This paper pursues a line of enquiry into gender stereotypes in advertising, by the
exclusive examination of images of men and women in interaction. Drawing evidence from
Cypriot magazine advertisements, the study employs the coding scheme developed by Goffman.
The findings indicate that when males and females are framed together in advertisements, the
presence of gender clichés is evident even when transcribed in a subtle fashion. Contrary to
previous research, joint portrayals emphasize the relative size of men and women and men’s
status superiority. Conversely, females tend to perform inferior roles, occupy less space in the
advertisements, wear light clothing, and adopt postures that suggest subordination and
withdrawal more often than men. In addition, differences in the degree of stereotyping were
detected as general audience magazines contain advertisements with less traditional patterns
compared to women’s and men’s magazines. The type of endorsed product further influences the
depiction of the models, as females endorsing hedonic products are more likely to be captured in
a stereotypical fashion than males.
Cyprus University of Technology
