Glossy mags and the sexes: a critical discourse analysis of FHM and Cosmo

The following dissertation reports on a research study of the lifestyle magazines For Him Magazine and Cosmopolitan. Quantitative and qualitative methods were combined in an investigation of linguistic patterns which serve to construct a particular perspective on masculinity and femininity. The quantitative analyses focused on identifying patterns in the distribution and connotation of various words. The qualitative analyses focused on various grammatical and semantic features in specific articles of both magazines. The results suggest that both magazines tend to hone masculinity and femininity to certain subjects and descriptions. Cosmopolitan, however, might be characterised by a slightly more flexible discourse. In addition, this study also contains suggestions on how research of this nature may be incorporated into an academic course for students of Applied Linguistics.