Depictions of African-American women in "JET" magazine, 1953--2006

Media depictions of thin women have been increasing for the past 30 years. Previous research has shown that repeated exposure to the thin feminine ideal portrayed in the media may lead women to internalize this idealized stereotype. Such internalization produces increased body dissatisfaction through the setting of unrealistic body goals. This study sought to discover if the trend towards a thinner ideal for women observed in mainstream magazines is also evident in one form of African-American media: JET magazine. Results indicate that JET models had larger body sizes but also had decreased curvaceousness over time. This suggests a contradiction of the mainstream trend towards thinner female beauty ideals, and a concurrence with the mainstream media's emphasis on more tubular body shapes. The results of this study provide new insights into the African-American media's portrayal of feminine beauty.