Timothy Jon Curry

Marketing Masculinity: Gender Identity and Popular Magazines

This study examines role portrayals of males inpopular magazines. 7,935 individuals in illustrationswere coded for race, sex, and role. Findings in ordinaryleast squares regression indicated that occupational portrayals of males are most likely to appearin magazines with a high male audience. These portrayalsare also more likely as the class and age of the maleaudience rises, and as a greater percentage of the male audience is married. Conversely,nurturing portrayals of men are most likely to appear inmagazines read by women. Quantitative data is enhancedby some qualitative description of the content of magazine images. Additionally, implications forthe interactions between men and women are assessed, asthese findings imply that women are led to havedifferent expectations of men than men have ofthemselves.

Lack of Confidence in the Federal Government and the Ownership of Firearms

Objective. Scholars have debated the importance of declining confidence in social institutions to the American political system. The objective of this research was to offer and test the hypothesis that individuals with little faith in the three branches of the federal government will be more likely to own firearms than individuals with higher levels of confidence. Methods. The data were drawn from the General Social Survey for the years 1982-1996 and analyzed with a multivariate logistic regression equation that controlled for many of the variables known to be associated with gun ownership. Results. The regression showed that even in the presence of many control measures, respondents who lacked confidence in the federal government were more likely to own firearms than their counterparts who had greater faith in the federal government. Conclusion. Although the hypothesis relating confidence in government to gun ownership was supported and has important policy implications, the data did not permit us to disentangle possible causal relationships. For that, further research will be necessary.

The effects of perceived and actual similarity in values and personality in the process of interpersonal attraction

The effects of perceived and actual similarity in personality and values were examined in a five-wave longitudinal panel study. The study featured six eight-person natural living groups of initial strangers in a residence hall setting. Although actual value similarity caused perceived value similarity and both caused attraction as generally predicted by Newcombs AB-X model, no consistent pattern of relationships was found for personality similarity and attraction. Non-obvious differences between these two types of similarity were then discussed. The magnitude of the effects of the value and personality similarity on the attractions formed in the natural setting were not nearly as pronounced as those reported by Byrne and his associates in their laboratory studies. Differences between the laboratory and the natural setting were then discussed to explain these diminished effects.

Images of Sport in Popular Nonsport Magazines: Power and Performance versus Pleasure and Participation

This research aims to analyze the relationship between sport and the gender order in society by focusing on sport-related images (N = 312) found in popular nonsport mens and womens magazines (N = 46). We find that sport images are often found in both mens and womens nonsport magazines, though these images are more common in magazines that target men. Interestingly, the types of sports portrayed differ greatly depending on the audience. Advertisers and media publishers emphasize images of power and performance sports for men, while pleasure and participation activities are more likely for women. We also note that when sport images contain representations of minorities, they do so in nonintegrated fashion. Hence we conclude that images of sport in nonsport magazines primarily serve to reinforce the existing gender and racial order.

Are direct to consumer advertisments of prescription drugs educational?: comparing 1992 to 2002.

We investigate the educational value of direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertisements from 58 popular magazines published in 1992 and 2002. We find that the number of DTC prescription drug ads increased nine-fold from 1992 to 2002, while the advertisements for other health care products increased only slightly. We examine changes in 1992–2002 DTC prescription drug ads both quantitatively and qualitatively. We find that the educational value as it relates to serious medical conditions decreases over time based on the media logic that the primary purpose of advertisements is to promote consumption, rather than education. We enumerate and describe the media logic tactics employed, and find a statistically significant increase in the number of such tactics per ad in 2002.

COMMUNITY CONFLICT OVER ARENA AND STADIUM FUNDING: COMPETITIVE FRAMING, SOCIAL ACTION, AND THE SOCIO SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE*

Abstract This is a study of community conflict over an attempt by the power elite at urban redevelopment through the construction of a stadium and an arena at public expense. The facilities would be for the use and profit of private sector hockey and soccer franchises. Our analysis of the conflict is guided by three theoretical perspectives: competitive framing analysis, social action theory, and the socio-spatial perspective. In this paper our primary focus is on frame analysis as we discuss the contested referendum for public funding for the planned sports facilities. Our goal is to determine why the economically and politically powerful pro-development forces lost the vote to a lightly funded and loose coalition of ideologically diverse citizen groups. We especially focus on the role in the conflict of the contentious issue framing and counterframing activities engaged in by the two combatant sides. In our discussion we add insights from the socio-spatial and social action perspectives to those from frame analysis. Together the three perspectives provide a valuable analytical framework for issues of community conflict over growth and development. Although in the case under discussion the popular opposition was able to defeat the power elite at the ballot box, the elite were able to build their projects through a combination of their own funds and public dollars not subject to voter approval. The success of the opposition in the frame alignment of their position with the voters has provided an action model for oppositional groups in other cities.

Black Americans in Popular Magazines: The Effects of Audience Characteristics and the Persistence of Stereotypes

Abstract This study examines the effects of size and wealth of the black audience on minority representation in 88 popular national magazines. We find that 1) size and wealth of the black audience are positively associated with greater representation of blacks in feature articles, on covers and in advertisements; 2) as size and wealth of the black audience increases, so do stereotypic role-portrayals of blacks and 3) magazines with primarily white audiences are especially likely to depict black Americans in stereotypic roles. Ironically, we conclude that increased representation of blacks in popular magazines is actually counterproductive, because it reproduces stereotypes that are limiting for the black community.

A COMMENT ON THE USE OF ANABOLIC STEROIDS IN WOMEN'S OLYMPIC SWIMMING A Chronicle of the 100-Meters Freestyle

Focusing on gold medal times in the womens 100-meters freestyle from the 1912 to 1996 Olympics, we compare the effects of anabolic steroids to other innovations. Following a discussion of factors such as changing conceptions of femininity, improved facilities and training methods, and the recruitment of elite athletes, we conclude that anabolic steroids have had a significant but relatively minor impact.