Representation in the Magazine Industry and newsites

Representation is the depiction or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way. Representation in the media is important because an accurate representation of any gender, race, ethnicity and social class can break social barriers, be a source of inspiration and create powerful role models. I will be mainly be focusing on the representation of ethnic minorities and non-western in the magazine industry and in the news.

Research has shown that women of color are underrepresented in magazines despite a progress of inclusion in the marketplace in a postracial period. 86% magazine covers included white women, who are the majority. Behind this, 9% of cover were Black women, 3.9% were Latina women, 1.5% Biracial women and 0.2% were Asian. Asian women are the least represented. If Black and Latina women appear in magazines, they were more likely to be dressed in suggestive clothing, while white women were most likely to be fully dressed.

According to Alvardo's Theory of Ethnicity, ethnic minorities are seen as a threat to society and are blamed for the worlds social problems. Western news sites and media present Africa with the stereotype that it is a hopeless continent stricken by war, poverty, hunger, famine, political corruption, as well as having rampant diseases. The news negatively reports Latinos using negative stereotypes, for example, being gang leaders, drug dealers, as well as Latinas being hypersexualized and feteshized.