Abstract

Working within the framework of socialization theories, this article employs rhetorical analysis to examine the cultural values, symbols and messages conveyed in an available sample of advertisements published in Nigerian print media from 1998 through 2000 in which women featured prominently in order to assess the influence of advertising on the portrayal of African women. The examination included the detailed deconstruction of two exemplars — a household and business advertisement.  The study  found that Nigerian mass media advertisements including advertising material used to promote the household product under analysis did resort to the use of gender and sex stereotypes. Other advertisements including the business-oriented advertisement were ambiguous in that it showed women in professional setting; however it did also contain stereotypical hints.  On the basis of these findings, the study suggests that as the society of African nation change the role of women within those nations is also evolving.

^JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 2, No. 2, October  2010, 1 – 13 .

About the author

Emmanuel C Alozie, Ph.D., is Professor of Mass Communication at Governors State University, University Park, Illinois, and North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.A.

Full Article

Words: 7,371

Pages: 13

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Article Citation

Alozie, E. C. (2010): Production of the black body: A contextual exploration of the depiction of African women in advertising. Journal of Communication and Media Research 2(2): 1 – 13.