BLACK-AND-WHITE MODELS AND THEIR ACTIVITIES IN MODERN CIGARETTE AND ALCOHOL ADS

This article compares model characterizations and activity portrayals of blacks and whites in modern cigarette and alcohol advertising. An a nalysis of 418 cigarette and alcohol ads appearing in eleven magazines from June 1990 through June 1991 revealed a world in which blacks and whites smoke and drink separately, seldom encountering one another. D espite this segregation, black and white portrayals are similar in ter ms of sexual suggestiveness and involvement in erotic or romantic acti vities. However, noteworthy differences also exist. For example, black s are more often portrayed in leisure activities while whites are port rayed at work. Femininity is a more dominant theme in black than in wh ite representations, while masculinity themes are more dominant in ads with white representations.