Baumann, S. (2008). The moral underpinnings of beauty: A meaning-based explanation for light and dark complexions in advertising. Poetics, 36(1), 2–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2007.11.002

In sociological studies of taste, aesthetic preferences are linked to other social forces. In this article, the author looked at taste in one aspect of physical appearance – complexion, specifically lightness and blackness. He ran a content analysis of 2133 individuals appearing in print advertising in 2003–2004 and an extra sample of print advertisements from 1970. He discovered that women were depicted as having fairer complexions on average than men of the same race.

Then, the author looked at biological explanations for the discrepancy. He provided a different interpretation for the data, arguing that complexion ideals are linked to dominant gender roles and larger cultural connotations of lightness and darkness. The dominating meanings of lightness and darkness in Canadian culture were regarded as more ideally feminine and masculine, respectively, according to this meaning-based explanation for understanding aesthetics. A comprehensive examination of how white female models with the lightest and darkest complexions were depicted in a subset of 100 advertisements supported the authors’ theory. White female models with darker complexions were sexualized more often and explicitly than white female models with lighter complexions.