The construction of femininity, race and sexuality in alcohol advertisements in South African and American women's magazines

Abstract

In our consumption-and-media-orient society, alcohol advertisements in contemporary women's magazines become ripe for analysis. The text in women's magazines often have influence as agents of socialization, regularizing and giving preferentiality to specific types of meaning about femininity, sexuality and race. So, it comes as no surprise when African feminists like Mama claim that the impact of globalisation on women's cultural practices have become normalised. The main research question is how femininity, race and sexuality are constructed in women's magazines through alcohol advertising in South African and American women's magazines. The characteristics of the adverts, in other words, the presence of human models, celebrities and sexuality, were examined using textual analysis. The findings indicate that the alcohol industry uses anti-feminist societal communication in women's magazines which could lead to new onsets of alcohol use and perpetuate current drinking patterns including stereotypes of what it means to be a woman.