Race, gender, physical attractiveness, and media: Understanding fashion magazine advertisement use in the construction of standards for physical attractiveness among African American men and women

This study employed inductive qualitative methods to understand how a group of African American college students perceive fashion magazine advertisements. Using the ads of fashion magazines targeted to African Americans and mainstream fashion magazines, this study analyzed how participants interpreted their own standards of attractiveness in conjunction with the ads discussed. Lastly, the research attempted to identify the uses of the advertisements in the process of constructing these standards and how gender differences may or may not have contributed separate influences.