Date of Graduation
2004
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
Committee Chair
Terry Wimmer
Abstract
This study is a longitudinal cultural study of the portrayal of the ideal female image in the mass media. The focus of this study was on female objectification and sexuality representations by the male decision maker in the patriarchal society. An excellent example of this is Playboy magazine, whose objectification of the female body as a means of entertainment for men has existed for 30 years. A dataset was compiled of 180 Playboy magazine covers spanning three decades: 70s, 80s, 90s. Results indicated a curvilinear trend in the sexual suggestiveness portrayed by the models on the covers, peaking in the 80s and declining slightly in the 90s, however remaining higher than the 70s. The argument is made that the changes in the objectification reflect cultural trends.
Recommended Citation
Graham, Jacqueline R., "Patriarchy and feminism: A longitudinal content analysis of the portrayal of women on Playboy magazine covers." (2004). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD). 10798.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/10798