Publication Date

6-15-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Communication (MA)

Committee Member

Gonzalez, Ariadne A.

Committee Member

Kim, Ji Won

Committee Member

Davis, Stuart

Abstract

While feminist critics like Jean Kilbourne have noted the oppressive power patriarchal advertisements can have on a women's self-perception, the majority of these critiques stem from second and third wave feminist concerns that potentially overlook the role of race and ethnicity in the construction of gendered images. Moreover, popular feminist research tends to overlook the importance of analyzing the different intersects of female social identities. Intersectional feminism, however, has been the painted as a new theoretical concept that can help feminist researchers address these different intersect. Thus, the purpose of this research project is to contribute to current feminist media research by using intersectionality as a tool to explore how the Latina female image is portrayed in the gendered images of advertisements. A content analysis was conducted and used to explore how Latina female images are represented in two popular female magazines--Cosmopolitan and Cosmopolitan for Latinas. Lastly, this essay will discuss the findings of a set of focus groups made up of 18 Latina women in the hopes it will highlight the importance of giving voice to Latina women.

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