Critical Journal|AnOther Magazine by Carrie-Beth Blackburn

Critical Journal for AnOther Magazine. Carrie-Beth Blackburn

C3541325

1,408 Words.

Contents.

Page 4.......................................................................... Chapter One Pages 6-8 ................................................................... Chapter Two Page 9.............................................................................. Chapter Three Page 10............................................................................ Critical Journal Bibliography Page 11.............................................................................. Critical Journal Image References Page 12............................................................................... Magazine Bibliography Pages 13-15........................................................................ Magazine Image Refefences Page 16-17................................................................................. Magazine Appendix

Culture is not cancelled issue.

3 Culture Is Not Cancelled

Magazine

VOL 3 ISSUE 1 Spring/Summer 2020 Photo by Retha Ferguson from Pexels

Chapter One: A Historical Perspective. Early magazine production first started to surface in the early eighteenth century and it was ‘The Review’ by Daniel Dofoe to make the first debut in 1704 which consisted of small illustrations and text. Magazines weren’t bound to writing about the news and used their creative freedom to swiftly establish themselves as a forum for gentlemen editors and writers to espouse their opinions on a whole range of subjects, such as fashion and literary taste as well as politics and religion.’ (Whittaker, 2008) The magazine industry started to grow with more well-known publications launching such as ‘The Tatler’ and ‘The Spectator’ which were edited by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele whom both established informal writing and the feature article. Up until the early nineteenth century, magazines did tend to direct attention towards literature and were primarily available and consumed by those of the upper class until technological innovation and the rise of mass media. In the late 1790’s Alois Senefelder invented lithography which ‘enabled the reproduction of text and image more cheaply than the laborious engraving techniques that had been used until that time.’ (Whittaker, 2008) This revolutionised the production of magazines and by 1812 more than 1,000 pages were being printed by the hour. Other than this leading to higher production rates, as magazines were cheaper to produce it improved financial circumstances and meant that consumers had an increase in their disposable income to spend on goods like magazines. Mass media production led to a defiant time for fashion magazines, in the 1920-50s saw the rise of the avant-garde ‘glossy’s’ that we experience today. ‘In the 1920s, pulp magazines were sometimes compared to the ‘slicks’, particularly fashion magazines such as Vogue that were printed on higher-quality paper with professional photography and full-colour on most, if not all pages.’ (Whittaker, 2008) Vogue launched in 1892 and was acquired by Conde Nast in 1909 of which houses some of the highest quality and well-known publications such as Vanity Fair and GQ. Magazines were male dominated in the years as previously cited they were mainly written from a male perspective assumingly for a male readership. With the feminist movements in the 1980’s Vogue appointed Anna Wintour as Chief Editor in 1988, Wintour reformed fashion magazines and is one of the most significant names in fashion. Wintour restyled Vogue and understood the female readership and consumer desires and now fashion magazines dominate the industry in print, online and video. 4

Chapter Two: Reflective Practice. ‘Reflective Practice is a method of assessing our own thoughts and actions, for the purpose of personal learning and development.’ (Intelligence, Awareness and Practice, 2020) Reflective practice enables us to self-critique and understand ourselves more objectively that will help to improve the way we work. ‘keeping a reflective journal – sometimes also called a learning journal – is a way to reflect through documenting ideas, feelings, observations and visions.’ (Macbeth, 2020) I decided to create an issue for ‘AnOther Magazine’. As I did not have access to AnOther’s style guide, I had to interpret what fonts they typically use. For the Logo, I had to use Adobe Illustrator to trace and colour their logo from a previous magazine. I decided to use Acuimin pro wide for the text and Hiragino Kaku Gothic StdN for the headings and I think the end result represented their overall style well. AnOther Magazine are known for their photography style, to try and keep to their running theme I ensured I used a number of portrait shots throughout the issue including on the front page. I decided to feature a few photographs from ‘The Dancer’ series that Retha Ferguson had posted to Pexels as I thought the photography style married well with the publication and the theme that I decided to run with.

Photographer Spotlight: Retha Ferguson. ‘Dancer’

‘Culture is not cancelled’ is phrase that has circulated not only in the UK but globally with the current lockdown restrictions. I thought it was important to reflect current themes throughout the issue to maintain relevance and readership value. The magazine consists of three articles one of which is an interview. The first article in the magazine is ‘Is Lockdown Making Way for a Sustainable Future in Fashion?’ I decided to write this piece as future thinking of what the fashion industry might look like post-lockdown is a key talking point right now and it is interesting to see plans currently in action and those set to take place. The article referred to Fashion Week rehoming online, which not only relates to the current pandemic but also the environmental issues surrounding the fashion industry which has also been a fundamental talking point globally and will continue to be under the microscope in the future. I decided to write about Fashion Week as opposed to what sustainable businesses are doing during this time or how this is making us more conscious consumers as not many people see the correlation between Fashion Week being unsustainable in any way up until this point in history.

The article was an interview surrounding the lack of female representation within the fashion industry titled ‘The music industry still needs to brush up on equality: An interview with BLLE’. This issue hasn’t been touched upon by many publications yet is a current trend on social media, especially in the past few months as festivals posted their yearly line-ups that consisted of 10-20% of women being included. Although it is a controversial topic and people may have different views on it, I thought it was important to explore this issue and to gain an opinion from someone in the industry. BLLE is a musician that actively voices her opinion on this issue on social media and I thought she would be a good addition to the publication. 7

The final article is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;skincare solutions for the perfect post-lockdown-glowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This article could seem out of place within the running theme of this issue. However, I decided to write an article featuring e-commerce beauty products after being inspired by an article published by AnOther Magazine featuring Milk Makeup. I thought it was fitting to the culture is not cancelled issue and relevant to now as many of us have been at home experimenting with new products; The Ordinary especially has gained enormous momentum throughout the stay-at-home time period and countless amounts of 4 week transformation videos have been created using their products. Featuring these e-commerce brands was a choice as people can order them online and not have to leave their homes.

Chapter Three Editorial and Marketing. Print magazines can be difficult to promote as we rely so much on social media to gather relevant news stories. Likewise, more than ever people are creating their own blogs that feature the same topics that you would be featured in magazines. The marketing for this issue of AnOther Magazine has to be well thought out and suited to the right target audience of Generation Z and Millennials. As we live in a digital age, social media will play a pivotal role in marketing this issue. ‘No other social media platform comes close in our survey, with 64.59% of Gen Z saying they check the app daily.’ (Green, 2020) Over the years, AnOther has gained a significant social media presence and are currently engaging with 1.2 million followers on Instagram. People enjoy having conversations and feeling connected, not only with people they know but brands too. Other than posting teasers for the magazine, as this issue features a running theme, AnOther could utilise the Instagram ‘story’ and ask their followers questions relating to the issue such as ‘have you watched Fashion Week online?’ or ‘do you think the fashion industry will change post lockdown?’

AnOther could combine two marketing strategies into one by collaborating and launching an event. As the magazine features an interview with BLLE with reference to women in the music industry, AnOther Magazine could launch an exclusive event that has a limited number of free tickets with BLLE as a promoter and Safe Gigs for Women. The event would not only have BLLE as a performer and promoter of this issue of the magazine but to keep in line with their authenticity Safe Gigs for Women would help spread awareness of this issue in the industry and encourage a safe space for women to express their individuality through music. Having professional photographers at these events would create key promotional content for their social media accounts alongside the free marketing that they would gain through attendee’s social media posts about the event.

Critical Journal Bibliography. Green, D., 2020. The Most Popular Social Media Platforms With Gen Z. [online] Business Insider. Available at: <https://www.businessinsider. com/gen-z-loves-snapchat-instagram-and-youtube-social-media-20196?r=US&IR=T> [Accessed 23 May 2020]. Intelligence, E., Awareness, S. and Practice, R., 2020. Reflective Practice: Models And Process â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Businessballs.Com. [online] Businessballs.com. Available at: <https://www.businessballs.com/self-awareness/reflective-practice/> [Accessed 12 May 2020]. Macbeth, S., 2020. Reflective Practice | Participatory Methods. [online] Participatorymethods.org. Available at: <https://www.participatorymethods. org/method/reflective-practice> [Accessed 12 May 2020]. Whittaker, J., 2008. Magazine Production. London: Routledge, p.3-5. Magplus.com. 2020. 6 Effective Ways To Market Your Print Magazine In Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Digital World | Mag+. [online] Available at: <https://www.magplus. com/blog/6-effective-ways-to-market-your-print-magazine-in-todays-digital-world/> [Accessed 23 May 2020].

Critical Journal Image References. Screenshot taken from Magazine. Blackburn, C., 2020.

Vogue, 2017. 1892 Vogue. [image] Available at: <https://www.vogue.com/article/ vogue-125-1892-2017-compare-and-contrast-now-and-then> [Accessed 26 May 2020].

Screenshot taken from Magazine. Blackburn, C., 2020.

2020. Another Magazine. [image] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/anothermagazine/?hl=en> [Accessed 27 April 2020]. 11

Magazine Bibliography. Cochrane, L., 2020. Extinction Rebellion Stage Funeral At London Fashion Week Finale. [online] the Guardian. Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/sep/17/extinction-rebellion-stage-funeral-at-london-fashion-week-finale> [Accessed 27 May 2020].\ Ft.com. 2020. Can Digital Fashion Weeks Replace The Real Deal?. [online] Available at: <https:// www.ft.com/content/dd2f4a6c-75cb-11ea-95fe-fcd274e920ca> [Accessed 27 April 2020]. Glossier.com. 2020. Glossier | Skincare & Beauty Products Inspired By Real Life. [online] Available at: <https://www.glossier.com/category/sets> [Accessed 27 May 2020]. Jones, C., 2020. Leeds Festival 2020 Line Up Raises Questions Over Gender Diversity. [online] leedslive. Available at: <https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/best-in-leeds/gigs-clubs/leeds-festival-2020line-up-17729982> [Accessed 20 April 2020]. Nytimes.com. 2020. Gender Diversity In The Music Industry? The Numbers Are Grim. [online] Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/25/arts/music/music-industry-gender-study-women-artists-producers.html> [Accessed 2020]. Savage, M., 2020. The 1975 Won’t Play Male-Dominated Festivals. [online] BBC News. Available at: <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-51475164> [Accessed 20 April 2020]. Sgfw.org.uk. 2020. Safe Gigs For Women – Creating A Safer Environment For Women At Gigs. [online] Available at: <https://sgfw.org.uk/> [Accessed 2 May 2020]. The Independent. 2020. London Fashion Week To Be Digital-Only For The First Time Ever. [online] Available at: <https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/london-fashion-week-2020live-stream-watch-video-ss21-online-a9475881.html> [Accessed 27 April 2020]. Theordinary.deciem.com. 2020. The Ordinary | Clinical Formulations With Integrity | A DECIEM Brand. [online] Available at: <https://theordinary.deciem.com/> [Accessed 27 May 2020]. 2020. Wintour On Why She Pushed For Naomi’s First American Vogue Cover | No Filter With Naomi. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=077-_zV5i-E> [Accessed 22 April 2020].

Magazine Image References. Ferguson, R., 2020. The Dancer. [image] Available at: <https://www.pexels.com/ photo/trendy-young-ethnic-man-twisting-hands-in-front-of-face-3825161/> [Accessed 23 March 2020].

Ferguson, R., 2020. The Dancer. [image] Available at: <https://www.pexels.com/ photo/sensual-slim-queer-man-dancing-in-modern-studio-3825175/> [Accessed 23 March 2020].

2020. The Dancer. [image] Available at: <https://www.pexels.com/photo/energetic-young-ethnic-male-dancing-in-pink-illumination-in-studio-3825174/> [Accessed 23 March 2020].

Estevao, V., 2020. [image] Available at: <https://www.pexels.com/photo/manwearing-long-sleeved-shirt-beside-purple-petaled-flower-1944579/> [Accessed 24 March 2020].

La Rosa, C., 2020. [image] Available at: <https://unsplash.com/photos/CzixKrGrDkA> [Accessed 26 March 2020].

La Rosa, C., 2020. [image] Available at: <La Rosa, C., 2020. [image] Available at: <https://unsplash.com/photos/CzixKrGrDkA> [Accessed 26 March 2020].> [Accessed 26 March 2020].

Von, M., 2020. [image] Available at: <https://unsplash.com/photos/60-3xebB3u0> [Accessed 26 April 2020].

Verney, R., 2020. BLLE. [image] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/p/ B3TuWJ2AqFF/> [Accessed 26 March 2020].

Verney, R., 2020. BLLE. [image] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/p/ B3eGadjAone/> [Accessed 26 March 2020].

Verney, R., 2020. BLLE. [image] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/p/ B6VN8fPggOr/> [Accessed 26 March 2020].

Verney, R., 2020. BLLE. [image] Available at: <https://www.instagram.com/p/ B7su-obAb5H/> [Accessed 26 May 2020].

Gorguis, N., 2020. Music. [image] Available at: <https://unsplash.com/photos/ FZWivbri0Xk> [Accessed 26 April 2020].

Kenya, B., 2020. [image] Available at: <https://www.pexels.com/photo/womanin-white-robe-smiling-4156467/> [Accessed 26 March 2020].

Tankilevitch, P., 2020. Beautyproducts. [image] Available at: <http://pexels. com/photo/beauty-products-in-salon-3736397/> [Accessed 26 April 2020].

Costea, L., 2020. Close Up Photography. [image] Available at: <https://www. pexels.com/photo/close-up-photography-of-a-woman-3783044/> [Accessed 23 March 2020].

Ilchuk, L., 2020. Glossier. [image] Available at: <https://unsplash.com/photos/x_ujfGcrAyU> [Accessed 23 March 2020].

Ferguson, R., 2020. The Dancer. [image] Available at: <http://pexels.com/ photo/sensual-young-ethnic-male-lying-on-bed-with-hands-on-knees-andshining-garland-over-body-3825162/> [Accessed 24 March 2020].

Magazine Appendix. Interview transcript. When did you start your music career? So I started it when I was 15, so that’s when I started doing my acoustic music and then I stopped doing that at about 18 and took pretty much a solid 2 and a half years out almost 3 years and spent most of that time rebranding myself to do production and doing a lot of networking and at 21 almost 21 started my pop stuff. What music artist inspired you the most to pursue music? There’s a lot of different inspirations when it comes to my actual music but as for people who inspired me to change my style of music would be an artist called Banks, Tovlov I think she’s really cool, Dua Lipa, I get compared to her a lot. I think there’s a lot of negative connotations towards pop music and that it doesn’t mean as much but I went and found these powerful influential women in pop music who can write a song and it not really mean that much but it’s still good but then they write really meaningful songs and they just don’t give a shit basically and they’re driven and just do what they want and paint their own path. Did you find it hard to gain recognition when first starting out? Yes and no. So, with my acoustic stuff, when I started doing it there wasn’t many female acoustic artists in Nottingham and if they were they were big like Georgie who signed to Sony and at that point she was the only other big female acoustic artist so I was able to stand out a bit more but I was so young that I found it hard to be taken seriously sometimes especially with my lyrics, I’d get a lot of people say ‘oh you’re only 16 how did you write something like that?’ and I would always think ‘why do you need to say that?’ there’s no need. With my acoustic stuff I feel like I got shoved onto a smaller stages because it was a smaller genre but now with pop I feel like it’s more like ‘oh okay, you need to put me on a bigger stage because that’s the only place I’m going to fit’. So yeah, yes and no but I feel like it is because of it being local scene because Nottingham is tiny in comparison to say Manchester or London and I think it does just take time like with a lot of work but I think it’s taken me a lot of time to now where I think confidently of myself in Nottingham. So, I feel like now I have got that recognition and it is hard for anyone, but I feel like it can be hard to be taken seriously. You have to prove yourself a bit more. You’ve performed at local festivals and shows, did you notice an uneven divide of male to female performers? Definitely. I was talking to my mum about this yesterday, it’s so noticeable. It’s not like you even have to dig around to try and find. But I do know that it is being worked on but it’s sad that it does have to be worked on. I always say it should never be ‘okay, we’ll put her on there because she’s a girl.’ it’s more of this unconscious bias of sexism that people have that they need to work on. It’s not like they are blatantly doing it, it’s a much deeper thing.

Do you think that women feel pressured to have a certain image to be successful? Oh, 100%. A few artists I know that are songwriters or singers, it’s so obvious. As a guy, I feel like you don’t have to put much effort into how you look. You can be very unconventionally attractive and be quite a regular guy you’d see at the co-op. Like, imagine if Beyoncé went on stage in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and no make-up on. She’d get absolutely slated for it. It is a brand, so your image is important but that should not be overlooked from the music because at the end of the day when you listen to music, you’re not looking at someone’s face. But I get it. Image is important obviously, especially in pop music you’re more of a brand than anything. It shouldn’t overshadow the music. Why do you think so few women are represented in the music industry? I think it’s a lack of female’s in the industry itself at the top. It was either last year or the year before, the Grammy committee appointed the first female CEO ever. I think we need more women up top because then that will encourage women to go into it because it is pretty intimidating. 90% of the musical meetings for gigs etc. are men and 9/10 if not 10/10 the only girl there. So, for someone that’s quite confident, I’m not intimidated by it, but it is very intimidating. Say if you go into somewhere and you had more female mentors or journalists just more women in the industry in that side then it will encourage people to actually take up music and put effort into it. If you look at the industry as a whole and think ‘well it’s only men that are getting somewhere then it’s not going to make you have any confidence in yourself. So, I do think we need more females higher up in the industry. In February, the 1975 said they would only play festivals from now on that had an equal 50/50 gender divide. Do you think musicians have a responsibility to help women gain the recognition they deserve? I do. And I think that there was a bit of controversy surrounding that. If you have the platform, you should be using it to help. I do in the end think it is the responsibility of those who are running the festivals, booking agents. Talking about festivals that have 13 acts that are female and say they were all booked up so more couldnt perform. There are many, many more female artists that could be on that line-up. What actions do you think the music industry could take to change this? I think we need more women up top because then that will encourage women to go into it because it is intimidating. Ninety percent of the musical meetings for gigs etc. are male led and 9/10 if not 10/10 times I’m the only girl there. So, for someone that’s quite confident, I’m not intimidated by it, but it is very intimidating. What do you think supporters and those younger generations developing their interest in music can do to help support female artists? Definitely support your local artists and share things on social media to help spread the word about them because that will give people that confidence that they might not already have going into it. What advice would you give someone starting in music? Be as confident as you can, you have to fake it ‘til you make it and the confidence will eventually come to you. Network, just try and talk to as many people as you can in the industry in the early stages. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t think you have to put up with it. Just enjoy yourself really and be yourself.