Temporal dynamics of post-feminist narratives: boundaries of empowerment in female-focused car ads (1967–2021)

Abstract

This study critically examines post-feminism through a 50-year analysis of car advertising targeted at women in Chile. It explores feminism’s evolving significance in media culture, aiming to establish a comparative framework to identify changes and consistencies in feminist-themed media discourses over different periods. Using a qualitative approach, we analyzed 74 ads from a women’s magazine from 1967 to 2021. The results reveal changing gender role discourses, showing a nuanced interplay between progressive components and neo-conservative principles across historical periods. The evolution of female-focused advertising within post-feminist narratives depicts portrayals of women isolated or alongside family, highlighting individuality but implying limited representations of collective empowerment. The findings underscore the need to analyze media messages aimed at women in shifting temporal contexts. We argue that analytical frameworks must critically assess the progression, or lack thereof, in women’s (misleading) emancipation amidst the transitions from commodity feminism to post-feminism and femvertising.