Hegemonic masculinities and femininities in food industry packaging

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to analyze the formal and graphic elements around the hegemonic masculinities and femininities of the packaging of industrial bakery and biscuit products aimed at children and young people. A content analysis was conducted on 10 of the most widely consumed brands of industrial bakery and biscuit products in Spain and widely present on the international market. In addition, a scale of dominant masculinity was developed as a tool to analyze the most egalitarian narratives on the packaging. The results suggest that there are unequal narratives linked to hegemonic masculinity and femininity. The use of blue and yellow, the latter not having a traditional link to masculinity, is related to men in terms of aggressiveness and bravery stereotypes. The women represented on packaging with these same colours are presented in terms of sympathy or kindness, as well as stereotypes connected to beauty. The products contain homogeneous stereotypes and are associated more with men than with women. However, 2 out of 10 brands do not insert characters linked to sexual attributes or gender stereotypes. Therefore, our findings suggest that hegemonic gender scripts are inscribed on packaging less obviously than in other traditional media.

KEYWORDS:

• Hegemonic masculinity
• gender stereotypes
• packaging
• industrial bakery
• biscuit products

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, s.v. “bling,” accessed 10^th January 2022, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bling.

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the University of Alicante (Vice Rectorate for Research) [Aii20-07]; Valencian Regional Ministry of Innovation, Universities, Science and Digital Society [ACIF/2021/119]; AICO, Generalitat Valenciana (2022- 2024) [CIAICO/2021/019].

Notes on contributors

Romina Carla Curone-Prieto

Romina Carla Curone-Prieto. Publicist, MSc Social Innovation and Dynamics of Change, PhD student in Interdisciplinary Gender Studies. Pre-doctoral researcher at the University of Alicante (Spain). Her research focuses on the analysis of media and their relationship with inequalities in health and gender.

Daniel La Parra-Casado

Daniel La Parra-Casado, Sociologist, MSc Epidemiology, PhD. Professor in Sociology at the University of Alicante (Spain). His research focuses on social stratification and health inequity, with a special focus on ethnic minorities, gender, social class and their intersections.

Carmen Vives-Cases

Carmen Vives-Cases, Sociologist, MPH, PhD. Professor in Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Alicante (Spain). Director of several research projects about violence against women, immigration, ethnic minorities and public health. Doctor Honoris Causa by Umeå University (Sweden) in 2019.