Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2005. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The appearance and content of magazines in the South African consumer market has changed drastically during the past two decades. Where once only a handful of women’s magazines existed from which readers could choose, shelves in shops today are filled to capacity with glossy publications which address every possible need, interest and desire of feminine readers. This diversification in the South African women’s magazine market happened almost overnight and there is no doubt that the advent of the niche market of women-focused magazines has changed the landscape of the South African magazine. The established traditional women’s magazine of broad general interest had to take cognizance meticulously of the worldwide trend and of various economical, political and socio-cultural factors influencing the successful publication of women’s magazines locally. The aim of this study is to see how the advent and growth of niche-market magazines focused exclusively on matters of interest specifically to women such as home, décor, garden, food, health, lifestyle, handcrafts and parenting have affected the world of the “traditional” South African women’s magazine. The researcher endeavours to answer the question as to whether the traditional women’s magazine of general interest can survive the flood of new “women-directed” magazines and has concluded that in order not only to survive, but to maintain necessary profit margins, the traditional general interest women’s magazine is going to have to adapt its contents urgently and continuously to the needs of its readers. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die voorkoms en samestelling van tydskrifte in die Suid-Afrikaanse verbruikersmark het radikaal verander gedurende die laaste twee dekades. Waar daar eers net ʼn tiental vrouetydskrifte was waaruit lesers kon kies, is winkelrakke nou tot boordensvol met glanspublikasies wat elke moontlike behoefte of begeerte van vroulike lesers aanspreek. Hierdie fragmentasie in die Suid-Afrikaanse vrouetydskrifmark het byna oornag gebeur en daar is geen twyfel dat die koms van “vrou-gerigte” nistydskrifte die landskap van Suid-Afrikaanse vrouetydskrifte heeltemal verander het nie. Die gevestigde “tradisionele” vrouetydskrif moes noukeurig kennis neem van hierdie wêreldwye tendens en moes verder ook verskeie ekonomiese, politieke en sosio-kulturele faktore wat die suksesvolle publikasie van vrouetydskrifte beïnvloed, in gedagte hou. Die doel van hierdie studie is om te kyk hoe die ontstaan en ontwikkeling van nistydskrifte wat op bepaalde “vrou-gerigte” onderwerpe soos huis, dekor, tuin, kos, gesondheid, leefstyl, handwerk en ouerskap fokus, die wêreld van die “tradisionele” Suid-Afrikaanse vrouetydskrifte geraak het. Die navorser poog om die vraag of die “tradisionele algemene belangstelling”- vrouetydskrif die vloedgolf nuwe “vrou-gerigte” nistydskrifte gaan oorleef, te beantwoord. Die gevolgtrekking is dat die “tradisionele” vrouetydskrif haar inhoud indringend en op ʼn voortdurende basis sal moet aanpas by die behoeftes van haar lesers, nie alleen ter wille van oorlewing nie, maar ten einde noodsaaklike winsmarges te kan handhaaf.

Assignment (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Health reporting in South African women’s magazines has not previously been assessed. Therefore, a content analysis of health reporting in three South African monthly women’s magazines, Sarie (S), Fairlady (F), and True Love (T), was carried out from February 2005–January 2006. Total coverage of health issues was analysed, as well as coverage of 11 specific aspects of health, namely: sexual and reproductive (‘Sexual’), men’s, women’s, cardiac (‘Heart’), spiritual ‘Spirit’), mental and emotional (‘Mental’), diet and nutrition (‘Diet’), sport and exercise (‘Sportex’), health-related items not covered by the other categories (‘General’), pseudoscience with regard to health issues (‘Pseudo’) and parenting and child care (‘Parent’). True Love devoted most space to all health items combined (17,7% of total subject material), compared with 13,8% for Sarie and 11,7 % for Fairlady. The top three categories (20,1%, 19,7% and 16,3% of total health coverage) were the ‘Mental’, ‘General’ and ‘Sexual’ categories, respectively. Comparisons of categories among the magazines showed the following trends for the most coverage: ‘Sexual’ (T); women’s (F), ‘Spirit’ (T), ‘Mental’ (S); and ‘Diet’ (F). T was the only magazine to carry articles in the ‘Parent’ category. However, statistical analyses showed that the only significant differences were in women’s (F>T); ‘Spirit’ (F>S; T>S); ‘Mental' (S>F) and ’Diet’ (F>S). The reporting in the magazines was not found to be balanced as regards the emphasis given to certain aspects of health. The most striking imbalance was that no information was given regarding prevention of HIV/Aids, now the leading cause of death in South Africa. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die mate van gesondheidsverslaggewing in Suid-Afrikaanse vrouetydskrifte is nog nie voorheen bepaal nie. Daar is dus ‘n inhoudsanalise gedoen van die gesondheidsverslaggewing van drie Suid-Afrikaanse vrouetydskrifte, Sarie (S), Fairlady (F), and True Love (T), wat maandeliks verskyn, vanaf Februarie 2005–Januarie 2006. Die totale dekking van gesondheidskwessies is geanaliseer, sowel as die dekking van 11 spesifieke aspekte van gesondheid, nl.: seksueel en reproduksie (‘Seksueel’), mans, vrouens, hart (‘Hart’), geestelik (‘Geestelik’), emosioneel (‘Emosioneel’), dieet en voeding (‘Dieet’), sport en oefening (‘Sport’), gesondheidsverwante kwessies wat nie deur ander afdelings gedek is nie (‘Algemeen’), pseudo-wetenskap met verwysing na gesondheidskwessies (‘Pseudo’) asook ouerskap en kindersorg (‘Ouer’). Gesamentelik het True Love (17,7% van totale onderwerp inhoud) die meeste plek afgestaan aan gesondheidsverwante kwessies, in vergelyking met 13,8% vir Sarie en 11,7 % vir Fairlady. Die top drie afdelings (20,1%, 19,7% en 16,3% van die totale gesondheidsdekking) was ‘Geestelik’, ‘Algemeen’ en ‘Seksueel’ respektiewelik. ‘n Vergelyking van die verskillende afdelings tussen die tydskrifte het die volgende tendense vir die meeste dekking getoon: ‘Seksueel’ (T); vroue (F), ‘Geestelik’ (T), ‘Emosioneel’ (S); and ‘Dieet’ (F). T was die enigste tydskrif wat artikels in die ‘Ouer’ afdeling gepubliseer het. Statistiese analises het egter getoon dat die enigste insiggewende verskille in die ’vroue’ (F>T); ‘Geestelik’ (F>S; T>S); ‘Emosioneel' (S>F) en ’Dieet’ (F>S) afdelings voorgekom het. Daar is gevind dat rapportering in die betrokke tydskrifte ongebalanseerd was ten opsigte van sekere aspekte van gesondheid. Die grootste gebrek was dat daar geen inligting oor die voorkoming van MIV/Vigs verskaf is nie, alhoewel dit bekend is dat dit nou die hoof oorsaak van sterftes in Suid-Afrika is.

published_or_final_version / Linguistics / Master / Master of Arts

This study is a content analysis of female-oriented magazines aimed at three different age groups: women, teen, and preteen. Magazine content from Girls’ Life, J-14, Seventeen, Cosmo Girl!, Cosmopolitan, and Glamour was examined for themes of sexuality, romance, and the opposite sex. The evidence suggests that topics are presented to women in a progressive manner in which preteen girls are first learning about the opposite sex, teens are learning how to behave in order to attract the opposite sex, and women are being told how to please the opposite sex erotically. While the idea is never overtly stated, it appears that women are still sexual objects for men’s pleasuring. However, they are also in charge of “taming” the man and making him knowledgeable on topics of sexuality and romance. / Department of Sociology

This paper documents the decrease of short stories in three women's magazines from 1940 to 1970 and concludes that the decline results from readers turning to other sources for escape from housework. Chapter II describes patterns in plots, themes, characters, settings, and other elements of these stories. Chapter III shows the lack of influence which changes in writers, editors, and social and political developments in America have had on these short stories. The conclusion is reached that the magazine article is replacing magazine short stories.

In this thesis, I explore and critique the content of the fashion teen magazine CosmoGirl. Through a bricolage of methods, I examine the magazine's representation of teen femininity and compare it to the editor's "pro-feminist" initial goal and intended social role for the publication. / Drawing upon previous studies, and linking my findings to established theories, I analyze the possible relationship between the publication's content and the influence this media genre has on the social development of young women. / My research findings show that CosmoGirl's portrayal of femininity is stereotypical, patriarchal and unrealistic and that such representation perpetuates negative and destructive feelings in young women. / In my discussion, I explore possible reasons for the lack of representation of the editor's goal for the magazine within the magazine's overall discourse. I also discuss the importance of media literacy in education as a means to alter today's media, so its representation of women becomes truthful.

This thesis examines the role nineteenth-century women's literary journals, specifically Ladies' Journal (1823--1833), played in the development of Russian literature. The longest-lived and most-circulated of the pre-Soviet women's literary journals, Ladies' Journal was well-positioned to have contributed to the on-going formation of a national literature through its influence on the Russian woman writer and reader. Ladies' Journal served as a forum for new Russian women writers and translators. It also promoted the discussion of women's issues. However, Ladies' Journal had a contradictory editorial policy concerning women and literature. While advocating women stake their own ground as writers, Ladies' Journal modeled the type of writer it wanted. The ideal writer was the inspiration of male poets and did not differ from the Romantic heroine or the ideal Romantic woman. This was a gesture in the spirit of the time, but it had consequences for Russian literature and for the poetics and politics of Russian women's journals to come.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Texas Christian University, 2008. / Title from dissertation title page (viewed May 8, 2008). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Univ., Diss.--Zürich, 2002.

Thesis (M.A.)--Eastern Illinois University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-92).