What is the effect of gendered representation in athletic brands’ public perception on Instagram?
Athletic brands have become increasingly popular over the years as athleisure becomes a fashionable staple in society. We see these trends on social media as they are sported by celebrities and influencers. When we see images online for clothing advertisements, we may be unaware of the subtle hints of gender representation that are involved. Whether it be the poses, facial expressions, settings, or attire, these factors all contribute to enforcing stereotypes of gender representation. Men and women are projected differently, and this is due to the societal norms and expectations that have been created over time.
The relevance of this research will be to see how athletic brands decide to portray gender on their social media. I am interested to see how their choice of marketing affects the public consumer perceptions of their brand based on the images used through the comments left on the posts. This will allow me to see what the people have to say about the way that genders are represented whether they are conforming to gender norms or pushing the boundaries to create new standards. I may not be able to see if it affects consumer behavior and whether people are more or less likely to buy a product based on gender representation, but it will provide insight into how the public responds to these social media posts. As gender norms are changing it will be interesting to see how an industry that has been very male-driven from the start portrays women in comparison to men and the way that the public perceives it. Instagram has become a global platform for social media where users can post photos or videos, like and comment on other posts, follow friends, celebrities, sports teams, etc. and stay up to date with what the world is up to. Big brands have taken to Instagram as a way to connect with consumers and market themselves to the millions of people interacting with Instagram daily.
Gender representation is the way that gender is represented based on stereotypes created by society. For women, representation is centered on how men view them or on the societal expectations for how they are supposed to look. Male representation is built on masculinity and the ability to be strong, heroic, and smart (BBC). Social media allows big brands to market themselves online; however, the way they chose to represent genders can have an impact on how the public perceives and idealizes them.
I was curious about gender representation in marketing which led me to think about how I could incorporate these two ideals. I knew that I wanted to focus on several brands to compare their presence. This meant I had to think of a platform and Instagram is a common space for brands to market themselves. Athletic brands are a different way to analyze gender representation as they are marketing fitness rather than beauty and glamor. My research question is what is the effect of gendered representation in athletic brands’ public perception on Instagram?
For this study, the independent variable is gendered representation in athletic brands’ Instagram posts meaning how do athletic brands market their social media in relation to gendered representation. This includes the use of male and female models and their positioning, the choice/arrangement of clothing, and their sexualization (or lack thereof). I will operationalize this variable through the Instagram posts of Nike, Under Armour, Lululemon, and Athleta.
The dependent variable is public perception meaning how Instagram users comment on athletic brands’ posts of males and females. I will operationalize this variable by what the comments say in relation to the image whether it be a positive or negative written or visual reflection on the company’s imagery.
For units of observation and analysis, I will observe Instagram posts and the caption with the photo as well as the comments under the post. I will then analyze these observations by looking at the way the models’ bodies are posed, what they are wearing, the faces they are making, the setting they are in, the words used in the captions, the words used in the comments, and the emojis used in the comments.