Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Journalism (Communication)

In November 1945, Johnson Publishing Company released its second publication titled Ebony, a magazine modeled after Life magazine, which featured photographic spreads and stories about various topics about the Black community. Five years later, the publishing company released Tan Confessions, an African American confessions magazine inspired by True Confessions, printed from November 1950 through October 1952. The magazine was renamed TAN and rebranded into a homemaker's magazine. This research analyzes the content of these magazines and 619 letters to the editor— 350 letters from volumes one and two of Ebony and 269 letters from volumes one and two of Tan Confessions. The study looks at the magazine content and letters to the editor through the theoretical lenses of social comparison theory to examine how the editors of Ebony and Tan Confessions published and categorized letters to the editor, which serves as a representation how they presented reader reaction to their audience. This research is relevant and important to not only the history of Black magazine publication, but it is an essential piece of the rich and longstanding American magazine history. Johnson Publishing Company created an empire by printing a succession of high-circulating magazines that were unlike any before them because they published aspects of African American life that were not seen in mainstream media at the time.

Committee: Aimee Edmondson (Advisor); Craig Davis (Committee Chair); Bill Reader (Committee Chair) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; History; Journalism; Mass Media

MFIS, Kent State University, 2021, College of the Arts / School of Fashion

Lack of diversity, inclusion and representation in the fashion industry is an ongoing issue in the 21st century. More specifically, certain fashion magazines have become known for failing to incorporate Black people in their editorial content. The purpose of this study is to highlight the lack of Black people featured on the cover of Esquire Magazine from 2010 to 2020. This study also serves to investigate the variable of having Black leadership at the magazine correlates with an increased number of Black cover stars featured. The methodology used to collect the data is content analysis. This research seeks to uncover any emerging themes or correlations with regard to the inclusion of Black people in Esquire's editorial content. Stakeholder implications of this study include greater representation of Black people on the cover of the magazine and the incorporation of more diverse and inclusive content within mainstream fashion media. Throughout the duration of this research study, there were a number of trends, common themes and gaps that were identified. It became evident that there is an underrepresentation of Black men featured on the cover of Esquire in recent years, as well as a lack of Black editorial leadership at the publication.

Committee: Jihyun Kim-Vick (Advisor); Tameka Ellington (Committee Member); Eugene Shelton (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; American History; American Studies; Black History; Black Studies; Communication; Ethnic Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Journalism; Marketing; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Organizational Behavior; Textile Research