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- Title
Do Women Still Hold Up Half the Sky? Portrayal of Women in Chinese Advertising: 1980-2001.
- Authors
Lilly Ye; Ashley-Cotleur, Catherine; Gaumer, Carol
- Abstract
"Women can hold up half the sky" was a popular slogan in China in 1970's. The slogan reflects the belief of Chinese socialists that men and women are completely equal, both physically and mentally. In 1979, China changed its socialist economic system into a more capitalistic market economy. As a result of this transformation, those selling goods had to compete for buyers. Consequently, advertising, which was relatively unknown in China, began to take hold. This paper explores the impact of magazine advertising in China on the image and portrayal of women within Chinese society over a 20 year period, 1980-2001. This time-frame is significant because it marks the beginning of China's capitalist economic experiment up to the point that China is accepted into the World Trade Organization (WTO). This 20 year period is long enough to measure trends and evaluate changes in Chinese society and represents an important first stage in China's participation in the international market economy. The 581 ads, evaluated in this study, indicate that women's role portrayal in Chinese advertising has changed over the 20 year time-frame from that of an equal partner to men to a more westernized image of women as objects of beauty and sexual desire.
- Subjects
CHINA; ADVERTISING; INTERNATIONAL economic relations; CAPITALISM; MAGAZINE advertising
- Publication
Journal of Marketing Development & Competitiveness, 2012, Vol 6, Issue 3, p67
- ISSN
2155-2843
- Publication type
Article