Magazine Advertisements
investigate gender and age stereotypes in magazines. Look at one widely circulated
magazine and evaluate how ads depict males and females of various ages (adolescence, early, middle, and late
adulthood). You should evaluate physical appearance, personality, and behaviors as they are depicted in the
magazine ads. You can use the attached data sheet to help organize your impressions. After completing the data
collection, write a brief report that answers the following questions. Make sure to include a literature review
concerning the importance of media influencing gender stereotypes.
Are all age groups represented in advertisements?
Who is underrepresented and overrepresented? Why do you think that is so?
Compare the various groups in terms of the characteristics you observed portrayed for each in the
advertisements. What generalizations about age and gender do these portrayals convey?
Compare your findings to those obtained by someone who looked at a different magazine. Are your findings
similar or different?
What do you conclude if they are similar? Different?
If they are different, do the differences sensibly relate to differences in the apparent purpose or style of the
magazines?
