Defense Date

3-31-2023

Graduation Date

Spring 5-5-2023

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

thesis

Degree Name

MA

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

Dr. Zeynep Tanes Ehle

Committee Member

Dr. Pamela Walck

Committee Member

Margaret Patterson

Keywords

advertising, gender studies, perfume ads, gender stereotyping, portrayal of women, change in advertising, evolution of adverising

Abstract

Gender portrayals in advertising have been examined extensively in the last six decades and remain an important topic. Certain brands have taken the initiative of destabilizing patriarchal norms entrenched in society by supporting modern trends and initiatives through various brand/product campaigns and advertisements that support the fluidity in power and representation. The present study navigates the changes in the representation of women in perfume advertisements that have taken place in the advertising world in the past two decades to see if women are shown to possess a sense of power with their head held high and strong posture, compared to the previous times. A content analysis was conducted with a total of 232 advertisements published in Vogue magazine from January 2002 to December 2022. The findings of this research suggest that there has been a significant shift in the balance of power and portrayal of women in perfume advertisements in Vogue magazine over the last two decades.

Language

English

Share

COinS