Psy 216 – Social Psychology

Homework #1 – Due Jan. 30 in class

This is an assignment related to gender development. You will be gathering data in a format similar to archival research.

Select two or three issues of magazines in a similar format. These should be magazines directed toward general lifestyle, such as fashion, health/wellness, home/cooking, etc. Do not choose news magazines or anything that is too specialized (e.g., photography, scrapbooking). You can buy these and/or read magazines in the campus library (second floor, toward the back).

Examine the ads in each magazine. Develop two conclusions about the ways that advertisers try to tell us about gender. According to advertisers, what are the gender roles of women and/or men? What are two expectations or rules for women and/or men? For each of your conclusions, you need to have at least three ads that support your assertion.

Write a three-page paper (double spaced; 1 inch margins) on your findings. Address the following questions:

1. What are the two gender messages that you have identified? Describe the three ads for each message. (You can also attach the ads to the paper, but verbally describe them too. Why is each ad a support for your claim?)

2. In your opinion, is each gender claim universal to American culture, or is it directed toward a sub-group of American culture? Explain your answer.

3. In your opinion, does advertising create gender expectations or does it merely reflect what is already present in the culture? (Does “art imitate life” or “life imitate art”?) Explain the reasons for your answer.

4. What are the ethics involved in creating advertising related to gender? Should advertisers be concerned about possible negative messages? Why or why not?

Return to Dr. Lanthier's Psy 216 page