A Feminist Content Analysis of Bridal Magazines Katrina Leonard, Student Researcher Women’s Studies Kathleen Nybroten, Faculty Mentor Sociology University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

iIntroduction Articles Race Are popular bridal Inside the magazines, the articles focused on similar topics. The topics 100% magazines meant to are a social institution that reinforce inequality not only for include: 90% women, but for those of different races, classes, and sexual orientation. 80% • Fashion, Beauty, Planning, , Wedding Stories, represent a white Weddings are a rich subject for feminist as well as sociological analysis. 70% Budgets, Relationships, Dieting/Fitness, and Advice. 60% ’s fantasy? This study examines how concepts of gender, race, class, language, and 50% heteronormativity are presented in modern wedding culture. We critically 40% White Article Titles Include: 30% analyze the use of language and visual representations that form a Women of Color • “Don’t Panic… Your No Stress Checklist” 20% normative culture and valued practices related to weddings. The results • “Time To Get Gorgeous: A Month-by-Month Beauty Guide” 10% provide insights as to how heterosexuality is institutionalized and gender 0% • “Just Engaged? 10 Fun Things To Do 1 st ” Martha For the Weddings Bridal Guide roles are reinforced as well as how the wedding culture reinforces white, Winter 2013 Stewart Bride Spring Unveiled March/April • “50 Ways To Save From Real Brides” Weddings 2013 Winter 2013 2013 Winter 2013 middle class consumerism. Weddings are a $50-70 billion dollar annual • “It’s His Wedding Too. 10 Best Ways to Get Involved industry. A “white” wedding (one where a bride wears a white wedding • All women on covers are white. ) is the norm in American society. White weddings are patriarchal The articles suggest that planning a wedding is • The majority of the women featured in the magazines as brides, institutions that privilege heterosexuality. The magazines also suggest that stressful and that men are not typically , or flower girls are white. women are the planners of the wedding. Bridal magazines not only involved in planning the wedding. • In comparison , 63.4% of the general population is non-Hispanic white, a reinforce normative gender roles, but they construct a reality that does not Additionally, it is implied that women need to significant difference than what is seen in bridal magazines. Despite the exist. Representations of race in bridal magazines do not reflect those spend a great amount of time focusing on their fact that more women on Latin and Asian descent are married, white getting married or the general population. Bridal magazines construct a beauty and body for their wedding day. women are the ones that are presented in bridal magazines and fantasy intended for white, middle class, heterosexual women. advertisements. • Approximately 1 in 7 of all are between people of different Language races. This is rarely reflected in bridal magazines. Methods • 51% of Caucasian women, 59% of Latina women, 37% of Black All of the magazines used similar words women, and 65% of Asian women in the United States are married. • This study is a content analysis of 5 bridal magazines published to describe weddings or brides. These • As a note for research coding, many of the women of color are light- in 2013. were the top 5 words used in articles and skinned and it is often difficult to determine race via photographs. • A coding system was used to identify gender, race, and class . advertisements. • The following magazines were analyzed: 1. Elegant/Elegance Martha Stewart Weddings Winter 2013, Brides Winter 2013, Bridal Guide 2. Perfect/Perfection Discussion 3. Classic March/April 2013, For The Bride Spring 2013, Weddings Unveiled: It is concerning that bridal magazines are perpetuating gender expectations for 4. Sophisticated/Sophistication Inspiring Style for Southern Weddings Winter 2013 brides. And not only are they perpetuating these expectations, but women are 5. Traditional following them. According to the wedding industry and bridal magazines, Other common words to describe weddings or brides were: unique, exceptional, romantic, exquisite, women are the ones who should be planning a wedding. A wedding is only a single day of an entire , yet it is costly and is time consuming to plan. Gender unforgettable, extraordinary, flawless, charming, enchanting, breathtaking, timeless Weddings are a “big-day” for women. Wedding culture is a social construction that is patriarchal as well as for those that are privileged. Weddings appear to The use of words such as elegance or perfection imply a script for how Analysis of the magazines showed: be restricted for white, middle to upper class, heterosexual women. Bridal both brides and weddings should be. Elegance and sophistication imply • All were portrayed as heterosexual couples. magazines emphasize femininity, perfection, and elegance as well as tradition. class as well as gender expectations. • Most women wore white wedding . • The majority of the women represented in the magazines were thin and light-skinned. However, there were advertisements for plus-sized women, but they were uncommon. Class $28,427 : Cost of Average Wedding • All magazines feature fashion and beauty tips for women. 4 out of the 5 magazines had articles about budgeting, yet the • 3/5 of the magazines examined had articles about diet and/or exercising prior to the wedding day. advertisements do not show a “budget-friendly” wedding. Sources Several articles emphasize that the bridal gown is not an item • Many of the magazine articles emphasize that brides are that brides should be cutting their costs. A few popular bridal and should be (article title left )“Classic Beauty: gown designers and prices include: Brilliantly beaded accents add a glamorous twist to a • Allure Bridals- $1,000-2,200 • Besel, A., Zimmerman, T., Fruhauf, C. A., Pepin, J., & Banning, J. H. (2009). Here Comes The Bride: An $50-70 billion = Annual Ethnographic Content Analysis of Bridal Books. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy , 21(2), 98-124. timeless silhouette” • Alyne- $3,000+ wedding industry revenue • Engstrom, E. (2008). Unraveling the knot: Political economy and cultural hegemony in wedding media. Journal • “You’ll be the picture of perfection in this ultra-feminine • Maggie Sottero- $1,300-1,800 of Communication Inquiry , 32(1), 60-82. •Humble, A. , Zvonkovic, A. , & Walker, A. (2008). 'The Royal We': Gender ideology, display, and assessment in tulle gown with a luxurious crystal-beaded and • Monique Lhuillier- up to $4,500 wedding work. Journal of Family Issues , 29(1), 3-25. ruched bodice.” • Sottero & Midgley- up to $2,000 • Ingraham, C. (1999). White weddings: Romancing heterosexuality in popular culture. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Routledge. •Matlin, M. W. (2012). The psychology of women (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. With every couple depicted in the magazines assumed to be heterosexual, These bridal gown prices do not allow for a “budget-friendly” •TheKnot.com. (2013). Theknot.com and weddingchannel.com reveal results of largest wedding study of its kind, bridal magazines display heteronormativity. While many researchers have surveying more than 17,500 brides . Retrieved from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/theknot-com-weddingchannel- wedding. Bridal magazines only want to have the illusion that com-reveal-141000109.html;_ylt=AwrNUbBozzhRqEUALuDQtDMD commented upon the “white ” as symbolizing purity and they are trying to help brides save money, but in reality the •U.S Census Bureau. (2012). People who got married, and divorced in the past 12 months by state: 2009 . innocence, none of the ads or articles mention this, but instead emphasize wedding industry would not benefit from brides saving money. Retrieved from http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0132.pdf femininity and elegance. We thank the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for supporting this research, and Learning & Technology Services for printing this poster.