From overt provider to invisible presence: Discursive shifts in advertising portrayals of the father in Good Housekeeping, 1950-2010

This article considers the link between fatherhood and masculinity and
identifies some of the key discursive shifts around fatherhood based on an
analysis of advertising material that appeared in Good Housekeeping magazine
between 1950 and 2010. It provides a socio-historical perspective on fatherhood that reveals a discursive shift from the father as patriarchal family provider/protector to a more ambiguous and less obvious presence in the magazine advertisements. Our findings suggest that family-related advertising in women’s magazines does little to challenge the traditional models of paternal
masculinity. Changes in the portrayal of fathers, when examined closely, seem
to reinforce traditional gender hegemony. Yet, over time, a ‘multiplicity of possibilities’ of dominant paternal masculinities is emerging, broadening the
original ‘breadwinner’ model and perhaps offering some transformative
potential around how we view fathers.