Introduction
Flipping through a recent issue of Seventeen, a popular teen girl magazine, bombards the reader with advertisements. This is not surprising as advertising is a pervasive force in American culture today. It is estimated that the average teenage girl sees over 3000 advertisements per day (Dittrich). Many of the advertisements present in this teen magazine depict women. How the women are portrayed in these advertisements is a controversial topic. In order to examine this issue, one must first understand how women are currently portrayed in print advertisements in teen magazines. After the current portrayal is understood, the issue can be evaluated ethically in light of differing ethical frameworks including the typical business approach, cultural relativism, Utilitarianism, and a Biblical approach based on positive and negative injunctions. These analyses will assist the Christian marketer in determining an appropriate response to the issue in order to be “salt and light” in the business world.
Explanation of the Issue
Before examining the current portrayal of women in advertisements, one must understand the role teen magazines play in a teenage girl’s life. These magazines are a primary source of advertising information and cultural authority for teenage girls. The importance of teen magazines as a source of influence to teen girls is illustrated through advertisements for Seventeen, a magazine geared toward girls aged twelve to seventeen. One advertisement for the magazine included the statement “She’s the one you want. She’s the one we’ve got…It’s more than a magazine. It’s her life.” In another advertisement Seventeen ref ...