BEAUTY ADVERTISEMENT AND CREATION OF IDENTITY
Authors
Just, Maria Thaksalani ; Ukaegbu, Olusola Temitope
Term
4. term
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-01-05
Pages
94
Abstract
This thesis examines how young adults respond to femvertising (female empowerment in advertising) and whether they perceive a connection between advertising content and their own identity formation, with a focus on gender signals in beauty ads. The study is grounded in social constructivism and analyzed through a hermeneutic approach. Eight young adults participated in qualitative focus group interviews conducted in three configurations (mixed, women-only, men-only). The theoretical framework draws on Anthony Giddens, Erving Goffman, Thomas Ziehe, and Axel Honneth, alongside the marketing concept of brand–cause fit. Participants discussed both femvertising and more traditional gendered advertisements. Findings indicate that young adults interpret gender identity messages in broadly similar ways but with different levels of enthusiasm: male participants expressed dissatisfaction with how men were labeled, while female participants objected to stereotypical assumptions. Reactions were comparable across ad types, and both genders perceived links to their own identity formation. For example, some men had come to view women as weaker in sports due to television commercials, while some women had normalized certain labels as socially acceptable. Overall, the study points to a clear connection between advertising exposure and identity formation among young adults.
Formålet med denne afhandling er at undersøge, hvordan unge voksne reagerer på femvertising (kvindeempowerment i reklamer), og om de oplever en sammenhæng mellem reklameindhold og deres egen identitetsdannelse, med fokus på kønssignaler i skønhedsreklamer. Studiet er forankret i socialkonstruktivisme og analyseret hermeneutisk. Otte unge voksne deltog i kvalitative fokusgruppeinterviews i tre konstellationer (blandet, kun kvinder, kun mænd). Det teoretiske afsæt omfatter Anthony Giddens, Erving Goffman, Thomas Ziehe og Axel Honneth samt marketingbegrebet brand–cause fit. Deltagerne diskuterede både femvertising og mere traditionelle, kønsskabelonprægede reklamer. Resultaterne viser, at unge voksne opfatter budskaber om kønsidentitet på lignende måder, men med forskellig grad af begejstring: de mandlige deltagere var utilfredse med, hvordan mænd blev etiketteret, og de kvindelige deltagere med de stereotype antagelser. Reaktionerne var sammenlignelige på tværs af reklametyper, og begge køn så en kobling til deres egen identitetsdannelse. Nogle mænd havde fx opfattet kvinder som svagere i sport på baggrund af tv-reklamer, mens nogle kvinder havde internaliseret visse mærkater som “normale”. Samlet peger studiet på en tydelig sammenhæng mellem reklamepåvirkning og identitetsdannelse blandt unge voksne.
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