Diversity and my study by Qifeng Huang

My thesis will involve a content analysis focusing on Chinese magazine advertisements to explore the change in gender portrayal. The study will keep track of one Chinese magazine from 1960s to now, to see if there is a change in portraying gender relationship due to the dramatic social and economic change China has gone through.

The concept of diversity flows through various aspects of my study. Generally speaking, it has two major impacts on my study. First, the diverse cultural root I am going to explore in my study will involve exploring the impact of Chinese culture and politics on the portrayal of gender relationship. Second, the audience my thesis is going to meet includes various groups: such as gender researchers, cultural scholars, general advertising professionals and practitioners etc.

The main aspect from which I am going to conduct my content analysis is mainly from Goffman’s frame analysis. He develops this theory in his book Gender advertisements based on the framing theory to explore the relationship between men and women in advertisements. Lots of studies in advertising area have been conducted to explore the gender portrayal but few have been conducted in the Asian culture context. China has gone through dramatic economical and political change since 1960s, from the very beginning of its independence; continue with the “open door policy” in 1980s, to today’s stunning economic development. This change China has gone through has affected the general gender relationship shaped in old Chinese society, and women in today’s China are respected as “half of the sky”.

To explore the cultural and political reason to this amazing gender relationship change in China could lead to a journey to the culture of this powerful Asian country. So this study will continue with my research on diverse culture background, and find the implication of Goffman’s theory in different social and cultural settings.

My thesis will analyze the advertisements from the angle of camera, from the subtle gestures which indicates the potential relationship between men and women, according to Goffman’s frame analysis. The result of my paper would discuss the cultural and social impact on the change of gender portrayal which could draw the interest of scholars in the cultural study. This also involves the extension of gender study in the context of Asian culture, which could also attract scholars in the field of gender study. A different implication of framing theory in advertising content would also be interesting enough to draw attention of framing scholars.

The aim of my study would focus on revealing the gender relationship change in the Chinese culture context to emphasize the diverse implication of frame analysis in different culture.