The Essence of a Black Man: A Content Analysis of the Representation of Black Men in Essence Magazine Advertisements for 1972 and 2002
The objective of this research is to examine the depiction, representation and portrayal of Black men in Essence magazine advertisements for the years 1972 and 2002. Four issues were looked at from each year March, June, September, and December. By looking at issues that span a 30-year gap, this study will demonstrate whether the roles of Black men have changed in the media. The advertisements were reviewed using the content analysis method. I hypothesized that Black men would be represented negatively in the advertisements perpetuating the negative stereotypes of African American males in society. The analysis showed that Black males were represented in Essence magazine advertisements in more positive contexts such as in romantic/relational, professional and educational, then negative contexts. Nevertheless, a few images did emerge that supported the idea of racial stereotypes in media images with some ads showing Black men as pimps or gang members.
School:
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Department:
Speech Communication
Research Advisor:
William E. Berry
Department of Research Advisor:
Institute of Communications Research
Year of Publication:
2003