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The Body as a Trend

Valencia, Lourdes LU and Haji Ramezani, Maryam LU (2023) BUSN39 20231
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
The purpose of this study has been to understand how brands construct female body trends through the use of marketing representations over time. It was considered of relevance to analyze these social constructions as female consumers have been portrayed as well as objectified and exploited over the years in different
industries. Ultimately, the effects of these social constructions which convey specific behaviors and ideals are reflected in female consumers' self esteem, health and well-being.
To achieve the purpose of our research, a discourse analysis was performed. As our research question focused on brand’s marketing representations, 51 advertisements in the Swedish version of ELLE fashion magazine were selected from issues... (More)
The purpose of this study has been to understand how brands construct female body trends through the use of marketing representations over time. It was considered of relevance to analyze these social constructions as female consumers have been portrayed as well as objectified and exploited over the years in different
industries. Ultimately, the effects of these social constructions which convey specific behaviors and ideals are reflected in female consumers' self esteem, health and well-being.
To achieve the purpose of our research, a discourse analysis was performed. As our research question focused on brand’s marketing representations, 51 advertisements in the Swedish version of ELLE fashion magazine were selected from issues corresponding to a timeframe of 32 years. The gathered data was then described in detail to present the different discourses found in the images, texts and hidden messages. Our empirical findings were mainly analyzed through the lens of poststructuralist feminism and the social construction of gender. These were considered suitable for the aim of our research as they focus on how social
constructions are created with the use of discourses, while also addressing the power relationships between relevant main actors.
The results of this study agree and support the existing literature and also contribute to the field of marketing by adding our findings in regards to the specific scope of our research. In this sense, our study agrees with the knowledge that brands, as important participants of society, have the power to create, shape and maintain social constructions such as female body trends. Even though it could be thought that female body trends have been changing in the past 32 years in advertisement in the fashion industry, one interesting finding of this research is that brands have shown very little action towards creating different social
constructions despite the different social movements and changes in Western society.
Therefore it can be said that brands, rather than having an active role in challenging social stereotypes, have been proposing almost unaltered discourses that portray a specific type of woman as the ideal beauty. Certain changes in discourses throughout the 32 years are shown, ranging from very direct statements to relatively hidden and subtle messages that are more difficult to perceive.
Our findings have managerial implications as it explores how brands have been developing specific discourses and the main concerns of this behavior towards female consumers. Our research also exhibits the marketer bias and the impact of the power relationship between marketer and consumer. Therefore, brands should consider to avoid certain discourses and take real action in order to be perceived as an inclusive actor and a change maker in society. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Valencia, Lourdes LU and Haji Ramezani, Maryam LU
supervisor
organization
course
BUSN39 20231
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Bodies, advertising, gender, discourse analysis, brands
language
English
id
9124083
date added to LUP
2023-06-29 09:30:10
date last changed
2023-06-29 09:30:10
@misc{9124083,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this study has been to understand how brands construct female body trends through the use of marketing representations over time. It was considered of relevance to analyze these social constructions as female consumers have been portrayed as well as objectified and exploited over the years in different 
industries. Ultimately, the effects of these social constructions which convey specific behaviors and ideals are reflected in female consumers' self esteem, health and well-being.
To achieve the purpose of our research, a discourse analysis was performed. As our research question focused on brand’s marketing representations, 51 advertisements in the Swedish version of ELLE fashion magazine were selected from issues corresponding to a timeframe of 32 years. The gathered data was then described in detail to present the different discourses found in the images, texts and hidden messages. Our empirical findings were mainly analyzed through the lens of poststructuralist feminism and the social construction of gender. These were considered suitable for the aim of our research as they focus on how social
constructions are created with the use of discourses, while also addressing the power relationships between relevant main actors.
The results of this study agree and support the existing literature and also contribute to the field of marketing by adding our findings in regards to the specific scope of our research. In this sense, our study agrees with the knowledge that brands, as important participants of society, have the power to create, shape and maintain social constructions such as female body trends. Even though it could be thought that female body trends have been changing in the past 32 years in advertisement in the fashion industry, one interesting finding of this research is that brands have shown very little action towards creating different social
constructions despite the different social movements and changes in Western society.
Therefore it can be said that brands, rather than having an active role in challenging social stereotypes, have been proposing almost unaltered discourses that portray a specific type of woman as the ideal beauty. Certain changes in discourses throughout the 32 years are shown, ranging from very direct statements to relatively hidden and subtle messages that are more difficult to perceive.
Our findings have managerial implications as it explores how brands have been developing specific discourses and the main concerns of this behavior towards female consumers. Our research also exhibits the marketer bias and the impact of the power relationship between marketer and consumer. Therefore, brands should consider to avoid certain discourses and take real action in order to be perceived as an inclusive actor and a change maker in society.}},
  author       = {{Valencia, Lourdes and Haji Ramezani, Maryam}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Body as a Trend}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}