Analyzing Magazine Content

For this assignment you will analyze the content of three magazines. Choose three different magazine for your analysis. Look at the advertisements in the magazine and complete the chart to determine what kinds of advertisements are most common and what kinds of people tend to be shown in the advertisements. The easiest way to complete this chart is as follows:

• Flip through the magazine and make a list of ad types on a separate piece of paper (e.g., ad types would be things like cosmetics, food, alcoholic beverages, etc.).

• Fill in the ad types on the table.
• Flip through the magazine page by page, using the chart like a tally sheet by making marks to characterize each advertisement as you flip through.
• When you are done flipping through the magazine, total the number of marks and write the number of each type of ad in the block. Then circle the number.
• Now flip through the magazine again. This time, look for how many "young" versus "old" people are shown in the advertisements (by sex) as well as "thin" women and "buff" men. Tally these as you did the types of advertisements. Continue to complete the chart

 After compiling your data in the chart, answer the following questions.  Submit your data charts with assignment

1. Which type of people were likely to be shown? What types of ads were most common?
2. Was there much variation in the body types of the men and women in the ads?
3. Was there anything that surprised you as you flipped through the magazine? What and why?
4. What do these advertisements tell us about being a woman in our culture?
5. What do these advertisements tell us about being a man in our culture?
6. What do you think it means to be 'media savvy?'