I SSU E
body
1
CONTENTS
introduction comparing titles from 2009-2011
collecting qualitative data
controversial taboos in fashion magazines audience readings and interpretation
conclusion
I
n this essay I will be discussing the way women’s magazines portray body image and how this issue is constructed in order to appeal to their target audiences. I have researched and analysed the covers of a range of popular titles from 2009-2014. I will also review back issues of these magazines to evaluate the development of the publications and how the image and representation of females has progressed. I will be comparing the aesthetics and cover stories used to engage the intended audience and discuss relevant theorists in relation to the magazine’s audiences. I will be comparing high fashion publications Elle, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar as well as controversial women’s monthly Cosmopolitan, cultural Australian magazine Frankie and Rankin’s Dazed and Confused. I have selected a range of female magazine genres, which I feel address the issue of body image in diverse ways to get a contrast of content to analyse and compare. I have collected qualitative research from my target audience, which is females’ aged 18-25. I will discuss my findings in relation to audience theories such as the Reception theory and evaluate the way females today are influenced by the media. I will investigate the impact of mass media messages and conduct research into how magazine’s ideologies are digested and processed by the target audience. My main argument questions whether women today are influenced by the media to look a certain way in order to be beautiful and accepted. I am also investigating to see if any changes or developments have taken place to address the problem of body dissatisfaction in the popular titles I am analysing.
First of all I will discuss body image in
that
magazines
relation to the models and celebrities
dissatifcation in women by exposing
featured on the cover of magazines.
their audience to unhealthy images
When a magazine chooses a cover
of
model they want someone who will
revenue from advertisers and to
appeal to their audience and entice
increase circulation”. (McCracken,
them into purchasing the magazine.
1993:37) This is also reinforced
For years magazines such as Vogue
in the Body Image & Advertising
and Harper’s Bazaar have selected
article
top models and well known respected
and magazines purposely normalize
actresses to feature on their covers,
unrealistically thin bodies, in order
as they know celebrity endorsement
to create an unattainable desire that
engages a new audience such as
can drive product consumption”.
that
body
models, “primarly to attract
which
states
“advertisers
(Body Image and Advertising,
the celebrity’s fan base. It is argued
promote
2000:online) In the past
“celebrities
Vogue has been found
represent ideal vehicles for self-identity and
to enhance and edit
self-articulation”.
their cover models
(Carroll, 2008:online)
images
one
example of this was
The cover models are attractive,
and
revealed when Lena
beautiful
Dunham’s
women who have been
February
2014 cover photos were
retouched and edited to
found to be completely edited.
appear flawless and to give a false representation to the audience
The
of what the perfect woman looks
were released and sold to a blog
like. David Gauntlett (2008) argues
website for $10,000. The website
that women’s magazines repeatedly
Jezebel which bought the untouched
celebrate
that
photographs states in an article
most women will not be able to
about the actress’ cover “it’s clearer
match. This indicates that fashion
than ever what kind of woman
magazines
Vogue
a
beauty
sell
an
ideal
unattainable
original
finds
cover
photographs
Vogue-worthy:
The
beauty in order to engage their
taller, longer-limbed, svelter version
audience and to prolong readership
of reality.” (Coen, 2014:online) The
and loyalty. Ellen McCracken argues
actress had been tweaked so
this sends out a message to the
on the insecurities of it’s audience
audience that you must fit certain
as the February 2009 issue has a
criteria to be beautiful, such as
cover story about slimming. This is a
being young, flawless and skinny and
common issue that concerns women
because Dunham was normal sized
therefore by promoting this and
they had to alter her appearance
offering advice the magazine acts on
to fit in with the Vogue ‘look’.
emotion and lures it’s audience in.
McCracken argues that “The ideal
The cover features a close up cover
self-confidence
the
shot of Kate Winslet with the cover
cover photo creates desire and sells
line ‘on love, Leo and her sexy new
the magazine” (McCracken,1993:29)
shape’ to the right of her face in the
conveyed
This could imply that Dunham’s photographs were altered in a bid to
gain
readership.
Aside from retouching the cover images and making the models look perfect the magazines also
send
subliminal
out messages
of body ideals in their
by
“62% of women I questioned have been impacted by unattainable desire”
centre of the magazine. This could imply that the reason
the
photograph
of the actress is so close up is because she has a fuller figure than the normal cover model, who would have a mid body shot for the cover image. Also inside the magazine Elle refers to Winslet as
cover lines. Prominent themes in
‘settling on the average side of slim’
fashion magazines include style and
which makes slim sound inadequate
beauty, however diet, looking young
compared to the underweight size
and being sexy are all key attributes
0 models who often feature on the
of
this genre of
cover of these magazines looking
magazine. It is argued that, “hidden
unhealthy and giving an unrealistic
beneath the glamorous ideals are
representation
subtexts that play on anxieties and
Magazines emphasize thinness as a
encourage feelings of inadequacy,
standard for female beauty leading
while promising pleasure and the
women to feel pressured into losing
acceptance and love of others if we
weight or dieting. (Body Image and
purchase.”
Advertising, 2000:online) Another
the cover of
(McCracken,1993:37)
I feel that Elle magazine does play
of
women.
issue on the cover of Elle is the
image
This is visible in many high fashion
magazines
publications as they want to create a
and the exposure to skinny
desirable body image for their audience
models
by
the
body
promoted
in
contributed
to aspire to even if it is unrealistic
to body dissatisfaction in
and just a façade. Gough Yates (2002)
females today. My research
argues this point when discussing
also shows that 40 out of 53
early feminist’s accounts on women’s
women
has
felt
they
compared
themselves to the women they saw
in
(2008)
magazines. states
Gauntlett
that
women’s
magazines, “they were concerned with the ways that magazines offered ‘unreal’, ‘untruthful’ or ‘distorted’ images
of
women.”
(Gough
magazines make women feel bad
Yates, 2002:8) I believe this
about themselves and it is evident
unrealistic image of the perfect
from my survey that the beauty
woman is still portrayed today
ideals sold in fashion magazines
in many magazines and I will
on
now go on to discuss how
women to try and replicate
the controversial publication
are
putting
pressure
this image which is an artificial representation of women. It is often
Cosmopolitan
has
opted
to appreciate normal sized women.
argued that the media
In contrast to the cover lines
offers an impossible
featured in 2009 Elle promoting
ideal
being thin I will now go on to analyse
to
the
ensure
consumer
never
will
disappear,
the June 2010 cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.
Although
the
two
are
“researchers believe
aimed at a similar female audience
that
advertisers
the publication’s cover lines differ in
purposely normalize
content and perspective on beauty.
unrealistically
As opposed to Elle’s diet cover story
thin
bodies, in order to create an unattainable desire that can drive product (Body Advertising,
consumption”. Image
Cosmopolitan
features
Kimberley
Walsh who is renowned for her fuller figure as their cover model with the cover line ‘Kimberley celebrates curves
and
and bootylicious bums’. This shows a clear
2000:online)
dissimilarity between the two magazines, as
different shapes of body image as opposed
this false representation of women there is a
to suppressing the audience into aspiring
controversial antithesis which gives readers
to be skinny and to look up to unrealistic
a more realistic portrayal of females.
female ideals. Elle magazine is full of size
Cosmopolitan sells an ideology and lifestyle
0 models photographed and retouched
that embraces being healthy, successful and
for their features as well as high fashion
independent and the content focuses on
advertisements and this leads to women
making the audience feel good.
and girls striving for the ultra-thin body
Next I will be discussing some of the
promoted by the media. (Body Image and
issues I have discovered from the cover
Advertising,
Aesthetically
of Harper’s Bazaar November 2011 issue
both Elle and Cosmopolitan are attractive
which features singer Beyonce and the cover
as they both have good use of colour and
instantly reveals that she is pregnant at the
composition, the layout is appealing and
time. The cover line at the top of the page
organized and the models look happy and
reads ‘Beyonce sexy and pregnant’, the use
2000:online)
of the conjunction ‘and’ makes it
beautiful. However the ideology
seem like usually you can only
behind the two publications differ in terms of what
be one or the other and in
body image is perceived
this case it is portrayed as
as perfection and what
incredible that Beyonce
women have to look like
is both. Another element
to be desirable as Elle
to this cover line that I find particularly interesting
classes size ten as settling
is the use of typography for
on the average side of slim and
Cosmopolitan
the different words. Firstly the
embraces figure.
feminine, italic ampersand adds an informal
This indifference in the two texts makes
and feminine tone of voice and sits in
it clear that Cosmopolitan has a more
between the sans serif type chosen for the
feminist ideology in comparison with Elle’s
rest of the cover line. The word pregnant
unrealistic reflection of women, which sells
has a slightly different bold sans serif
body dissatisfaction in an act to “drive
typeface and is smaller than the rest of the
product consumption” (Body Image and
text showing less importance. The type of
Advertising, 2000:online). Gough Yates
image used does not highlight or embrace
(2002) looked at early feminist accounts
Beyonce’s pregnancy as her stomach is
of women’s magazines and discovered
covered up by another cover line and
that there was an issue with the distorted
she looks like she is about to perform
portrayal of women being displayed. My
on stage as she appears glamorous
analysis of Elle and Cosmopolitan suggests
and in a party dress. Aside from the
that although some magazines still portray
Beyonce feature the cover of Harper’s
Kimberly
Walsh’s
size
twelve
cover
proven sales driving subject
lines such as ‘look younger
and states that magazines
instantly’ and ‘eat your way
reproduce
thin’ down the left side of
this
the page. The stories are
engage their audience over
highlighted and stand out
an extensive time period.
on the page as they are
In regards to the idea that
capitalized and in a bold sans
the
consumer
serif typeface. These cover
the
magazine
based
on
lines are used to engage their
the attractiveness of
the
audience and by using an
model is also assumed that
attractive cover model the
“consumers generally have
audience would feel inclined
a more positive response to
to get the magazine to look
attractive people and the
like Beyonce who is described
effectiveness of the message
as sexy. This links to Ellen
depends on the similarity,
McCracken’s theory about
familiarity and liking of
women’s magazines as she
the
Bazaar
also
has
and
theme
in
revitalize order
to
purchases
endorser.
Therefore,
believes “people
attractive
can
celebrities
of
get
ideas
who
they
may
be
more
want to present
successful
themselves
as
changing beliefs
by
looking
at
and generating
the
women
in
p u r c h a s e
magazines”.
intentions.”
(McCracken, seeing
1993:7)
Beyonce
By
looking
(Carroll,
in
2008:online)
Therefore the use of celebrity
a
flawless the audience will be
successful
enticed to read the stories on
impact
how to look like this and hence
popularity and readership
will purchase the magazine.
and this is evident from my
Harper’s Bazaar’s cover lines
questionnaire
promoting looking younger
the Harpers Bazaar Beyonce
and thinner relate to Janice
cover was voted as the most
Winship’s (1987) argument
attractive cover in a tie
about women’s magazines as
with Dazed and Confused
she believes that slimming is a
magazine both receiving 12
the
will
magazine’s
research
as
M agazines emphasize being skinny as a standard for female beauty