PORTRAYAL OF OLDER CHARACTERS IN CHILDREN'S MAGAZINES

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Abstract
Magazine issues numbering 101, containing 2,186 stories, were examined in order to answer these questions: (1) Do the magazines present an accurate demographic representation of persons 65 years old or older in American society? (2) Do children's magazines expose children to the multiplicity of traits older persons possess? (3) Is the role of the older character in the story fully developed through story involvement? (4) Are older characters portrayed positively, negatively, or neutrally in the text and/or illustrations found in children's magazines? The results of the analysis indicated that older characters in the issues of children's magazines examined were not victims of blatant discrimination. There were, however, subtle hints of prejudice present in the stories. Older characters were not represented in proportion to their numbers in the actual population. It was concluded that the messages to young readers regarding the elderly were mixed and inaccurate.

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