The Portrayal of Femininity in Women's Magazines:: a Contrastive Perception Analysis of Males and Females

Media and the Liberal Arts have been portraying women with the depiction that belittles their importance in the social dynamics. The phenomenon of downplaying women appears to be a universal reality. Today various genres of the media whether they are broadcast, print or online abound with pictures of women that highlight their bodies well-nigh au naturel. Such an act constitutes the sexual objectification of women. With emphasis on women's bodies under the disguise of celebrating beauty and fashion, especially in the entertainment industry, the portrayal of women eventually assumes a form that represents them as mere sex objects. This book looks at the matter from a different perspective. It rather focuses on how the images of women as they appear in women's magazines in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, are perceived by various members of the sexes. This way the book would throw light on the consumption of such images through the mirror of sex difference.