How do ‘man’ and ‘woman’ translate? Gender images across Italian, British and American print ads

Given the persuasive aim and the space/time constraints it is subject to, advertising needs to rely on cultural stereotypes that are presented as facts. In turn, it contributes to the propagation and continuation of such stereotypes. This paper stems from a study that explores gender stereotypes as represented in the advertisements contained in three comparable corpora of men’s and women’s magazines published between 2005 and 2006, respectively in Italy, the UK and the USA. In this paper, in particular, two seemingly stereotypical traits of masculinity are analysed that seem to describe a change from the past. The first trait is the normativization of a kind of grooming aimed at appearing younger and fitter, at times using the same verbal devices used in advertising aimed at women. The second stereotypical trait, which can only be found in ads from two of the American men’s magazines, is the recurrent allusion to women’s critical gaze vis-à-vis male sexual performance. Conclusions are drawn both in a gender perspective and with a view to the implications for advertising translation.