Gender and Dietary Supplements

Presented by: Lisa MahaffeyFall 2011 – Sociology 180AW

What are dietary supplements?

• Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines as:▫A product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary

ingredient” intended to supplement the diet

• Including:▫vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino

acids, organ tissues, metabolites, and more

• For the purposes of this study: ▫A product taken by mouth that contains a “dietary

ingredient” intending or promising to alter body physique (weight loss, muscle gain, etc.)

About Dietary Supplements

•Dietary Supplements do NOT require FDA approval

•Dietary Supplement use is highly prevalent (Pillitteri et al, 2007)

• Little research has been done to date

•Calls for sociologists to look at advertising techniques

•One way: through gender▫How is it appealing?▫How does it contribute to gender stereotypes?

Research Question

•How do dietary supplement advertisements contribute to gender stereotypes?▫Hypothesis: through phrasing/terminology, facial

expressions, and body expressions.

•How do dietary supplement advertisements appeal to males vs. females? ▫Hypothesis: through reinforcing gender

stereotypes and promising or claiming to transform a person into the “ideal” male/female

Literature Review – Pilliterri et al, 2007

M F0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

< or et HS

> HSW B L O

Literature Review – Crawford and Leventis, 2005

• Examine false claims in dietary supplement advertisements and labels

• 25% fail to provide FDA Disclaimer / of this 25%, 14% included a “structure-function” label

• Points out the lack of regulation on dietary supplement advertising

•Analysis calls for additional research on dietary supplement advertising

Literature Review – Carmele et al, 2011

•Gender Stereotypes in the DSM-IV

• Targets markers used to dichotomize males and females

• Identifies categories relating to positive/negative physical traits

Category # of Markers

+ Male 18

+ Female 15

- Male 5

- Female 14

Literature Review – Carmele et al, 2011

MALE FEMALE

• Muscular • Handsome • Piercing Gaze • Athletic • Dignified bearing

• Tiny • Attractive • Courteous Smile • Stylish/tasteful dress • Well made up

Literature Review – Coltrane and Messineo, 2000

• Investigate gender prejudice in TV advertising

•Sample size = 1,699 commercials over 3 years

•Hypotheses:▫Men will be more prominently portrayed▫Men will be portrayed as aggressive▫Women will be portrayed as sex objects▫Women will fill romanticized/domesticated roles

Literature Review – Coltrane and Messineo, 2000

MALE FEMALE

• Muscular • Handsome • Piercing Gaze • Athletic • Dignified bearing

• Aggressive• Employed• Order-giver

• Tiny • Attractive • Courteous Smile • Stylish/tasteful dress • Well made up

• Passive• Housewives• Sex objects

Literature Review – Davis and Delano, 1992

• Investigate gender dichotomy in anti-drug campaigns in athletics

•Sample = >40 anti-drug campaign media texts (posters, videotapes, brochures)

•Hypotheses:▫Campaigns will promote a gender

dichotomy

Literature Review – Davis and Delano, 1992

Literature Review – Davis and Delano, 1992

MALE FEMALE

• Muscular • Handsome • Piercing Gaze • Athletic • Dignified bearing • Aggressive• Employed• Order-giver

• Testosterone• Facial/Body Hair• No Breasts• Large Genitalia• Short hair• Deep voice

• Tiny • Attractive • Courteous Smile • Stylish/tasteful dress • Well made up • Passive• Housewives• Sex objects

• Estrogen• No Facial/Body Hair• Breasts• Small Genitalia • Long hair• High pitched voice

MALE FEMALE

Muscular Handsome

Piercing Gaze Athletic

Dignified bearing AggressiveEmployed

Order-giverTestosterone

Facial/Body HairNo Breasts

Large GenitaliaShort hair

Deep voice

Tiny Attractive

Courteous Smile Stylish/tasteful dress

Well made up Passive

HousewivesSex objects

EstrogenNo Facial/Body Hair

BreastsSmall Genitalia

Long hairHigh pitched voice

Collapsed CategoriesTiny

Attractive Courteous Smile

Stylish/tasteful dress Well made up

PassiveHousewivesSex objects

EstrogenNo Facial/Body Hair

BreastsSmall Genitalia

Long hairHigh pitched voice

Muscular Handsome

Piercing Gaze Athletic

Dignified bearing AggressiveEmployed

Order-giverTestosterone

Facial/Body HairNo Breasts

Large GenitaliaShort hair

Deep voice

Hypotheses

•Dietary supplement advertising will appeal to gender stereotypes / gender dichotomization through:

▫Body expression▫Facial expression▫Terminology

•Dietary supplement advertising will use unique approaches to appeal to male vs. female audiences

Research Design

•Content analysis of print advertisements from 21 Top Selling, Nationally Distributed Magazines▫6 male targeted fitness magazines

Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, Maximum Fitness, Muscle and Fitness, Iron Man, Fitness Rx

▫6 female targeted fitness magazines Shape Magazine, Women’s Health, Weight Watchers,

Fitness Magazine, Self Magazine, Health and Fitness▫3 male targeted non fitness magazines

Men’s Journal, Maxim, Sports Illustrated▫3 female targeted non fitness magazines

Cosmopolitan, Ladies Home Journal, Glamour▫3 gender neutral non fitness magazines

People, Reader’s Digest, TV Guide

Research Design (cont’d)• All dietary supplement advertisements will be analyzed over a 1 year

period (n = ??)

• First, articles coded as male and/or female actor and male and/or female audience

• RQ1 – Gender Stereotypes?▫ Document – terminology▫ Code – facial expressions▫ Code – body expression (positioning, in relation to the advertisement)

• RQ2 – Advertising approaches?▫ Code – overall theme

• Codes will be processed through computer software

• Software will assist in collapsing similar categories, analyzing the data, and identifying patterns

Research Design (sample)

Actor: Female

Audience: Female

Body Expression: CurvedSexyPassive

Facial Expression None/Not Shown

Terminology “make your ex wish he wasn’t”

“speeds metabolism”

“boosts energy”

“Knock off pounds”

Focus Gain ConfidenceSlim down

Research Design (sample)Actor: Male

Audience: Male

Body Expression: RigidHands on hipsActive

Facial Expression AggressiveFurrowed brow

Terminology “heat”

“xtreme”

“get abs like me”

“ripped”

Focus Build muscle - abs

Research Design (sample)

Actor: Male Female

Audience: Male Female

Body Expression: RigidHands on hipsActive

CurvedSexyPassive

Facial Expression AggressiveFurrowed brow

None/Not Shown

Terminology “heat”

“xtreme”

“get abs like me”

“ripped”

“make your ex wish he wasn’t”

“speeds metabolism”

“boosts energy”

“Knock off pounds”

Focus Build muscle - abs Gain ConfidenceSlim down

Limitations and Implications

• Limitations▫Subjective▫Limited to print advertisements

• Implications▫Awareness to consumers of dietary supplement

advertisement methods

▫Calls on future research to examine the affects of dietary supplement advertising

▫Also calls on future research to possibly examine internet, radio, television, and other advertising forms