Going Global: An Analysis of Global Women's Magazine ADS in China

Abstract

Over the past few decades, some women's magazines have rapidly spread as a global medium. While previous researchers have noted that women's magazines act as agents of socialisation, perpetuating certain gender stereotypes and institutionalising certain gender conventions, there has been little research on how this global medium portrays women of various races. Combining content and semiotic analyses, this article is an examination of the context and content of ads that have appeared in the Chinese versions of global women's magazines. The study focused on Elle, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar, all global titles currently marketed in the Chinese mainland. Findings suggest that women of different races tend to be stereotyped in different ways in these magazines, and that Western models are presented in significantly different ways from Asian models. The impact of globalisation on these differences and the implications of the findings for global advertising are discussed.