Magazines and standards of weight : Chi Square and textual analyses of African American magazines and mainstream women's magazines

This research attempted to reveal any differences in relation to body weight ideals for women in the texts of mainstream magazines and African American magazines. A comparative textual analysis was done on eight articles from four different magazines. Two magazines (Cosmopolitan and Ladies Home Journal) represented mainstream womens magazines while the other two (Essence and Ebony) represented magazines geared toward African American women. The articles were divided into two categories: articles giving diet tips and swimwear articles. Based on the findings, the mainstream magazines and the African American magazines dealt with different sides of the weight issue. Articles from mainstream magazines also adhered to stricter and more detailed codes of dieting than the articles from African American magazines. The assumptions that swimsuit articles from mainstream magazines would be more extensive and focus on higher standards of weight were not always supported.