Masters Theses

Date of Award

8-2006

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Anthropology

Major Professor

Benita Howell

Committee Members

Lydia Pulsipher, Joy DeSensi

Abstract

There is a growing body of literature about the social and economic impact of baby boomers and how aging is affecting their perceptions. The immense wealth of this group (and their willingness to spend it) is a focal point for marketers and, therefore, for the media.

However, media portrayal of older women is paradoxical. Women of the boomer generation (born 1946-1964) are highly educated, financially strong, and more independent than previous generations. Studies indicate that these women will actually control much of the country's wealth in coming years and will be the ones responsible for deciding how it is spent. It would seem that marketers would be devoting much of their time and media expenditures toward reaching this group and discovering the products and messages that motivate them. But, as a number of older women (both in literature on the subject and as participants in the research for this project) indicate, they feel "invisible" in the media.

The purpose of this study was to interview women in this age group (50 years and older) to determine their perceptions of the media and how older women are portrayed in advertising, movies, and other media sources. The study revealed that older women feel overlooked in many media outlets. Despite feeling "invisible" and that something should be done about it, older women may themselves playing a role in this phenomenon. This study contributes to anthropological literature and provides substantive findings that identify some of the factors impacting how women are portrayed (and sometimes used) in media-and how they feel about themselves and their place in the world.

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