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Gender and Dietary Supplements
Presented by: Lisa MahaffeyFall 2011 – Sociology 180AW
What are dietary supplements?
• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines as:▫A product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary
ingredient” intended to supplement the diet
• Including:▫vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino
acids, organ tissues, metabolites, and more
• For the purposes of this study: ▫A product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary
ingredient” intending or promising to alter body physique (weight loss, muscle gain, etc.)
About Dietary Supplements
•Dietary Supplements do NOT require FDA approval
•Dietary Supplement use is highly prevalent (Pillitteri et al, 2007)
• Little research has been done to date
•Calls for sociologists to look at advertising techniques
•One way: through gender▫How is it appealing?▫How does it contribute to gender stereotypes?
Research Question
•How do dietary supplement advertisements contribute to gender stereotypes?▫Hypothesis: through phrasing/terminology, facial
expressions, and body expressions.
•How do dietary supplement advertisements appeal to males vs. females? ▫Hypothesis: through reinforcing gender
stereotypes and promising or claiming to transform a person into the “ideal” male/female
Literature Review – Pilliterri et al, 2007
M F0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
< or et HS
> HSW B L O
Literature Review – Crawford and Leventis, 2005
• Examine false claims in dietary supplement advertisements and labels
• 25% fail to provide FDA Disclaimer / of this 25%, 14% included a “structure-function” label
• Points out the lack of regulation on dietary supplement advertising
•Analysis calls for additional research on dietary supplement advertising
Literature Review – Carmele et al, 2011
•Gender Stereotypes in the DSM-IV
• Targets markers used to dichotomize males and females
• Identifies categories relating to positive/negative physical traits
Category # of Markers
+ Male 18
+ Female 15
- Male 5
- Female 14
Literature Review – Carmele et al, 2011
MALE FEMALE
• Muscular • Handsome • Piercing Gaze • Athletic • Dignified bearing
• Tiny • Attractive • Courteous Smile • Stylish/tasteful dress • Well made up
Literature Review – Coltrane and Messineo, 2000
• Investigate gender prejudice in TV advertising
•Sample size = 1,699 commercials over 3 years
•Hypotheses:▫Men will be more prominently portrayed▫Men will be portrayed as aggressive▫Women will be portrayed as sex objects▫Women will fill romanticized/domesticated roles
Literature Review – Coltrane and Messineo, 2000
MALE FEMALE
• Muscular • Handsome • Piercing Gaze • Athletic • Dignified bearing
• Aggressive• Employed• Order-giver
• Tiny • Attractive • Courteous Smile • Stylish/tasteful dress • Well made up
• Passive• Housewives• Sex objects
Literature Review – Davis and Delano, 1992
• Investigate gender dichotomy in anti-drug campaigns in athletics
•Sample = >40 anti-drug campaign media texts (posters, videotapes, brochures)
•Hypotheses:▫Campaigns will promote a gender
dichotomy
Literature Review – Davis and Delano, 1992
Literature Review – Davis and Delano, 1992
MALE FEMALE
• Muscular • Handsome • Piercing Gaze • Athletic • Dignified bearing • Aggressive• Employed• Order-giver
• Testosterone• Facial/Body Hair• No Breasts• Large Genitalia• Short hair• Deep voice
• Tiny • Attractive • Courteous Smile • Stylish/tasteful dress • Well made up • Passive• Housewives• Sex objects
• Estrogen• No Facial/Body Hair• Breasts• Small Genitalia • Long hair• High pitched voice
MALE FEMALE
Muscular Handsome
Piercing Gaze Athletic
Dignified bearing AggressiveEmployed
Order-giverTestosterone
Facial/Body HairNo Breasts
Large GenitaliaShort hair
Deep voice
Tiny Attractive
Courteous Smile Stylish/tasteful dress
Well made up Passive
HousewivesSex objects
EstrogenNo Facial/Body Hair
BreastsSmall Genitalia
Long hairHigh pitched voice
Collapsed CategoriesTiny
Attractive Courteous Smile
Stylish/tasteful dress Well made up
PassiveHousewivesSex objects
EstrogenNo Facial/Body Hair
BreastsSmall Genitalia
Long hairHigh pitched voice
Muscular Handsome
Piercing Gaze Athletic
Dignified bearing AggressiveEmployed
Order-giverTestosterone
Facial/Body HairNo Breasts
Large GenitaliaShort hair
Deep voice
Hypotheses
•Dietary supplement advertising will appeal to gender stereotypes / gender dichotomization through:
▫Body expression▫Facial expression▫Terminology
•Dietary supplement advertising will use unique approaches to appeal to male vs. female audiences
Research Design
•Content analysis of print advertisements from 21 Top Selling, Nationally Distributed Magazines▫6 male targeted fitness magazines
Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness, Iron Man, Fitness Rx
▫6 female targeted fitness magazines Shape Magazine, Women’s Health, Weight Watchers,
Fitness Magazine, Self Magazine, Health and Fitness▫3 male targeted non fitness magazines
Men’s Journal, Maxim, Sports Illustrated▫3 female targeted non fitness magazines
Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Glamour▫3 gender neutral non fitness magazines
People, Reader’s Digest, TV Guide
Research Design (cont’d)• All dietary supplement advertisements will be analyzed over a 1 year
period (n = ??)
• First, articles coded as male and/or female actor and male and/or female audience
• RQ1 – Gender Stereotypes?▫ Document – terminology▫ Code – facial expressions▫ Code – body expression (positioning, in relation to the advertisement)
• RQ2 – Advertising approaches?▫ Code – overall theme
• Codes will be processed through computer software
• Software will assist in collapsing similar categories, analyzing the data, and identifying patterns
Research Design (sample)
Actor: Female
Audience: Female
Body Expression: CurvedSexyPassive
Facial Expression None/Not Shown
Terminology “make your ex wish he wasn’t”
“speeds metabolism”
“boosts energy”
“Knock off pounds”
Focus Gain ConfidenceSlim down
Research Design (sample)Actor: Male
Audience: Male
Body Expression: RigidHands on hipsActive
Facial Expression AggressiveFurrowed brow
Terminology “heat”
“xtreme”
“get abs like me”
“ripped”
Focus Build muscle - abs
Research Design (sample)
Actor: Male Female
Audience: Male Female
Body Expression: RigidHands on hipsActive
CurvedSexyPassive
Facial Expression AggressiveFurrowed brow
None/Not Shown
Terminology “heat”
“xtreme”
“get abs like me”
“ripped”
“make your ex wish he wasn’t”
“speeds metabolism”
“boosts energy”
“Knock off pounds”
Focus Build muscle - abs Gain ConfidenceSlim down
Limitations and Implications
• Limitations▫Subjective▫Limited to print advertisements
• Implications▫Awareness to consumers of dietary supplement
advertisement methods
▫Calls on future research to examine the affects of dietary supplement advertising
▫Also calls on future research to possibly examine internet, radio, television, and other advertising forms