Lad magazines, raunch culture and the increasing pornification of South African media

Abstract

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the role of the media in the pornification of society and the subsequent rise of laddism and raunch culture. By pornification I refer to the proliferation of the pornographic phenomenon in mainstream media and everyday life and the subsequent co modification of sexuality. It will examine in full detail lad culture and lad magazines as a genre of the text. The study will draw comparisons between local lad magazine FHM to the international pornographic magazine Playboy. This is in order to establish whether these lad magazines function as soft pornography, thereby contributing to the fact that mainstream media, is indeed becoming more pornographic and thus leading to an acceptance of the increased pornification of every day life and the ensuing rise of raunch culture. The research paper will examine raunch culture in depth and its subsequent influence on contemporary women and how they respond to these representations. This paper also seeks to identify the magazines as part of backlash to feminism. Backlash refers to the reaction against feminist advancement and the return to traditional gender roles. This study includes a literature review and theoretical framework chapter which explore the various theories pertaining to the research problem. The methodology chapter discusses the research methods used in the study. These methods include content analysis, semiotics and discourse analysis. The theoretical underpinnings that will be the primary influence of this paper is that of the feminist approach. This is a feminist study as it deals with how current representations found in the magazines influence and are influenced by women and how this will affect gendered society as a whole.