Communication Graduate Student Wins National M.A. Thesis Award

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Alexis Hubbard

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Alexis Hubbard, a 2020 graduate of the Department of Communication's M.A. program, has been named the recipient of the National Communication Association's Top Quantitative Thesis Award.

Hubbard's thesis, "Beauty is Not Black and White: A Content Analysis of Black Women's Body Image in Television Media," was advised by associate professor Ron Warren. She was honored during the Master's Education Section's business meeting during the national conference held from Nov. 19-22.

Hubbard's thesis analyzed the growing representation of Black-centric ideas of female beauty in a number of television and streaming video series, employing measurement scales on physical appearance and appearance-based comments of other characters about Black women's bodies.

Hubbard found that media images of Black women are somewhat faithful to the acceptance of curvier bodies and natural hairstyles in Black culture, but that media producers often temper these portrayals by retaining mostly White standards of beauty.

Warren praised Hubbard's work. He remarked, "I am impressed with the fact that Alexis managed this project almost single-handedly. Recruiting, training, and managing a team of coders is very difficult in this kind of research."

Warren added that Hubbard's work was even more impressive given the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted, "Coder training proceeded very well, even when our campus and research lab were shut down due to COVID-19 concerns. Without missing a beat, Alexis found ways to give her coding team access to her sample of television shows so their work could continue. Her work was nothing short of amazing."

"Alexis has been recognized for producing some of the best scholarship in the country," said Ryan Neville-Shepard, graduate director for the Department of Communication. He added, "We are thrilled that our award-winning program continues to produce the top researchers in the field."

About the National Communication Association: The National Communication Association advances communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media, and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific, and aesthetic inquiry. The association serves the scholars, teachers, and practitioners who are its members by enabling and supporting their professional interests in research and teaching. Dedicated to fostering and promoting free and ethical communication, the National Communication Association promotes the widespread appreciation of the importance of communication in public and private life, the application of competent communication to improve the quality of human life and relationships, and the use of knowledge about communication to solve human problems. For more information, visit natcom.org.