Thesis (M.A.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Arts - Department of English

Motivated by the concern about women's status in society, the current study's main objective was examining women's representation and stereotyping as manifested in American lifestyle magazine advertisements. This research endeavored to investigate the possible role of linguistic strategies in shaping and reinforcing certain ideologies about feminine traits in terms of character and beauty by introducing stereotyped normative themes that comply with the societal norms and further construct and perpetuate stereotyped gender identities and beauty ideals. For this purpose, the current study conducted a predominantly qualitative lexical and grammatical analysis of a number of selected advertisements in selected lifestyle magazines, namely, Cosmopolitan, Galmour, and Marie Claire. Critical Discourse Analysis, specifically, Fairclough's model of analysis, was utilized as an analytical framework. The findings of the study revealed that the most recurrent identity through the analyzed advertisements was the stereotypical image of women as mainly concerned with physical appearance, beauty, and youth. The identity of sexy seductive women came in the second rank, while the traditional previously customary identity of traditional housewife was not found in the analyzed advertisements. Conversely, the study pinpointed the emersion of a new identity in the media, namely the modern, career oriented, and egalitarian female which was unconventional a few years before. As for the stereotyping of ideal beauty standards, the analysis indicated that advertisements provided stereotypical unattainable beauty standards. The highest priority was given to skin's youthful, smooth, flawless, healthy, and glowing look as a beauty standard. In the second rank came the ideal of beautiful hair, more specifically colored and smooth hair. According to the advertised advertisements, lips and eyes beauty standards were allocated less attention and less advertising space

Issued also as CD