Images of women in beauty product advertising: A cross-cultural study of female’s perceptions and preferences

This cross-cultural study explores the perceptions and preferences women have towards images of women in beauty product advertisements. Quantitative data were collected from two countries; UK and Egypt. These two countries were selected as being generally representative of two culturally-different communities; namely Western and Middle Eastern cultures. The study found that the perceptions and preferences of the surveyed females in the two countries seemed to be slightly similar. Women from both markets expressed a desire for the increased diversity of images of women in advertisements. Noticeable differences were observed including the perceptions of offensiveness and opinions towards the unacceptability of sexual images of women in TV advertisements. Despite the apparent similarities between the UK and Egyptian markets, we recommend that the complexity of these issues necessitates a more thorough evaluation of the risks of standardised advertising, and the potential benefits of adapting an international campaign to local markets.