Content Analysis 2• Magazine• Redbook• Martha Stewart Living

ThesisThrough a textual analysis of the advertisements in O

Magazine, Redbook, and Martha Stewart Living, I argue that the advertisements add to the overt idea of the domesticity of women, and how factors like the male-gaze play a role in domesticating women and forcing the “ideal” version of femininity upon them.

Demographics O Magazine: September 2012 Issue

Total number of readers: 13,687,000 Gender: 88% women, 12% men Age group: middle-aged

Redbook: November 2012 Issue Total number of readers: 7,797,000 Gender: 90% women, 10%men Age group: 30-49 average; mostly middle-

aged

Martha Stewart Living: Total number of readers: 11,000,000 Gender: 89% women, 11% men Age group: average 48; middle-aged

Part 1:Food and cleaning product advertisements

across the three magazinesHow these can be attributed to the

domesticity of women O Magazine: few food/cleaning adsRedbook: more food/cooking ads than O

Magazine

Martha Stewart Living: contains the most cooking/cleaning ads of the three magazines

Part 2: Make-up, anti-aging, skin care, and other

hygienic ads Need to play into femininity Need to attract the male-gaze and be

picturesque O Magazine: rich in make-up and anti-aging ads Redbook: less make-up ads than O Magazine

Martha Stewart Living: few make-up, mostly anti-aging/skin-care ads