‘Dress and the female professional: A case study of working woman’

Rippin, A; Shortt, H; Warren, S

Abstract

A visual semiotic approach to the analysis of Working Woman magazine, a mid-1980s UK publication aimed at professional women. We argue that many of today's women leaders and managers were socialised into their understandings of what it means to be a 'professional woman' during this era. Our analysis provides insights into what we call the 'performative heritage of gender', particularly in relation to gender to the way women dress, including the use of make-up and accessories.
The chapter describes two levels of analysis; the first, a visual semiotic analysis; the second, hand-drawn sketches based on specific images from the magazines to exemplify a particular element.

• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 12, 2017
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 95-110
• Series Title: ILA Women and Leadership Book Series
• Book Title: Volume V: Gender, Media and Organization: Challenging Mis(s)Representations of Women Leaders and Managers in the ILA Women and Leadership Book Series
• ISBN: 9781681235332
• Keywords: women, dress, leaders, semiotics, visual analysis, magazine
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/922715
• Publisher URL: http://www.infoagepub.com/products/Gender-Media-and-Organization
• Contract Date: Apr 12, 2017