The Representation of Women in Western Nigerian Lifestyle Magazine Advertisements; A Content Analysis

ABSTRACT: The representation of women in the media has been a consistent subject matter over the years and has evolved into a major feature of every media form. This has been a major concern as many scholars have tried to establish the connection between how women are represented in the media (which is often subjective) and how they are viewed in the society. The roles women are featured playing are usually demeaning and belittling as has always been the case. This research was carried out in order to establish the prevalent content of western Nigerian lifestyle magazine advertisements using content analysis. The findings from this research revealed that the most prevalent roles women play in the magazine advertisements depict them as cosmetically/beauty inclined, nurturers of children and nurturers of their home environments. The highest percentage represented role was the desire to be looked at, the need for attention coded for by advertisements for cosmetics, fashion wears, skin care products and accessories. These roles according to Jib Fowles’ fifteen basic advertising appeals have been associated with women for a long time and are constantly being reproduced in the media. Keywords: Lifestyle magazine, stereotype, media, gender, representation, advertisement. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………