Women Moisturise and Men Exfoliate: Premodification in Product Descriptions for Gillette and Gillette Venus Razors
Hintikka, Oona (2026)
2026
Kielten kandidaattiohjelma - Bachelor's Programme in Languages
Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2026-05-12
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202605115372
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202605115372
Tiivistelmä
The purpose of this thesis was to determine how premodifiers are used in product descriptions for refillable razors by Gillette and Gillette Venus. The influence of gender in advertising has been studied for decades, but there have not been previous studies done on the level of premodification or on product descriptions for razors specifically, nor has there been comprehensive research that compares two similar, gendered brands. This study aimed to investigate how many premodifiers were used in 20 product descriptions in total, which premodification zones were prominent, and what possible differences were present in premodification use between the two brands. It was hypothesised that the differences could be connected to the products being gendered.
The theoretical background of this study consists of the long-lasting connection between gender and advertising, the concepts of gendered products and gendered consumption, the concept of premodifiers in the noun phrase structure, as well as advertising English and the role of premodifiers in that field. The 20 product descriptions that are used as data were collected from the official Gillette and Gillette Venus websites, both UK and US versions in order to have a more diverse data set. The product descriptions were manually marked for premodifiers, which were divided into the different premodification zones.
Out of the zones, the prehead zone was most prominent, both overall and in more detailed comparison. The distribution of premodifiers was quite consistent between the two brands, but interesting features became apparent when dissecting the chosen premodifiers. These features included that Gillette Venus used premodifiers which emphasised affects while Gillette emphasised technical features. There is an opportunity for further research, which could further the comparisons between more brands or different products, or to establish a register for product descriptions.
The theoretical background of this study consists of the long-lasting connection between gender and advertising, the concepts of gendered products and gendered consumption, the concept of premodifiers in the noun phrase structure, as well as advertising English and the role of premodifiers in that field. The 20 product descriptions that are used as data were collected from the official Gillette and Gillette Venus websites, both UK and US versions in order to have a more diverse data set. The product descriptions were manually marked for premodifiers, which were divided into the different premodification zones.
Out of the zones, the prehead zone was most prominent, both overall and in more detailed comparison. The distribution of premodifiers was quite consistent between the two brands, but interesting features became apparent when dissecting the chosen premodifiers. These features included that Gillette Venus used premodifiers which emphasised affects while Gillette emphasised technical features. There is an opportunity for further research, which could further the comparisons between more brands or different products, or to establish a register for product descriptions.
Kokoelmat
- Kandidaatintutkielmat [11983]