance by cosmetic surgery or diet. The ratio of diet ads in mens and women magazine is 1 10, in which the ratio of eating disorders in men and women is identical. This indicates a relationshi p between exposure to diet ads and eating disorders, however gender differences may also affect behaviour.Theories of media influence on beauty standard accessible comparison theoryA theoretical model using social comparison wreakes can be offered to explain how exposure to the socio-cultural thin and attractive ideal leads to increased body dissatisfaction (Heinberg and Thompson, 1992 Smolak et al, 1993 Thompson et al, 1991).This theory suggests that individuals make up comparison with others who offers specific, valued attributes. It also takes individual differences into account, for example, the differences in regard of self-esteem. Mintz and Betz, 1988, conducted a re hunting that shown female college students who felt up dissatisfied with their bodies image were more likely to conform to the stereotyped body presented in the media as attractive. This theory suggested that social comparison does not only occurs through comparison with images in the media but also with socia l throng, e.g. friends and families member. The studies of social comparison often reported positive correlation between social comparison and body dissatisfaction. precis theorySelf-schema theory envisages body images as a amiable construction rather than an objective evaluation (Markus, 1977). A self schema is an individuals mental perception of the way they are. This mental presentation has established over time mainly through pass experience of what others labelled or referred them in a particular way. For example, I am attractive or I am skinny. These kinds of attributes are taken into account in self concept and self esteem.Schema have been defined as cognitive generalizations about the self, derived from pass experiences, that organize and guide the processing of self-related information contained in the individuals social experience (Markus, 1977 pp.64). According to Markus, 1997, schematics unendingly evaluate stimuli that are relevant for their body weight. Media images are one of the stimuli that trigger new schemas.The buyer decision processesAccording to Nicosia, F. 1966, a consumer decision making process involves five stages traditionally, which are problem recognition, information search, evaluate of alternatives, product choice and outcome. Problem recognition occurs when consumer realises a significant difference between the consumers latest order and the ideal state he/she desired. The consumer sees this as a problem and requires a solution to solve, when the problem has been recognised, consumer go forth need adequate information to resolve the problem, in which the consumer volition enter the information stage. There are briefly two kind of information search, the internal search and the external search. Internal search begins when consumer search alternative product from prior experience and his/her existing knowledge on a particular product and its alternatives, external search is when consumer gathers informative from external cu es, for example, friends and advertisements. Finally, the consumer bequeath enter the stage of evaluation of alternatives.The buyer decision model are often used in advertisements, taking the Rimmel Mascara commercial 2007 as an example, the commercial started with Kate Moss ( the historied model) putting on mascara while a male narrator saying the more you put on, the sexier you are. The commercial intend to show differences between the audience current and ideal state of desire by showing the image of Kate Moss with the Rimmel Mascara on. By using a model that majority regard her as attractive, this create an upward comparison with others who offers specific, valued attributes. This could refer to the social comparison theory. The Rimmel Mascara also offered a solution for the problem, the commercial emphasis the more Rimmel mascara the audience put on the sexier they go out be. The positive reinforcement shows the cause and effect of the Rimmel mascara and this increase the li kelihood of conformity.Industry backgroundAdvertising industryThe United Kingdom advertising industry was deserving over 16.5 billion in 2001. There are estimated 600 agencies in London and 20 agencies among the 600 agencies are full service agencies.Agencies can be categorized as 5 distinct types of agenciesCreative agenciesMedia agenciesDirect marketing agenciesDigital/online agenciesFull service agenciesRole of the agenciesCreative agencies work on behalf of clients, develop creative ideas for an advertising campaign.Media agencies consults clients on where, when and how to spending advertising budgets.Direct marketing agencies provide clients direct and strategic communication with the target audience, for example, direct mail.Digital/online agencies profession at digital communication. For example, search engine marketing.Full service agencies combine all the services of creative, media, direct marketing, digital/online agencies.Research questions and objectivesAimTo explore t he methods and strategies that advertising agencies use to influence womens perception of beauty standard.Research questionWhich methods and strategies used my advertising agencies are more efficient to stimulate womens conformity to the presented beauty ideal?ObjectivesTo discuss the methods and strategies used by advertising agencies to influence female beauty standard.To compare the difference, between female in the age groups of 12-18 and 21 27, their perception of beauty standard influenced by printed advertisement.To investigate the ethical issue of advertising the idealised beauty.Research methodologyResearch approachesDeductive approachDeductive approach is employ when a research worker develops a hypothesis that can be tested by a research strategy.Inductive approachInductive approach is employ when researchers collects information and develops theory as a result of information analysis.Research strategiesThere are mainly seven research strategies that are being used in lineage researches.Experiment.Questionnaire.Interview.Case study.Action research.Grounded theory.Ethnography.Archival research.SamplingStatisticians have proved the larger the sample size, the nearer its distribution will be to the normal distribution, statisticians also suggested that a sample size of 30 or more will be more likely to result in a sampling distribution for the recollect that is close to normal distribution. Stutely, 2003 suggested a minimum number of 30 for statistical analysis provide valuable rule of thumb for the smallest number in individually group of the overall sample.Therefore the sampling size of my primary research will be 30.Strategies for my primary researchExperimentExperiment is a undefiled form of research that owes much to the natural science, although it features strongly in much social science research, particularly psychology. The purpose of an experiment is to study casual cerebrate whether a change in one independent variable produces a cha nge in another dependent variable (Hakim, 2000). The experiment strategy concerns the relationship between two variables, it is often used in explanatory or exploratory research to find out why and how questions. The experiment usually takes place in a strictly controlled particular, for example, laboratory to eliminate threats to internal validity. However, whilst the strictly controlled situation enhances the internal validity, the external validity is often hard to establish, as the controlled situation is often not a real life situation.Strategies for my secondary researchMultiple source secondary dataMultiple source secondary data will be an amalgam of both documentary and survey secondary data. It will take account of books, journals, articles, newspaper and previous research. The secondary research will be used to cover objectives below. It will be a mixture of qualitative (theoretical) and quantitative (numerical) data.To discuss the methods and strategies used by advertis ing agencies to influence female beauty standard.To investigate the ethical issue of advertising the idealised beauty.The reason of using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative date is to produce that can be statistically analyse to identify relationship between variables and to have theoretical data to support my research.How the experiment will be conductedThe experiment will be carrying out in order to fulfil objective two. (Compare the difference, between female in the age groups of 12-18 and 21 27, their perception of beauty standard influenced by advertisement.)The reasons of choosing the age groups of 12-18 and 21-27 are because of the significant differences in cognitive maturity. Adolescents are also more likely to conform due to the high need of social acceptance. assumptionAdolescents are more likely to conform to the ideal beauty presented in the media.The sampling30 actors in each age group.Participants selected by random sampling in central London.The experiment w ill be conducted under a controlled situation, for example, a conference room in London.MethodThe method below will be repeated in both 12-18 and 21-27 age group.Divide each age group participants into experimental group and control group.Both groups will be given a survey questioning how satisfy the participant feel about their appearance.Experimental group will be given 10 printed advertisements with attractive female before they answer the survey.The control group will not be given printed advertisements before they answer the survey.Compare the results of both experimental group and control group.Statistically analysis the result of both age groups.ResourcesInternet access for secondary data.Library access for secondary data.Experiment will be host in the conference room of my uncles office, in which permission has been gained and cost free.Excel software to analysis primary research.Printer.Financial resourcesTransport fees for participants involves in primary research.Addition al cost for employing participants in primary research if volunteer participants could not be found.Budget5 pounds transportation fee for each participant.Cost of employing participant will be estimated at 10 pounds each.Total cost = 90pounds.