Spring 2019

Cultural appropriation, the use of culturally laden images by people with no association with that culture, occurs across the fashion industry. Such appropriation can be practiced without an understanding or appreciation of the originating culture, thereby cheapening the underlying heritage. This study explored the incidence of and attitudes toward cultural appropriation of cornrows as depicted in three U.S. fashion magazines (Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and Essence) from 2013-2018. The author used a qualitative content analysis, structured by framing theory, to explore how each publication uniquely addressed the cultural appropriation of this hairstyle over time. This study identified a shift in the depiction of cornrows across the magazines in 2016 toward a more socially conscious perspective. This shift differed in each publication. Cosmopolitan developed an explicitly verbalized stance against the cultural appropriation of cornrows, Vogue shifted its visual depiction of this hairstyle, and Essence most often depicted cornrows within cultural and historical contexts. Mentor: Harlen Makemson

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Following a celebrity suicide, social media explodes with commentary, reflecting national attention on the issue. This research looks at how society and individuals emotionally process and react to celebrity suicide on social media. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify thematic content present in the fifty tweets with the highest engagement each day over the course of one month following Anthony Bourdain’s suicide. Several themes were identified and divided into categories. Results showed that the conversation surrounding Bourdain and suicide decreased rapidly after only a few days. The data suggests a small population of users continued the conversation beyond this point, perhaps looking for meaning and encouraging change as a coping mechanism for grieving. For this subgroup, the data suggests the societal effects of Bourdain’s suicide became more concerning and relevant over time than the event itself. Mentor: Dan Haygood

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There has been a growing discrepancy between professional-critic film reviews and audience-originating film reviews. In fact, these occurrences have become so routine, industry writers often reference a “Sundance Curse” – when a buzzy festival-circuit film bombs with the general public, commercially or critically. This study examines this inconsistency to determine which aspects of a film tend to draw the most attention from each respective type of critic. A qualitative content analysis of 20 individual reviews was conducted to determine which elements present in a film garnered the most attention from the reviewers, and whether that attention was positive, negative or neutral. This study indicates that audience film reviewers overwhelmingly focused on the “emotional response” gleaned from their movie-going experience above all other aspects of the film, whereas professional critics focused attention to more tangible – above-the-line contributions, such as direction, performances, and writing. Mentor: Vanessa Bravo

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Since its inception, advertising has become a crucial way in which brands ensure that their products, positions and interests are communicated to key audiences. Recently, there has has been a movement in support of female empowerment advertising — labeled “femvertising” — across the United States. This article explores the messages and design of print advertisements before and after this movement, evaluating the evolution of companies in their representation of and marketing to women. Comparing the typography, photography, and themes of communications content from the 1960s, 70s or 80s to ads published in the past five years provides a context for the way in which societal shifts influence brand positioning and consumer perception. Through a qualitative visual analysis, the study identifies key trends in femvertising, including a decline in product prominence, an increase in depictions of diversity, as well as an emphasis on the sentiment of strength across campaigns. Advertisers may find these insights valuable in defining messaging that aligns with modern feminist feedback and builds favorability with female audiences. Mentor: Dan Haygood

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President Trump’s declaration to make Jerusalem the capital of Israel and then later move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was met with disagreement from many in the international community. In this study, a qualitative content analysis was performed to investigate the news media coverage surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict, and more specifically around President Trump’s announcement. Two publications were examined, one serving a primarily Jewish population, and the other serving a primarily Arab population. Sixteen articles from The Jewish Star and 15 articles from The Arab American News were thematically studied. It was hypothesized that the media coverage serving the Jewish population would be in favor of the move and more positive than that of the Arab coverage; the results were consistent with the hypothesis. Not only did the study examine possible bias in the two publications, but also how coverage was framed. Themes that emerged from both publications reinforced the problem at the core of the Israel-Palestine conflict: the preservation of identity, culture and religion of both peoples. Mentor: Kathleen Stansberry

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In September 2018, Nike released its most controversial marketing campaign yet. It featured Colin Kaepernick, an NFL player known for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racism. Some people immediately reacted to the campaign’s launch by posting pictures on Twitter of burning Nike shoes, along with the hashtag #BoycottNike. This paper examines the Twitter conversation around #BoycottNike through sentiment analysis, topic modeling, and analysis of tweet engagement. The analysis revealed that despite the initial negative Twitter reaction surrounding #BoycottNike, sentiment became more positive over time. Topic modeling revealed that conversations about the Kaepernick campaign were at times framed through an overtly political lens. Mentor: David Copeland

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While television became a popular medium in the 1950s, representation of black women on television didn’t begin to take hold until the beginning of the 1980s. This paper analyzes whether five television shows aired in 2017 portray black women characters in more positive ways than five television shows aired in 1997. This is accomplished through a content analysis of black female characters from five shows in each year. For each show, five episodes were coded, for a total of 50 episodes. A black woman character was chosen from each of the 10 shows, and these characters were analyzed by two different coders regarding appearance (skin tone and hair style), presence of positive portrayals (independence, education, career success, strength), and presence of negative portrayals (as identified by Versluys & Codde, 2014). Although some black women characters have embraced their identity in recent TV shows, and some have been portrayed as having positive traits, the results of this study indicate that the portrayals of black women on TV still rely on stereotypes and misrepresentations. Mentor: Vanessa Bravo

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The Catholic Church has been spreading its gospel to followers around the world for almost 2,000 years, but in 2018, Pope Francis engaged followers in new ways – specifically on Twitter. This study seeks to understand how Pope Francis employs Twitter to engage with his followers. This papacy has used many modern ways to communicate both with Catholics and non-followers. Since 2013, Twitter has been a primary social media outlet for the Pope. Through the analysis of Pope Francis’s top 100 favorited and top 100 retweeted tweets, the author found that he engaged his audience using three main themes: humanity, inspiration, and religiosity. The study concluded that the Pope is concerned with spreading these themes to all people, effectively adapting his three-pronged message to Twitter for widespread dissemination. Mentor: Byung Lee

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Diet culture is common among teen girls, creating high risk for eating disorders. According to National Eating Disorder Association, 20 million women will have an eating disorder at some point in their lives. And it is especially common for those going through significant transitional periods – like high school –to develop an eating disorder. While prior studies have examined the link between body image and hours spent viewing television, there is a gap in the literature about what eating behaviors and attitudes are depicted in television programming targeted to teenage girls. A framing analysis was conducted for episodes of three popular television shows on Freeform, a network marketed toward teenagers. The study found that the female characters on the shows were rarely seen eating, exhibited patterns of emotional eating, made references to being fat, and shamed other characters for their unhealthy eating habits. This creates a cause for concern as teen girls may be developing eating habits as portrayed on television. Mentor: Naeemah Clark

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Diversity is a contentious issue in the fashion industry, and most notable and newsworthy during what is known as Fashion Month. In most fashion designers’ shows, representation of white, thin models is the norm. However, in recent years, the number of people of color and the number of plus-size models appear to be increasing in the model lineups of Fashion Week shows. This study analyzed the change in diversity, both in race and body size, in the Fashion Week runway shows of three brands — Calvin Klein of the United States, Chanel of France, and Versace of Italy — between 2013 and 2018. Using a content analysis, the study found that the percentage of white models decreased between 2013 and 2018, indicating that Fashion Week shows became more racially diverse. This study found no occurrences of plus-size models in the sample, so body size diversity in runway shows still needs improvement. Mentor: Byung Lee

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Historically, politicians have looked for efficient and innovative ways to engage with the public and cultivate supporters, focusing a great deal of attention on social media platforms in recent decades. This study examines trends in social media engagement rates, specifically on Facebook, between campaigning state politicians and online users. Data was collected from the Facebook pages of 12 North Carolina state senators (three Democratic incumbents, three Democratic challengers, three Republican incumbents, and three Republican challengers). Units of analysis were the posts published by these politicians on their official Facebook pages during a two-week period. Through both “a priori” and emergent content analysis, three specific findings surfaced: challengers post more on Facebook than incumbents, Democrats post more on Facebook than Republicans, and most politicians react but do not respond to user comments. The research also found that these politicians reply similarly in length and structure to user comments, and most online users reply positively or do not reply to politicians’ responses. The findings suggest that state politicians should devote more time responding to user comments and forming online relationships. Mentor: Dan Haygood

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Mass media play a major role in creating long-lasting portrayals of different minority groups. It is widely know that the public’s perceptions of different cultures and ethnic groups can be influenced by the images and stories that they see on television, making the viewers think that these portrayals are accurate. This study focuses on the portrayal of Italian-Americans in U.S.-produced films from the 1970s to today. A qualitative content analysis was conducted to code nine movies (three films from the 1970s, three from the 1990s and three from this decade), for personality traits, occupation, and common stereotypes portrayed by the main Italian-American characters. Findings of this study indicate that, after 1990, the mafia and organized crime stereotype did not remain relevant. Even though this is positive, Italian-Americans continue to be negatively portrayed on screen in other ways. As one stereotype disappears or shifts, a new one is introduced, creating a different portrayal of Italian-Americans, but not necessarily a better one. Mentor: Vanessa Bravo

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