Women's magazines as facilitators of Christmas rituals

Freeman, L; Bell, S

Women's magazines as facilitators of Christmas rituals

Freeman, L Bell, S

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Qualitative Market Research, 2013, 16 (3), pp. 336 - 354
Issue Date:: 2013-06-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Freeman, L	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Bell, S	en_US
dc.date.issued	2013-06-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Qualitative Market Research, 2013, 16 (3), pp. 336 - 354	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1352-2752	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/26407
dc.description.abstract	Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the editorial content of monthly women's magazines and consider their role in facilitating the Christmas food rituals. Of particular interest is the extent to which the special food features have adapted to support the changes in women's lifestyles over the last 20 years. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a longitudinal social semiotic analysis of Christmas food features in women's magazines in Australia and the UK over the period 1991-2011. Findings: The analysis reveals a recurring conflict between the magazine content and the lifestyles of their readers. For families to participate in and maintain the Christmas ritual still means devotion, typically by a woman. The message has not changed, even though the work/home balance for many women has. The responsibility for putting the "magic" in Christmas lies firmly at the woman's feet. The magazines' text convey a contradictory message by offering readers budget and timesaving tips, while their visuals imply that such "shortcuts" stand in the way of the sought-after magical Christmas, the rituals must be followed in full. Research limitations/implications: Adopting a longitudinal social semiotic analysis enabled the authors to conduct a detailed comparison of both text and imagery across the magazines and across the years. The authors were also able to report on how the sign complexes such as colour and text worked in combination to create a social message. Originality/value: Whilst women's magazines remain an important vehicle for the transmission of social values, the paper's findings demonstrate that they are not necessarily adapting to social change. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Qualitative Market Research	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1108/13522751311326134	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Marketing	en_US
dc.title	Women's magazines as facilitators of Christmas rituals	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	3	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	16	en_US
utslib.for	1505 Marketing	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Marketing Discipline
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	3	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	16	en_US

Abstract:

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the editorial content of monthly women's magazines and consider their role in facilitating the Christmas food rituals. Of particular interest is the extent to which the special food features have adapted to support the changes in women's lifestyles over the last 20 years. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a longitudinal social semiotic analysis of Christmas food features in women's magazines in Australia and the UK over the period 1991-2011. Findings: The analysis reveals a recurring conflict between the magazine content and the lifestyles of their readers. For families to participate in and maintain the Christmas ritual still means devotion, typically by a woman. The message has not changed, even though the work/home balance for many women has. The responsibility for putting the "magic" in Christmas lies firmly at the woman's feet. The magazines' text convey a contradictory message by offering readers budget and timesaving tips, while their visuals imply that such "shortcuts" stand in the way of the sought-after magical Christmas, the rituals must be followed in full. Research limitations/implications: Adopting a longitudinal social semiotic analysis enabled the authors to conduct a detailed comparison of both text and imagery across the magazines and across the years. The authors were also able to report on how the sign complexes such as colour and text worked in combination to create a social message. Originality/value: Whilst women's magazines remain an important vehicle for the transmission of social values, the paper's findings demonstrate that they are not necessarily adapting to social change. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/26407