Nowhere Near Picture Perfect: Images of the Elderly in Life and Ebony Magazine Ads, 1990–1997

Abstract

This content analysis of Life and Ebony, which replicates and updates an earlier study, examines 9,314 advertisements and shows that fewer elderly figures appeared in the magazines than during the previous decade. Further, the figures that did appear more often are associated with aging products and services. A surprising finding was that African-American elderly figures in Life appeared proportionately more than White elderly figures in Ebony. This is the opposite of what was found in a previous study. If magazine advertising is indeed responsive to reader taste, then the elderly are not highly valued consumers in these magazines.