Dietel-McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Fall 2013

Research Essay Proposal

Directions: After completing your concept map, please complete the following proposal and exploratory draft. A printed copy of your completed concept map, proposal, and exploratory draft is due IN CLASS on Tuesday, 10/29. I will meet with you individually in the library to grade and discuss these documents, which will be factored into your final research paper grade (5 points for the concept map, 5 points for the proposal, and 5 points for the exploratory draft). To get full points, these items should be detailed and should reflect your careful thinking and planning. Your Name Amber Watson Research Question(s) What factors contribute to the increase in rhetoric in fashion advertisements? What purpose does rhetoric have in fashion advertisements? Working Thesis The change in rhetoric in fashion advertisements leads to the increase in the sexualization of women and young girls. Possible Main Points in Support of Your Thesis (i.e., your claims, reasoning, and evidence):
1) There has be an increase in the sex appeal in advertisements.

__________________________________________________________________________ Evidence to support this point A sample of 1993 prime-time network commercials revealed that 8% of all actors engaged in sexual conduct. In addition, 18% of models were judged to be "very sexy" according to their physical attractiveness and clothing style.The results of these two analyses reveal that 10% to 20% of models in primetime television commercials are sexualized_( Carpenter, An Update On Sex In Magazine Advertising).
2) Along with the increase in the sex appeal, women are increasingly over sexualized compared to

males. ______________________________________________________________________ Evidence to support this point In 1998, 12% of women in NBC primetime ads were dressed sexually, compared to 2% of male models. Female models were more explicitly dressed in 2003 (49%) than 1993 (40%). (Carpenter, An Update on Sex In Magazine Advertising)
3) In fashion advertisements, women are portrayed as young girls and young girls are portrayed as

women to give the Lolita look. ________________________________________________________________________ Evidence to support this point In the early 1990s ,a New York Times magazine fashion spread, Lolita is a Come Back Kid, showcased grown women as adolescent girls ,infantilized and powerless ,standing around in baby dollstyle dresses that reached only to upper thigh, hair arranged in bows and barrettes (Merskin, Reviving Lolita?: A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion Advertising). Possible Objections to Your Thesis (or any of the points mentioned above):

1) Men are equally over sexualized in fashion advertisements.

________________________________________________________________________ Evidence that might be used to support this CA: Calvin Klein advertisements where male models are scantily clad in tight boxers. Flaws in/response to this CA: When compared to women in fashion advertisments, there is a lot more female models who are over sexualized than males. Examples are Victoria Secret Ads, Axe Spray Ads. _________________________________________________
2) Sex appeal in fashion advertisement has not increased or increased in such a matter that it is

obvious. Evidence that might be used to support this CA: _Betty Pop cartoon, Marylin Monroe Flaws in/response to this CA: __________________________________________________

A Few Possible Sources (give specific titles/authors):

1) Reviving Lolita?: A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion

Advertising Debra Merskin 2) An Update On Sex In Magazine Advertising: 1983 TO 2003 Courtney Carpenter
3) Fashion Gives Sex Another Try Pat Sloan

Dietel-McLaughlin / WR 13300 / Fall 2013

Exploratory Draft (type and attach to the rest of the proposal): First section: You should begin with something like In this paper I plan to, followed by argue that, propose a solution to, speculate about the causes for, or whatever you plan to accomplish with your essay. Also explain why this topic is interesting to you and why you think its important that other people know about it. You should provide relevant background information to show the need for and importance of the research you are proposing. Second section: Talk a little bit about your intended audience and what that audience has at stake in the controversy you are researching. Who will benefit from your research? Who is in a position to be persuaded? How do you plan to convince that audience to agree with you? Third section: Discuss what sources youve found and what other ones you would like to look for. What kind of information will your audience expect? How will you accommodate those expectations? How are you going to integrate source material from the course? Where are you having trouble finding information?

Fourth section: Share any concerns or questions you have about this project. Where do you think you might run into problems? Put some thought into this the more specific you are about your questions, the more I will be able to point you toward some answers.

In this paper I plan to argue that the increase in rhetoric in fashion advertisements has led to the increase in the over sexualization of women and young girls. Im interested in writing about this topic because there has be an obvious increase in the over sexualization of women in advertisements, especially in fashion, and Im quite curious about the reasons behind this occurrence. I think it is important to write about this topic to make people aware of whats happening. In 2011, there was a controversy surrounding Vogue magazine, when a ten year old model posed for fashion spread. The young, preadolescent model posed provocatively in clothes and makeup appropriate for an older woman. This is example of the over sexualization of young girls in fashion advertisements. Rhetoric is used through posing, framing, clothes and makeup to give the young model the Lolita look. My audience can be anyone who has an interest in fashion advertising, people who noticed that females are being increasingly sexualized or people who are disgusted that women are sexualized in fashion. People who are against the sexualization of females, especially feminists, will benefit from my research. People who need to be persuaded will be anyone who does not believe that women are being overly sexualized or anyone who does not have a problem. I plan to convince my audience by giving clear examples in the media today or the recent past of women and young girls being overly sexualized. I plan to show statistics the increase of the sexualization of females in fashion advertisements. In An Update On Sex In Magazine Advertising: 1983 TO 2003, I found some statistics about the increase in the over sexualization of women. Reviving Lolita? : A Media Literacy Examination of Sexual Portrayals of Girls in Fashion Advertising discusses about the increasing Lolita trend in the fashion advertisements; women are portrayed as younger girls and younger girls are portrayed as older to give them a Lolita look. My audience will definitely want current examples of this phenomenon, so I have to find more articles that give more current examples. Im also looking for background information about sex in fashion advertisements. In order to explain my thesis well, I need to explain the purpose behind sexualizing women. Im going to integrate source material through paraphrasing and quotes.

Im having trouble finding information, which makes me wonder if my topic is too narrow or too broad. I also want to make sure that talking about print advertisements as well as digital advertisements will be appropriate, since this course is about multimedia. As with most of my papers, I will probably have trouble with structure and organization. I think I also will have trouble finding counter arguments.