POST 4: REPRESENTATION

In this post I will talk about the representation of different social groups in magazines and how I will use this information in the creation of my own magazine.

The representation of the female and male identity is an important part of fashion magazines as the magazine gives a guide of how to look and behave as well as shaping audience ideas of what it means to be a man or woman. Magazines do this through the pushing of common gender stereotypes found in society, however the 'culturally sophisticated' target audience will look for a magazine that challenge these stereotypes and break the boundaries of gendered fashion through the use of androgynous looks and combining these with feminist ideas. The representation of gender is a key part of a magazine's brand identity and can often be seen in the tagline, for example Cosmopolitan's is 'for fun, fearless females' which suggests that readers are strong and confident women.

The following Cosmopolitan cover featuring singer Kesha both reinforces and contradicts female gender stereotypes. The use of the pastel blues and pinks in her dress, the background and the text present the idea of fragile and delicate femininity focused on appearance and style, which suggest that Kesha is a fashionable and delicate woman. However use of costume and text contradict this representation. The use of the studded leather jacket suggests that Kesha is a fierce and bold person, whose opinion cannot be contained. This along with the text claiming the magazine has 'the interview the world wanted' in reference to her sexual abuse claims against her producer, suggests that Kesha is a strong woman able to come forward from an abusive situation and encourages other women to do the same. The combination of representations in this cover show Kesha as both a strong woman and a beautiful and feminine one, which encourages the reader that they can be both, bringing forth ideas of a new and highly relevant woman.

The representation of race and ethnicity on magazine covers is also a highly relevant issue currently with the lack of representation of people of colour on magazines being highlighted. Gerbner would argue that the exposure of magazine readers to ideas of what is fashionable and beautiful over a long period of time has shaped and influenced the way they perceive fashion, guiding them to accept white ideals of beauty as the norm. The 'culturally sophisticated' target audience would look for a magazine that represents a range of ethnicities, whilst moving away from a focus of white beauty and the use of the exotic other. This will be especially important to the target audience after the release of September 2018 issues of Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire and Porter, which all featured women of colour.

In my own magazine I will use representation to appeal to my target audience through the use of a tagline that is inclusive of all genders and presents the readers as power, proud and independent, as well as including a range of ethnicity, gender and sexuality in the models in my magazine, to challenge traditional stereotypes and focus on true diversity.