The representation of black women in magazine advertisements in 1994 and 2006: A comparative study

[摘要] English: Living the lives of second-class citizens has long been the reality of women inSouth Africa; so much more so for black women. The history of South Africa is adivided one, a history stained by division and suppression; a history written anddetermined by a few white men. The reality created for women by these menwas a reality of hardship, a reality of exclusion, of being less human than whitemen. Black women suffered under sexism (from both white and black men),racism (from both white men and women), and c1assism (due to being excludedfrom the economy).When feminism became popular in South Africa, the assumption was that blackwomen would be interested in the ideals that feminism stands for, but that wasnot the case: Black women suffered more under racism than under sexism andfor that reason it made sense not to revolt against black men, but rather to jointhe struggle against apartheid. Feminism was also seen as an ideology createdby white women for white women and that it did not accommodate the uniquereality of black women. Oliver Tambo supported black women joining the struggleand instructed their husbands to help with household chores to allow them freetime for activism. After 1994, the emancipation of women became a priority inSouth Africa and President Nelson Mandela appointed women in key positions ingovernment, and also in his cabinet. In his Inaugural Speech on 10 May 1994,he famously said that true liberation could not be achieved unless women areempowered, and thanks to his commitment, a third of parliamentarians andcabinet ministers then were women.The representation of women in parliament increased after the 2009 electionsfrom 34% to 43%. Furthermore, women empowerment is one of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals. Today, women are still a priority of the South Africangovernment and in September 2010, during the ruling party's conference,Minister Angie Motshekga proclaimed that ensuring equal opportunities forwomen is still a national priority.The truth is that a number of black women are enjoying their newfound statusand are reaping the benefits of these policies aimed at favouring them: A studyby the Unilever Institute of Strategic Marketing at the University of Cape Townfound that the most confident individuals in South Africa are young black urbanwomen.Black women, who are now in a better socio-economic position due to thepolitical changes in South Africa, have significant purchasing power and are notafraid to use that power. The majority of these women have bought into theconsumer culture, and thus enjoy reading magazines - which is one of the manyproducts of popular culture.Magazines generate the bulk of their income from advertisements and a largepart of a magazine's content is made up of advertisements. Many people enjoyrelaxing with their favourite popular magazine, reading the articles, the letters tothe editor, the advertisements, and more. Most people do not take popularmagazines seriously, and do not think that advertisements in these magazinescan have any effect on them. They do not take note of the fact that print medialike newspapers and magazines are high involvement media. They are notwatchful or vigilant, and because of that, the messages and images in magazinesand magazine advertisements can slip into their subconscious where it canferment, thus influencing their thoughts and behaviour.If one views advertisements as a reflection of reality, then one would expect thatthe current South African reality should be represented in them. Yes, we do seemore advertisements in which interracial friendships are portrayed; yes, we dosee many black female models in advertisements endorsing all kinds of products.The concern is, in which roles and in what ways are they represented? Are theyfalling victim to the same old stereotypical manner in which white women areportrayed? Or - if advertisements are realistic - do we see the most confidentgroup in South Africa being portrayed as self-assured, as empowered, as freefrom oppressive stereotypes? The aim of this study was to determine in which ways black women are portrayedin South African general interest as well as women's magazine advertisements in1994 and 2006, and to compare the results of the two year groups in order toreach conclusions. The representation of black women in South Africanmagazine advertisements was examined within the critical paradigm, and morespecifically, feminist studies. A total of 641 advertisements selected according tocertain criteria were analysed and described. These advertisements werecategorised according to product categories and the role portrayals identified.The advertisements were then sorted by making use of Goffman's six rubrics thathe developed and used during the writing of Gender Advertisements (1987).The results revealed that the number of magazine advertisements increasedfrom 1994 to 2006, and that the number of advertisements for hedonic goodsincreased. Furthermore, women were portrayed more often in non-working rolesthan working roles and the decorative role, which is a non-working role, wasrepresented in the majority of advertisements. In addition, the majority ofadvertisements showed women in poses of subordination, and as mentallydrifting from the scene, which are in direct opposition to the empowermentagenda of the South African government. It can be concluded that theimprovement of the socio-economic status of a large number of black womensince 1994 was not yet reflected in magazine advertisements in 2006.For an advertisement to be successful it must resonate with the target market -put differently, black women must see themselves portrayed realistically inadvertisements, and not only portrayed as subordinated objects. Besides, weimitate what we see in the media; we model our behaviour according to therepresentations in the media. Therefore, it is important that black girls seerealistic role models in advertisements, leading empowered lives, so that theyrather could strive to be like them and not become mere stereotyped objects.Also, young men should see realistic images of confident women so that theycan realise that women are equal to men and not less human than themselves.The primary recommendation of this study is that the advertising industry shouldtake note of the fact that the representation of black women is not a reflection ofreality. This aspect should be addressed as it might have a negative impact onthe brands that the advertisements represent, as well as on the emancipation ofwomen (specifically black women) that the South African government so activelypursues. Visual literacy should also become more prominent in our society. Itcould be taught at school and at tertiary institutions to all South African students.We are bombarded by media images, thus people should be empowered tounderstand these images so that they can protect themselves.

[发布机构] University of the Free State