糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Student Awarded SURF Grant for Comparative Study on Gender Portrayal in Advertisements
Susan McClain, a senior sociology major at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, has been honored with a prestigious grant from the Student Undergraduate Research Fellowships (SURF) awarded by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE) for her comparative research study of gender objectification in print advertisements.
McClain, reflecting on her experience upon learning of her grant award, expressed excitement and surprise.
鈥淲hen I found out that I had won, I was excited and surprised,鈥� reflected McClain. 鈥淩eceiving this grant will allow me to do the research and observe for myself what the results are instead of relying on others’ research.鈥�
Her enrollment in the summer course 鈥淲omen in a Changing Society鈥� ignited McClain鈥檚 interest in gender representation in print advertisements. Afterward, McClain continued her interest in this research topic in her 鈥淩esearch Methods鈥� course.
McClain鈥檚 research examines the ways in which gender roles and stereotypes are perpetuated in contemporary advertising. In her research she incorporates an intersectional approach using past studies. Despite initially having no interest in the topic, McClain鈥檚 research left her captivated.
鈥淭he more research I conducted, the more interested I became in this topic,鈥� recalled McClain.
While exploring early studies on this topic, McClain began to unravel the impact of gender portrayal in advertisements on her own development during some of her most formative years.
鈥淭he 鈥榓ha鈥� moment for me was understanding how the ads influenced who I was, who I should be, and told me what my role in society was,鈥� explained McClain. 鈥淚 noted that some of the first studies done on this topic were in the 70s and the 80s, while I was a young woman.鈥�
McClain reflected on the historical landscape of the 70s and 80s, emphasizing the limited autonomy that women had. She noted the hurdles that women faced during that era, such as requiring a man鈥檚 signature on decisions like obtaining loans or accessing birth control, as well as experiencing considerable disparities in health insurance compared to men. Amidst these issues, advertisements continued to reinforce societal values of beauty, domesticity, and subservience in women.
鈥淎dvertisements during that time did not address women鈥檚 issues but continued to reinforce the notion that a woman’s place was in the home, caring for children, and fulfilling her man鈥檚 needs,鈥� McClain said. 鈥淭he message to women was that they were to be beautiful, sexy and even an object to meet a man鈥檚 needs.鈥�
Through her research, McClain hopes to observe that in the past five decades there has been a shift toward a more positive, holistic approach to portraying women.
鈥淚 hope that the results reveal that the stereotyped messages are more positive regarding women, less sexual, and less objectified than 50 years ago,鈥� said McClain.
During her time working on this project, McClain has discovered a passion for research, and going forward, McClain would like to continue to research similar topics. She enjoys finding patterns and asking questions that could inspire future research. After receiving her bachelor鈥檚 in sociology, McClain plans to pursue both her master鈥檚 degree and doctorate in sociology.