This thesis explores the way that breast cancer risks are represented in popular Canadian women’s magazines. In particular, using discourse analysis on 34 articles from Chatelaine, Canadian Living, and Flare, this study examines how public discourse of breast cancer risks in women’s magazines engages specific ideas about women, consumption, and individual responsibility for health. Using a variety of discursive representation techniques, women’s magazines define breast cancer risk as a problem originating in the individual woman’s body and behaviour. Women’s magazines also emphasize the individual woman’s responsibility to lower the risk of the disease, and identify willpower to choose the “right” products and practices as key instruments to fulfill this responsibility. While highlighting women’s capability to make autonomous decisions to manage the risk, breast cancer risk discourse in women’s magazines also encourages readers to maintain morality as females without breaking away from society’s expectations about femininity. In this way, breast cancer risk discourse in women’s magazines is not merely a less technical, reader-friendly reproduction of scientific reports, but a product that explains health risk information through the lens of longstanding cultural values about women and contemporary sociopolitical ideology that emphasizes individual responsibility for health. / Graduate

In this dissertation, I examine the constructions, maintenance, and resistance to dominant discourses concerning motherhood and non-motherhood in contemporary Hungary, using the popular Hungarian women’s magazine Nők Lapja as my key illustrative example. I strive to illuminate how gendered discourses, bio-power, history, and geo-politics are implicated not only in the construction of nationhood but also in defining women’s roles in nation-building. I hope to contribute to research that helps to better understand women’s contemporary social roles in Hungary, and the power relations that construct them. I argue that ideas regarding motherhood and non-motherhood in Hungary are often bound up in ideas concerning who should, or should not, have children, and why, and I explore in detail how these ideas have formed through the history of the nation. My analysis reveals different sites of power—focusing on policy and print media—that seek to determine women’s procreative decisions. I argue that, under various regimes, women’s procreative choices have consistently been systemically constrained, and framed as key to the nation’s success—or failure. Concerning Nők Lapja magazine, my research reveals that it both supports and resists traditional gender roles, at times contributing to discourses that naturalize childbearing and motherhood (also defining for readers whose motherhood is deemed desirable), but at other times disputing such ideas and redefining conceptions of womanhood to include women without children. Although ultimately the magazine pathologizes, disbelieves and negates the choice to be childless, Nők Lapja does resist and redefine limited definitions of womanhood and motherhood by carving out a small space for discussions of childlessness, and also by challenging conceptions of singletons as necessarily lonely and mothers as necessarily better if they stay at home.

Diploma thesis "Feminists, Christians and women's magazines - construction of interpretative communities" deals with opinions of feminist and Christian women about women's magazines. It applies the concept of interpretative communities on these two groups of women and asks, if feminists and Christians use within their groups the same resources for judgement of women's magazines. At the same time the thesis is concerned with the history of Czech women in the last two centuries and also with theoretical views of women and constructions of womanhood. It strives for a solid understanding of the two groups of women that includes not only the characteristics of both communities, but also social and historical circumstances that shaped them. On this basis, the thesis analyses interviews with feminist and Christian women. The themes that were discussed included fashion, cosmetics, relationships between men and women, atributes of gender roles, positives and negatives of women's magazines, various uses of women's magazines and Christian and feminist critique of women's magazines. The thesis also deals with the question, which other variables may influence the opinion of feminists and Christians on women's magazines.

This thesis deals with persuasion and its means in the field of contemporary journalistic texts - women's magazines. By employing the approaches of critical analysis of discourse, it analyses selected verbal means, used for persuasive writing. Women's magazine "Žena a život" volumes 2010/13 are used as a case study example. The first theoretical part of this thesis deals with persuasion in terms of psychological communication of sociological and media studies. An analysis follows of women's magazines market in the Czech Republic and the specifics of women's and lifestyle magazines. In the practical part, by using 48 different samples of "žena a život" magazines editorials, women's magazines language is analysed. The thesis focuses on selected verbal means of persuasion and it analyses their usage and function in the text. Simultaneously the thesis focuses on editorials in term of thematic contents and examines how women's world is constructed and presented by the medium of editorials. Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)

Submitted by Nara Lays Domingues Viana Oliveira (naradv) on 2015-06-11T14:23:52Z No. of bitstreams: 1 daianedosSantosCosta.pdf: 1985462 bytes, checksum: 0e4b6a970aff573c692d6443a66df217 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-11T14:23:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 daianedosSantosCosta.pdf: 1985462 bytes, checksum: 0e4b6a970aff573c692d6443a66df217 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-04-15 / Nenhuma / A presente dissertação estuda blogs femininos de revistas, no contexto brasileiro, em que mulheres relatam experiências pessoais e profissionais ao atualizar suas práticas e convicções diárias em sites de redes sociais, além de blogar essas informações em ambientes de revistas e portais. Foram examinados oito espaços hospedados nos sites das revistas NOVA, Claudia, Marie Claire e TPM (Trip Para Mulher). A pesquisa aborda a interface entre comunicação e o fenômeno da midiatização dos comportamentos femininos na internet; reflete sobre o funcionamento dos ambientes digitais em questão, a circulação com base nos fluxos e rituais de interação e performance de gênero, na atualidade. Como conclusão, apontamos as estratégias interacionais, os femininos que nascem, circulam e transbordam naqueles ambientes online.As experiências vivenciadas e mostradas não poderiam ser descritas ou interpeladas apenas pelas revistas, mas são viabilizadas nos blogs de maneira subjetiva, como ocorre em demais redes sociais, aproximando-se de práticas sociais engendradas e estabelecidas naqueles espaços. Depois de uma observação descritiva de cada um dos oito blogs – que constituem os casos estudados – uma análise transversal permitiu apreender os aspectos levantados pela problematização que dá eixo à pesquisa. / The dissertation studies feminine blogs from a group of magazines in the Brazilian context where women report their personal and professional experiences in order to update their daily practices and beliefs on social networking sites, as well as blogging these information in the environment of portals and magazines. The amount of eight spaces hosted on the websites of NOVA, Claudia, Marie Claire and TPM ("Trip For Woman") magazines is explored through this work from the perspective of some studies that address the interface between social communication and the phenomenon of mediatization of the female behaviors on the internet, considering the operation of digital environments in question, the circulation based on information flows and interactive rituals and the gender performance of the contemporaneity. In conclusion, it is pointed out that, through interactional strategies, the womanhoods that are born, circulate and overflow onthose onlineenvironments consist of experiences that could not be described or challenged only by magazines, but also by a subjective scope as in the other social networks, approaching social practices already established by users and engendered in those spaces. After a descriptive observation of each of the eight blogs - which are the cases studied - a cross-section allow seize problematic issues raised by the research that gives axis.

The dissertation examines the field of popular magazines in 1930s Italy, by first examining the broad field of magazine production under Fascism and then undertaking three case studies of individual magazines - L'Avventuroso (1934 - 1943), Omnibus (1937 - 1939), and Grazia (1938 -) - in order to build an in-depth analysis of the production, format and reception of the popular press in this period. In the interwar years, and in particular from 1934 onwards, innovative printing techniques and production methods transformed the periodical press worldwide. The emergence of new forms of illustrated magazines expanded the readership and started a process of standardisation and mass production of periodicals. The dissemination in Italy of the rotocalco, a new product aimed at the masses that was developed in the 1930s, offers a particularly interesting starting point for analysing the development of a modern Italian mass press and culture within the peculiar dynamics of a controlling Fascist regime and the mixed national and international forces that shaped it. Modern Italian magazines developed in dialogue with foreign industries, imitating models from abroad and adapting them to the Italian culture. The development of popular press in the 1930s represented a challenge for the Fascist regime, which approached it both as a threat and an opportunity to shape Italian popular culture. Through the analysis of three case studies, each from a key sector of popular press - comics, general cultural magazines, and women's magazines - and each produced by one of the three main publishing companies in the field - Nerbini, Rizzoli, and Mondadori - the dissertation aims to provide a detailed picture of the development of mass print culture in Italy during Fascism. The analysis provides examples of the impact of and cracks in Fascist censorship and cultural autarchy on the periodical press and argues that the Italian popular press developed in dialogue with European and American culture, which influenced both the form and content of rotocalchi, reinterpreting and adapting these models to Italian standards and to the constrictions of Fascist control.

從來「美貌」即是女性最為關注的課題之一，而傳播媒體的推波助瀾，更助長了美貌意識的盛行，尤以標榜女性為「唯一閱聽人」的女性雜誌為最。本研究即以女性主義精神為本，試圖以兩種不同的理論觀點來解讀女性雜誌：一是以批判理論觀點來分析女性雜誌建構的「美貌」，一是用後現代理論觀點來解析女性讀者使用女性雜誌所得到的愉悅。本研究採取質性研究方法，分別採用符號學分析法來分析女性雜誌文本，以及深度訪談法對十位讀者進行讀者研究。 根據文本分析的結果，研究者將女性雜誌所象徵的美貌意涵歸類為三大項，即（一）高級出眾的時尚品味（二）完美無瑕的身體髮膚和（三）撩動人心的性感風情。女性雜誌成功地運用各種符號，交織出一個面貌單一且為男性所喜的美貌形象，並強說這一切是女性之所欲，用以召喚女性讀者。而從讀者訪談的結果發現，女性雜誌確實在其生活中扮演重要角色，帶給她們許多愉悅，是她們理想自我和生活的投射；她們也多認同女性雜誌披露的美貌論述，並身體力行，為美貌付出諸多心力。然而，她們不免落入了某些美貌迷思，而這些迷思似乎正和女性雜誌的論調如出一轍。 在後現代的氛圍中，愉悅的享受被正當化了，女人的愉悅更不再受到壓抑，擁抱愉悅，展現自我，正是時下女性致力追求的。本研究願以開放的態度來看待女性愛美的心理，也樂見女性享受閱讀女性雜誌的種種樂趣，只是在資本主義和父權體制的層層重圍之下，女性如何能活得更自在快樂，或許還有很長的一段路要走。 / "Beauty" is always one of the topics that women are most concerned with. Mass media, especially women's magazines focussing on a "women-only" audience, adds to the push for beauty consciousness. The thesis is based on the spirit of feminism, and attempts to decode women's maganizes with two different theories: first, to analyse the construction of "beauty" in women's magazines by critical theory; second, to interpret female readers' pleasure from using women's magazines by applying postmodem theory. Qualitative research methods are applied in this study by using Semiology to analyze text language in women's maganizes, and the "in-depth interview" method to research 10 readers. According to the results of text analysis, the researcher classifies the meaning of beauty in women's magazines into three categories. They are: (1) haute coutre and upscale fashion (2) perfect body (3) sensual pleasure and exquisite taste. Various signs are well exercised in women's magazines. They attract women readers by portraying a simple yet beautiful image that men prefer and advocate that this is the image that women have long pursued. From the interviews by the 10 readers, we found that female magazines play a key role and gives women pleasure in their daily lives. These magazines put up an ideal image that they can strive for. The readers are able to identify with the images created by the women's magazines and are devoted to working towards it. However, they are also inevitably sucker into a beauty myth that magazines try to paint. Amid post-modern context, pursuing pleasure is justified. Women are no more being suppressed in pursuing pleasure and engaging in self-development, which are what modern female have long endeavoured. The thesis attempts to look at the psychological aspect of what women expect from their beauty consciousness and the pleasure they derive from female magazines. However, under pressure from capitalism and patriarchy, there might be still a long way to go before women can live a free and happy life.

The wide variety of magazines in the South African market and the economic relapse that has been experienc,e d worldwide has given rise to the increasing competition for higher circulation figures and advertising income. This phenomenon especially occurs between publications competing for the same target audience, such as the women's magazines SARIE and rooi rose, competitors over many years in the Afrikaans magazine market. Magazine covers play a critical role in this rivalry due to the direct connection between the popularity of the cover and circulation figures. The more popular the cover of a publication, the higher the sales, circulation and potential profitability will be. Thus it is of the utmost importance for any publication to make the suitable cover selections, considering that the wrong choices can contribute towards a decrease in circulation and eventually fatal consequences for the publication. This study endeavours to determine which requirements magazine covers should meet to be successful and also which tendencies can be identified in the cover choices of SARIE and rooi rose and how these tendencies can be explained. In literature it was found that there are several requirements and directions to which magazine covers should account to be able to be achieving success. It was also found that magazine covers consist of several elements, such as the logo (master-head), cover-girl/-photo, background colours, text and also competitions (announced on the cover). SARIE and rooi rose's covers were analysed in accordance with the requirements for magazine covers. It was found that these magazine covers complied with the formal requirements formulated in the literature consulted. It also appeared that the success of every cover and edition is determined by the cover elements as a whole and not only the popularity of the "cover-girl" only. Several aspects should thus be taken into account when planning the magazine cover. It also appeared that although the cover choice sets an agenda for readers concerning the topics they will eventually be thinking about and discussing, another dimension of agenda-setting rather is to the point, namely the role readers' preferences play (through their personal feedback and buying of magazines) regarding editors' decision in respect of covers. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010

The wide variety of magazines in the South African market and the economic relapse that has been experienc,e d worldwide has given rise to the increasing competition for higher circulation figures and advertising income. This phenomenon especially occurs between publications competing for the same target audience, such as the women's magazines SARIE and rooi rose, competitors over many years in the Afrikaans magazine market. Magazine covers play a critical role in this rivalry due to the direct connection between the popularity of the cover and circulation figures. The more popular the cover of a publication, the higher the sales, circulation and potential profitability will be. Thus it is of the utmost importance for any publication to make the suitable cover selections, considering that the wrong choices can contribute towards a decrease in circulation and eventually fatal consequences for the publication. This study endeavours to determine which requirements magazine covers should meet to be successful and also which tendencies can be identified in the cover choices of SARIE and rooi rose and how these tendencies can be explained. In literature it was found that there are several requirements and directions to which magazine covers should account to be able to be achieving success. It was also found that magazine covers consist of several elements, such as the logo (master-head), cover-girl/-photo, background colours, text and also competitions (announced on the cover). SARIE and rooi rose's covers were analysed in accordance with the requirements for magazine covers. It was found that these magazine covers complied with the formal requirements formulated in the literature consulted. It also appeared that the success of every cover and edition is determined by the cover elements as a whole and not only the popularity of the "cover-girl" only. Several aspects should thus be taken into account when planning the magazine cover. It also appeared that although the cover choice sets an agenda for readers concerning the topics they will eventually be thinking about and discussing, another dimension of agenda-setting rather is to the point, namely the role readers' preferences play (through their personal feedback and buying of magazines) regarding editors' decision in respect of covers. / Thesis (M.A. (Communication Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010

My research seeks to understand ways in which English-educated Chinese women in cosmopolitan Singapore bolstered their identity while living under the influences of Confucian values, patriarchal nation-building and racial concerns. My thesis examines women who have themselves been lost in translation when they were co-opted into the creation of a viable state after 1965. Often women are treated as adjuncts in the patriarchal state, particularly since issues of gender are not treated with the equality they deserve in the neo-Confucian discourse. This thesis takes an unconventional approach to how women have been viewed by utilizing primary sources including Her World and Female magazines from the 1960s and 1990s, and subsequent material from the blogosphere. I analyze images of women in these magazines to gain an understanding of how notions of gender and communitarianism/race intersect. By looking at government-sponsored advertising, my work also investigates the kind of messages the state was sending out to these women readers. My examination of government-sponsored advertisements, in tandem with the existing mainstream consumer advertising directed at women provides therefore a unique historical perspective in understanding the kinds of pressures Singaporean women have faced. Blogging itself is used as a counterpoint to show how new spaces have opened up for those who have felt constricted in certain ways by the authorities, women included. It would be fair to say that women?s magazines and blogging have served as ways for women to bolster their self worth, despite the counter-argument that some highly idealized and unhealthy images of women are purveyed. The main target group of glossy women?s magazines is English-educated women readers who are, by virtue of the Singapore?s demographics, mostly Chinese.