EFFECTS OF GENDER-RELATED IMAGES ON BEVERAGES INTAKE FOR YOUNG JAPANESE MEN AND WOMEN

Advertisements of foods and beverages, particularly packaging and labeling, play an important role in consumption and taste preferences. Commercials in Japan continue to use stereotypical gender roles. In this chapter, we focused on gender associations with regard to beverages. Those associations with individuals\u27 gender identity, including masculinity, femininity, and gender stereotyping, and beverage intake were examined. We conducted a survey on gendered images and beverage intake, and an experiment using the Implicit Association Test, to examine effects of gendered images on the perception of whether a beverage was suitable for oneself. Three hundred and sixty Japanese undergraduate university students (135 men and 225 women) participated in the survey. A questionnaire was used to obtain information about their frequency of beverage consumption, gender personality variables, and lifestyle. Gendered images for commercial messages, and beverage packaging were also collected. The results showed that coffee and isotonic beverages were seen as having masculine images. They also showed that men with high masculinity scores and low femininity scores tended to drink coffee without sugar, while women with high masculinity scores showed increased frequency of isotonic beverage consumption. On the other hand, women with high scores for femininity tended to drink less feminine-imaged beverages (i.e., tea and Japanese tea). The experiments included 20 male and 28 female Japanese undergraduate students. Priming stimuli showed no significant effect on response time. However, participants\u27 response time was shorter when beverages were presented with feminine images than when presented with masculine images, suggesting that feminine images tended to influence the assessment of whether a beverage was suitable for oneself. Participants with high femininity scores took time to judge whether beverages with masculine images were appropriate for themselves. It appears that gender personality may influence an individual\u27s intake and choices for specific beverages when they are tied to gendered images