The (mis)representation of interracial couples in television advertisements

Abstract

Interracial couples are becoming more common, but they still face stigmatization and discrimination. The present study aimed to gain a preliminarily understanding of if and how interracial couples are represented in television advertisements. This study performed a content analysis of 543 couples in television advertisements from 2019 for differences in representation and portrayal between interracial and intraracial relationships. All advertisements were taken from three different networks within one conglomerate. Findings suggest that interracial relationships are overrepresented. However, interracial couples are found at further distances from each other, a relationship between nonwhite males and white females are underrepresented within interracial relationships, and zero interracial relationships are portrayed on Disney channel. The potential effects of this representation and portrayal are driven by cultivation theory and social cognitive theory.