The airbrushed women of the Ikea catalogue : A qualitative case study of Ikeas choice to airbrush women in the Saudi edition of the Ikea catalogue

On the first of October 2012 the media reported that the women in the Ikea catalogue had been airbrushed in the Saudi edition. Initially the blame was put on either the Saudi government the Islamic culture or the Saudi franchise. In the end it was revealed that the Swedish company Inter Ikea Systems had the full responsibility for Ikeas actions and therefore was the culprit behind the airbrushing. On whose initiative or why the airbrushing was done the media never found out. These are answers only Ikea has, although they remain unresponsive to these questions throughout the news portrayal. This study methodology uses a qualitative content analysis as framework to further investigate the news media with support of theoretical perspectives such as media theory, power relations and cultural differences. Other theoretical themes included in this case study are gender, hegemony and discourse analysis. This study therefore investigates how the presentation of news shape and frame news in the way that they do from the basis of cultural values and power relations. The study shows that the perspectives we have of other cultures in some way are preconceptions that is shaped by the media and society. Furthermore the news media demonstrate within this discourse that discrimination and inequalities are a portrayal that is easy to apply on others but difficult to criticize within our own culture. With that said, the construction of the news portrayal and the concept of power relations will always be dependent on context and cultural values, therefore the news media portrayal will remain a complex subject