Introduction

Ballaster, Ros; Beetham, Margaret; Frazer, Elizabeth; Hebron, Sandra

doi:10.1007/978-1-349-21391-7_1

Cited by 3 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…Nonetheless, a tension exists in the magazine's response to the pandemic between individualising and socio-political discursive framings. This supports analyses of other scholars who suggest that women's magazines are complex texts that include multiple discourses, which are often in tension (Ballaster et al, 1993; Caldeira, 2020). Understanding how readers respond to these contradictory messages about how to cope during the pandemic is beyond the scope of this project but offers fruitful possibilities for future research.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…For example, as Farhall (2021, p. i) shows in her analysis of the Australian editions of Cleo and Cosmopolitan , while contemporary women's magazines may appear to exhibit more liberated and diverse models of female sexuality, this rhetoric often ‘masks an enduring model of sexuality, which rests on women's sexual and emotional maintenance of male partners and their own self-objectification and self-surveillance’. Magazines are complex texts that can simultaneously support multiple, even contradictory, discourses (Ballaster et al, 1993). In the last decade a number of magazines, particularly those aimed at younger women, have adopted fourth-wave feminist discourses, however these often coexist with postfeminist discourses (Gill, 2007) that focus on individual empowerment rather than structural inequalities (Caldeira, 2020).…”

Section: Friend or Foe? The Cultural Significance Of Women's Magazinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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How to navigate a pandemic: Competing discourses in The Australian Women's Weekly magazine

James

Sawyer

2023

Journal of Sociology

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As the Covid-19 pandemic caused schools, workplaces, and childcare centres to close, pressures in the home increased. Much of the additional unpaid work required under these conditions was done by women. Most women's magazines at this time urged women to stay positive and develop wellbeing routines to help them flourish. This approach reinforces normative neoliberal subjectivity with its roots in therapeutic culture and the happiness industry. While the focus on self-care may seem empowering, it puts more pressure on women in times of upheaval. Based on a thematic analysis of pandemic-related content in Australia's most popular women's magazine, The Australian Women's Weekly, we identified three key themes: ‘finding the silver lining’, ‘making lifestyle choices’, and ‘recognising hardships and social divides’. While self-responsibilising discourses were prominent, some articles acknowledged the broader structural issues impacting women, revealing a tension between competing discourses.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Friend or Foe? The Cultural Significance Of Women's Magazinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

How to navigate a pandemic: Competing discourses in The Australian Women's Weekly magazine

James

Sawyer

2023

Journal of Sociology

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“…Advertising and promotional campaigns have historically viewed the consumer primarily as female (Ballaster, et al , 1991; McCracken, 1993; Husz, 2004; Arnberg, 2018). Women were also given access to barbells when Atletik/Kraftsport became focused on selling various products – such as protein powder – and began to view exercise not merely as a way of performing in competition, but more as a way of developing a beautiful body.…”

Section: Female Barbell Trainingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Weider brothers and the advertising of dietary supplements – commercialisation of Scandinavian fitness culture in the 1950s

Pihl Skoog

2023

JHRM

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Purpose By studying marketing strategies of the global Weider Nutrition International Group, this study aims to analyse how the industry surrounding fitness equipment and dietary supplements interacted with fitness culture through marketing, advertising and consumption in 1950s Scandinavia. The emphasis is on how the Weider Group established their position as a world leader in sports nutrition through mail order partnerships and advertising using bodies and body ideals in their campaigns. Design/methodology/approach The Weider Group’s marketing campaigns are studied through close reading of text and images in Scandinavian weightlifting and bodybuilding magazines in the 1950s, guided by a theoretical understanding of the body as a constant and ongoing project. Findings This study deepens the historical knowledge of market-driven aspects of sport and exercise. The market for nutrition and fitness products was internationalised in the 1950s. The study shows that cooperation between commercial and civic organisations played a major role in the enterprise of selling fitness and nutrition products. Originality/value This paper shows that in marketing the products, the advertisements – which appealed to both men and women – not only struck a tone of intimacy and desire but also cultivated a sense of insecurity and inadequacy, as well as individuals’ responsibility for maintaining their own bodies. The latter was reflected in young men’s letters to magazines in which Weider’s products and training programmes were praised. For women, this opened up a previously male-dominated gym environment.

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“…Popular magazines offer a strong artifact for analysis, as they often contain highly stereotypical images thought to both represent and reinforce stereotypes related to race and gender (Baker, 2005; Colfax & Sternberg, 1972; Courtney & Lockeretz, 1971; Gerbner, 1969; Grady, 2007; Hovland, McMahan, Lee, Hwang, & Kim, 2005; Humphrey & Schuman, 1984; Kang, 1997; Millard & Grant, 2006; Mok, 1998a; Plous & Neptune, 1997; Reichert & Carpenter, 2004). For instance, magazines marketed to women have been shown to perpetuate sexism and unrealistic body images (e.g., Ballaster, Beetham, Frazer, & Hebron, 1991; Cusumano & Thompson, 1997; Millard & Grant, 2006). Similarly, magazines marketed to men are known to depict hegemonic ideals of masculinity, generating and validating acceptable and culturally sanctioned appearances and behaviors (Ricciardelli, Clow, & White, 2010; Vigorito & Curry, 1998).…”

Section: Invisibility Of Asian Men and Black Women In Mass Mediamentioning

confidence: 99%

Gendered race in mass media: Invisibility of Asian men and Black women in popular magazines.

Schug

Alt

et al. 2017

Psychology of Popular Media Culture

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According to gendered race theory, racial stereotypes can contain a gendered component whereby certain racial and ethnic groups are viewed as being more prototypically masculine or feminine. A number of studies investigating gendered race stereotypes have found that Blacks in North American society are represented and conceived as prototypically masculine, while Asians are represented and conceived of as prototypically feminine. This study examined whether patterns consistent with gendered race prototypes appear in mass media depictions, specifically in popular magazines, such that Asian men and Black women are proportionally less likely than other groups to be depicted. The perceived race and gender of 8,672 individuals depicted within 5 issues each of 6 popular magazines were examined quantitatively to examine whether individuals from nonprototypical gendered race categories were less likely to be depicted. The results indicated that Asian women were more likely to be depicted than Asian men, while Black men were more likely to be depicted than Black women, relative to Whites. These results suggest that, consistent with theories of gendered race and intersectional invisibility, individuals deemed less prototypical of their race and gender categories are rendered invisible in societal representations.

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Introduction

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

How to navigate a pandemic: Competing discourses in The Australian Women's Weekly magazine

How to navigate a pandemic: Competing discourses in The Australian Women's Weekly magazine

The Weider brothers and the advertising of dietary supplements – commercialisation of Scandinavian fitness culture in the 1950s

Gendered race in mass media: Invisibility of Asian men and Black women in popular magazines.

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