Historian Examines Katherine J. Parkin Gender Stereotyping in Food Advertising March 15, 2007

Katherine J. Parkin will present "Food Is Love: Advertising and Gender Roles in Modern America" on March 15 at 7:00 p.m. at the Penn Bookstore

Advertisers have historically promoted food in distinctly gendered terms, reinforcing the stereotype that women should serve food to demonstrate their love for their families. Parkin has examined thousands of ads that appeared in the most popular magazines of the 20th and 21st centuries. She consulted records of one of the nation's preeminent advertising firms, J. Walter Thompson Advertising Company, to discover why advertisers clung to this paradigm throughout great upheavals in the patterns of American work, diet and gender roles.

"'Food Is Love" is well-written, comprehensive, compelling, and makes a significant contribution to the literature on advertising history and women's studies," says Jennifer Scanlon, Director of Gender and Women's Studies at Bowdoin College.

Parkin is Assistant Professor of History at Monmouth University. She received her Ph.D. in history from Temple University. Parkin has received the Emily Toth Award for the best book in Feminist Popular Culture for 2006 sponsored by the Popular Culture/American Culture Association.


Event submitted by Eventful.com on behalf of chibbard.