Portrayals Of Power

Western Kentucky University

TopSCHOLAR®
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects Graduate Studies and Research

5-1-2010

Portrayals of Power: A Content Analysis of Gender Dominance in Magazine Advertisements
John Nicholas Holladay
Western Kentucky University, nicholas.holladay@wku.edu

Recommended Citation
Holladay, John Nicholas, "Portrayals of Power: A Content Analysis of GenderDominance in Magazine Advertisements" (2010). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 166. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/166

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses & Specialist Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact connie.foster@wku.edu.Portrayals of Power: A Content Analysis of Gender Dominance in Magazine Advertisements

A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Sociology Western Kentucky University Bowling Green Kentucky

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Master of Arts

John Nicholas Holladay May 2010

Portrayals of Power: A Content Analysis of Gender Dominance in Magazine AdvertisementsDate Recommended__April 30, 2010____

__Stephen Groce_____________________ Director of Thesis

__Holli Drummond___________________

__Douglas Smith_____________________

____________________________________________________________________ Dean, Office of Graduate Studies and Research Date

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This project could not have come to fruition without the support and guidanceof many individuals. I would like to first thank my committee chair Dr. Steve Groce for his tireless encouragement and enthusiasm. I would also like to thank my committee members, Dr. Doug Smith and Dr. Holli Drummond for their inspirational insight and commitment. I know that all of their attention to detail, feedback, and suggestions for improvement were instrumental to my success. In addition,I would like to thank all of my friends and co-workers in the department of Housing and Residence Life. It would be hard to imagine the thesis process without the additional encouragement and, at times, distractions they provided. I was blessed with a unique opportunity, and I am extremely grateful. I am indebted to my life-long supporters, my family. Having strong support from my family has keptme focused and fueled my drive to succeed. I, as well, owe an abundance of gratitude to my wife, Holly. Her patience, critiques, and title-making abilities are unmatched. Last, I would like to thank a personal hero, because his motto has helped me understand all of life’s mysteries; with great power comes great responsibility.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii LIST OF TABLES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi ABSTRACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 CHAPTER IITHEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 MIND, SELF, AND SOCIETY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 THE PRESENTATION OF SELF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 CHAPTER III REVIEW OF LITERATURE . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 ADVERTISING TECHNIQUES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 WOMEN’S PORTRAYALS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 MEN’S PORTRAYALS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 WOMEN AND MEN PORTRAYED TOGETHER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 ADVERTISING BRANDS. . . . . . . . . ....