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Self-esteem: What is the nature of the positivity of plus-sized women with respect to their
Self-consciousness: How aware are plus-sized women of how they appear to others and
(15 minutes, Chapter Objective 1, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
CS 6-1. Discuss the real-world changes that appear to be occurring with respect to media
images of women. What are the reasons for this? Find two recent articles or examples
that illustrate these changes.
This might go two directions. The western standard is characterized by the Playboy study
that is highlighted in the chapter showing the trend over the last fifty years has been
toward women being thinner and thinner, less voluptuous. However, information
(10 minutes, Chapter Objective 4, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
CS 6-2. How do you reconcile the greater degree of acceptance of plus-sized women with
the parallel emphasis our society continues to place on thinness (as evidenced by the
billions we spend on diet products, exercise, and so on)? Given the health problems
associated with obesity (heart disease, diabetes, etc.) should the industry continue to
encourage this acceptance? What role is social media playing in this issue?
For Lane Bryant, it is not a matter of encouraging acceptance of obesity or emphasizing
thinness as an ideal. The issue is to meet the needs of plus-sized women. As for society,
(20 minutes, Chapter Objectives 4 and 5, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
Additional Support Material
STUDENT PROJECTS
Individual Projects
1. If possible, ask students to contact the gay and lesbian student club on campus. Select a
sample from both genders and ask them about how they view products marketed to their
segment. Do they see a difference between what is targeted at them vs. what is targeted
at the “straight” segments? Is stereotyping still prevalent? Have them provide examples.
Look for students to provide authentic responses from both genders. The responses are
(30 minutes, Chapter Objective 3, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
2. Ask a student to bring to class two brands within the same product category that project
different images to the consumer. Have the student discuss the projected images by
comparing and contrasting the two different brands. What techniques did the marketer
use to project these images? Is the self-concept of the buyer important? Explain.
Students may select products that appeal to different lifestyles or different genders. Look
for students to identify characteristics of the brand, perhaps by noting the
(20 minutes, Chapter Objective 2, AACSB: Analytic Skills)
3. Ask students to interview the managers of two retail-clothing stores. See if they can
discover the degree to which the managers believe that consumer personalities and
self-images are important to the marketing and promotional activities of their store. Ask
the students if they are in agreement with the managers’ comments.
Again, the responses are likely to vary depending on the person who is asked. Students
can compare their responses in class and analyze the reasons for the differences,
(20 minutes, Chapter Objective 2, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
4. Have male students and female students (separately) interview three women and three
men whom they think are just about the right weight for their height and bone structure
(instruct students to tell respondents that their responses are completely confidential). The
students should ask the respondents if they think of themselves as overweight,
underweight, or about right. Then, see if they can determine how the subjects reached
their conclusions. Next, ask the subjects if they are doing anything to manage their
weight. If possible, have students ask the respondents what their weight and height are.
Discuss how the students seem to feel about their weight.
Subjects may reference ideals associated with the media and other sources of
socialization. You may want to ask students to include questions about the subject’s
cultural background to see if they can identify any differences based on culture. The
(60 minutes, Chapter Objective 4 and 5, AACSB: Reflective Thinking
5. Have students find media examples of men exhibiting agentic as well as communal goals.
Have them do the same for women. How much did they find that each gender tended to
adhere to the societal expectation?
Students should recognize that agentic goals stress assertiveness and mastery, while
communal goals stress affiliation and relationships. For the second part, students should
(45 minutes, Chapter Objective 3, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
6. Ask your students to compile a list of ten household chores. Then have each student
interview two married couples (one newlywed and the other seasoned) to determine who
usually performs that chore—the husband or the wife. If possible, have the students ask
the subject when their spouse is not around. Do they agree? Have students share their
findings with the class.
Students may observe more consistency among the seasoned couple than the newlywed
couple, but it really depends on whom they speak. Students should look for evidence that
(75 minutes, Chapter Objective 3, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
7. Assign students to collect advertisements that would tell a stranger something about their
self-concept (and image). Have them put these ads on a poster board and bring them to
class. Display the poster boards in class and see if the class can match the boards to the
correct students.
Students like this assignment because it allows them to use creativity to tell a story about
(30 minutes, Chapter Objective 2, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
8. Have students consider the ethical consequences of the products and promotional
campaigns produced by both the fashion industry and the fast-food industry. Have them
develop their thoughts as a written assignment. Have them share their responses in class
before turning the assignment in.
Student opinions will vary. Look for students to support their opinions with information
(45 minutes, Chapter Objective 5, AACSB: Ethical Understanding and Reasoning Ability)
9. Assign students to collect five ads that show male or female models exhibiting tattoos or
body piercing (they may want to consult tattoo-related magazines or they may print ads
from the Internet). Comment on the reason for the display. Did the model match the
product to be sold? Do people that do not have tattoos or body piercing relate well to the
ad? How could you determine this?
The chapter notes that tattoos and piercings have become more mainstream. However,
(30 minutes, Chapter Objective 6, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
10. Students should visit a website for cosmetic surgeons. Have them find testimonials from
actual patients that describe the reasons why they obtained the augmentations that they
did.
In addition to reporting about the testimonials, ask students to analyze the reasons why
(20 minutes, Chapter Objectives 4 and 5, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
11. Within a 10-mile radius of the campus where the students are taking this class, have
students put together a list of the tattoo parlors. Have them call each and find out how
long they have been in business. Have them visit a few of the parlors that have been
around the longest and interview the owner as to how many shops there were 10 years
ago. Have the students then construct a list of the tattoo shops at that point in time.
Students should draw conclusions based on this comparison.
Students should notice an increase in the number of tattoo parlors. They may want to ask
(90 minutes, Chapter Objective 3, AACSB: Analytic Skills)
Group Projects
1. Ask groups to interview other students on campus and determine the type of behaviors
and activities they are engaged in to appeal to others they meet both on and off campus.
Do they change their appearance depending on the person or persons they are meeting
with? If they do, how and why? If they do not, why not?
When students think of others they meet on campus, they may think about particular
groups (e.g. sorority/fraternity members, members of a sport team) or individuals (fellow
students in a business class, parents of roommates, professors). If they do not, they may
(120 minutes, Chapter Objective 2, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
2. Have each student interview four people (one each in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s) to
determine how important appearance is on the job. Then have students form groups in
class to discuss their findings. In addition, have them discuss their own opinions on this
issue as well as whether or not they feel an employee’s appearance should be considered
in performance evaluations. See if their attitudes change when the employee must deal
directly with customers. This activity is also interesting when you ask the subjects about
the proper appearance in church or at an important social function.
The type of job the interviewee holds and the individual’s cultural background may have
a greater impact on their perception that appearance is important than the age group
they belong. You can bring up the Abercrombie & Fitch mystery-shopping example,
(120 minutes, Chapter Objective 4, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
3. Have student groups devise a list of traditional male traits with respect to personal care
and hygiene. Then, have them visit a cosmetics section of a major department store and
interview salespeople with respect to the nature of their male customers. What are they
buying, how are they using it? Then, have the groups compare their interview findings
with their list of traditional characteristics.
Traditional male traits regarding personal care and hygiene might reflect ideas that
suggest it is not masculine to preen or peacock. However, the increase in male
(45 minutes, Chapter Objective 3, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
4. Have each group design a role-playing scenario that deals with one of the following
situations: (a) A 40-year-old male suddenly announces to his wife that he plans to get a
tattoo. (b) A couple, both 40 years old, discusses with their teenage son or daughter
whether tattooing or body piercing would be appropriate. How can arguments be
avoided? (c) A female loan officer in a bank has decided to have her nose pierced.
Look for students to adopt the stereotypical characteristics of the individual in the
(30 minutes, Chapter Objective 6, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
eLAB
Individual Assignments
1. Go to www.victoriassecret.com. How does this famous website use enhancement of the
self to attract consumers? Would you expect males to visit the site as well as females?
How could the site make it easier for males to purchase from the site (remember, males
make up a significant portion of sales in the organization’s retail stores)? Is sizing easy on
this site? How could it be improved?
Victoria’s Secret may create a gap between the actual self and the ideal self for women in
their target audience who visit the website. They sell the idea that their products can
(20 minutes, Chapter Objective 2 and 3, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
2. Go to www.tattoo.com. Need a tattoo? Ever thought about getting one? Well, this
website might just get you started in that direction. After reviewing the site, what are your
impressions about tattooing? How is a self-concept involved in this process? What might
cause you to get a tattoo if you do not already have one? Pretend that you are going to get
a tattoo—which one of the designs would you choose? Download it (or copy it). Bring it
to class; show your choice; explain why it is really “you.” Have fun with this one.
Tattoo.com is a site where you can submit your tattoo idea for a free artist’s rendering or
(15 minutes, Chapter Objective 6, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
3. Go to www.dailymakeover.com. Take the free demo. Upload a picture of yourself,
perform a makeover that you feel genuinely suits you. Print a copy of the picture and
bring it in to share with others who do the same. Evaluate the results in the context of the
self-concept.
When students talk about the self-concept in this example, probe for them to do so in the
context of content, positivity, intensity and stability over time and accuracy. Ask students
(30 minutes, Chapter Objective 1, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
Group Assignments
1. As a group, visit several social networking sites. How are members at various sites
expressing themselves? What kinds of information are they providing? What does that
tell the reader about them? Are there differences between the various sites’ members and
their expressions?
Students are likely to observe differences between men and women in terms of what and
(30 minutes, Chapter Objective 1, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
2. Go to www.bodypiercing.com. This interesting site presents a wealth of information
about body piercing. What marketing efforts are used to attract potential users? What
other products were advertised? What intrigued you the most about the website? What
can you tell about the demographics of the visitors to this website? How did you
determine this? Did the website interest you in getting “pierced”? Explain. How did your
group react to the information on the site?
Body piercing sells different types of adornments for piercings. The website uses gifts to
attract potential users. It also uses and affiliate marketing program to promote the site
(45 minutes, Chapter Objective 6, AACSB: Reflective Thinking)
