False reflections: Appearance esteem attacks in advertising in "Cosmopolitan", "Working Woman", "GQ", and "Maxim"

This thesis examines the advertisements in Cosmopolitan, Working Woman, Maxim, and GQ that qualify as Appearance Esteem (AE) ads. AE ads attack women and/or men in terms of self esteem based in appearance. A content analysis combined with a textual analysis produced results which show that women are attacked more directly, and more personally than men. The results demonstrate that the AE ads help to establish narrow standards of appearance for both women and men in society, however it is argued that these messages may lead to negative health behaviors, lower self confidence, and an unhealthy obsession to maintain one's appearance.