Race and Gender in the Media

Abstract

The present study examines the portrayal of Black men and women in the images and texts of advertisements featured in Black-oriented magazines. A comparative content analysis is conducted on ads featured in Essence and Jet magazines for 2003 and 2004. Quantitative and qualitative data analyses reveal that Black people are portrayed both positively and negatively. Ideologies of racism and White supremacy continue to pervade advertisements featured in Black magazines, and this is problematic because new images and texts concerning Black people will be based on such negative attitudes. It is not enough to increase the number of positive portrayals of Black people; negative portrayals must also decrease and eventually be eliminated altogether.

Keywords

media analysis Black portrayals race gender White ideals Black ideals

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