Purpose: The purpose of this exercise is to examine gender stereotypes as they are presented by the media.

Instructions: Collect six or more full-color magazine advertisements that contain photographic images of women and men. You should have a sufficient number of advertisements to provide you with six images of men and six images of women. Include at least one ad that portrays only men, one ad that portrays only women, and one or two ads that portray men and women together. Try to include as many diverse images of men and women as possible by including examples of women and men from different ethnic and racial groups and social classes.

1. How are women depicted in these advertisements? Describe similarities among the advertisements as well as differences.
2. How are men depicted in these advertisements? Describe similarities among the advertisements as well as differences.
3. How do gender stereotypes vary by race, ethnicity, and social class? (If you had difficulty finding a diverse collection of photographs, you might want to comment on this fact.
4. How do men and women interact in these advertisements? Comment on factors such as touch, images of strength, dominance, sexuality, etc.
5. What cues, if any, are present about sexual orientation? Describe.
6. Reverse the positions of men and women in each advertisement. Do the messages about gender change? If so, how?
7. What conclusions can you draw about how men and women are depicted in the media? How might these images relate to the development and maintenance of gender stereotypes?