Abstract:
This study examines the construct of masculinity and hyper-masculinity in television
advertisements of alcoholic beverages in Ghana. Data was purposively sampled from
twelve selected adverts. Voice-overs, images, soundtracks and body movements, of
the characters in the adverts were thematically analysed using Cornell‟s theory of
masculinity and the hyper-masculinity Inventory (HMI). The thematic categories in
the aggregated scenes of the television advertisements are presented using descriptive
statistics in order to appreciate the categories that were given the greatest
concentration. The findings revealed that the selected adverts on alcoholic beverages
constructed masculinity along the lines of amatory, camaraderie, heroism and
aggression. It was observed that advertisers recurrently constructed masculinity along
the lines of sexual vitality. This accounts for why the theme of amatory ranks first
with 45% on the list of cumulative percentage distribution. The findings also revealed
that hyper-masculinity components such as calloused and insensitive attitudes towards
women and sex; violence as manly; and danger as exciting; were embedded in the
selected adverts. The study also revealed that media texts are used to highlight sexual
interaction between men and women as a source of male dominance and women‟s
subservience. The results of the study further support the conclusion that amatory is
predominantly depicted in adverts of Ghanaian local alcoholic brands to attract sales
since consumers are hardwired to notice sexually relevant information and also
because sexual vigour is regarded as a desirable attribute of men in the Ghanaian
socio-cultural context. The study recommends that advertisers find alternative ways of
communicating and making alcoholic brands more desirable to larger audiences than
the overreliance on sexual dominance, aggression and other hyper-masculine
exemplifications which govern stereotypical behaviours among men in society.
Description:
A dissertation in the Department of Communication and Media Studies,
Faculty of Foreign Languages Education and Communication, submitted to the
School of Graduate Studies in partial fulfilment
of the requirements for the award of the degree of
Master of Philosophy
(Business Communication)
in the University of Education, Winneba
MARCH, 2021