Lucas' Media Blog

Woman magazine The advertising in Woman constructs the stereotypical representation that woman always have to be completely clean and always look their best. This is shown in the first image as the woman is covered in a soapy lather as she is washing herself. Then in the second image the woman is applying makeup in order to better her face. Furthermore the stereotypical idea that woman are only publicised for sex is created as the woman in the first image is sexualised by her lack of clothing and her embodiment in lubrication, using sex cells to catch the male gaze. In the second image the woman is being approached, smiled at and stared at by a man who is clearly admiring her. This represents the woman as being a stereotypical pleasure to men. Below the image it says “beauty at a moments notice” and other images show that it is only as the woman is applying the makeup product that the man then begins to immediately approach her. This suggests that the man is only taking an interest i...

KEY TERM MEANING HOW IT APPLIES TO MAGAZINES Main cover line The title of the magazines main article. It entices the reader to open the article. Copy Advertising message that aims at catching and holding the interest of the prospective buyer. IT attempts to quickly catch a reader’s attention and persuade them to buy the magazine. Mode of address The ways in which relations between addresser and addressee are constructed in a text. How the magazine addresses the reader. Representation The ways in which the  media portrays particular groups, communities, experiences, ideas, or topics from a particular ideological or value perspective. The way people are represented to the reader. Ideology A worldview, a system of values, attitudes and beliefs which an individual, group or society holds to be tru...

The title of the magazine is ‘Woman’ which is in bold and at the top of the front cover, making it very clear what the magazine is about and who it is targeted at. The dominant background colour of the cover is pink. Stereotypically this is a feminine colour which further supports that this is a magazine for woman. The main image is of a regular, middle-aged woman smiling, dressed in a common, obviously feminine dress. This connotes the target audience of the magazine to be middle-aged woman. Perhaps as well as housewives as the woman is in a common dress suggesting that she spends her days at home. The cover lines say “seven improvements for your kitchen” “lingerie goes lively” “are you an A-level beauty” These are headers of articles on topics which woman are stereotypically interested in. Cooking, beauty and sex. These cover lines being the only ones featured on the front cover would suggest that this is all that woman should care about. The main image suggest that these views are a...

In what ways can we use Van Zoonen and Hooks’ theory to understand the representation of Jessica Ennis in Podium Magazine? Van Zoonen said that ideology relating to gender isnt fixed and that it is a reflection of the time period, society and culture. She said that this is communicated through language. Which can be seen in the magazine where it says “Podium’s first female cover star is Jessica Ennis, whose down-to-earth nature and striking looks have seen her dubbed the face of the 2012 olympics” This shows the time period as it tells us she is the first female cover star, therefore it is a feminist breakthrough. However this is further supported by Van Zoonens theory that woman are objectified where representation emphasises body and appearance. On the magazine it says “Jessica Ennis, whose down-to-earth nature and striking looks have seen her dubbed the face of the 2012 olympics” This suggests that she achieved this from her appearance rather than her sporting abilities and achiev...

Liesbet van Zoonen  ´ The idea that gender is constructed through discourse, and that its meaning varies according to cultural and historical context ´ The idea that the display of women’s bodies as objects to be looked at is a core element of western patriarchal culture ´ The idea that in mainstream culture the visual and narrative codes that are used to construct the male body as spectacle differ from those used to objectify the female body . bell hooks ´ The idea that feminism is a struggle to end sexist/patriarchal oppression and the ideology of domination ´ The idea that feminism is a political commitment rather than a lifestyle choice ´ The idea that race and class as well as sex determine the extent to which individuals are exploited, discriminated against or oppressed. David Gauntlett Gauntlet published media studies 2.0 online in 2007, which argues that classic media studies fails to define when the categories of audiences and producers...

The seven principles of structuralism 1. Distinguishment between ideas and reality. 2. The opposition of what is actually there and what could be. Structure of interrelated positions. How we interpret symbols changes. 3. Implies a difference between pattern, discrepancy and border. Differences get attention. 4. Structural relations produce imagination and reality.      Real but not Actual      Ideal but not Abstract 5. There are differences in things that follow similar patterns. 6. A code is an institutional structure which conveys singular clear messages. 7. Something is not empty but filled with possibility. Summary Structuralist theorists are interested in identifying and analyzing the structures that underline all culteral phenomena. Structuralists got the notion that everything could be analysed in terms of deep structure from the linguist Ferdinand de Saussure. When we try to define things, we often start with what they’re not. Structu...

KEY WORDS  Structure- According to structuralist theorists there's some sort of structure underlying all cultural phenomena. Language has a deep structure, families have a deep structure, literature has a deep structure. Signifier- A marker that refers to a specific concept. For instance the concept of a tree, which you are probably imagining right now. Signified- The concept that the signifier refers to. The word or signifier "tree" refers to the signified, which is that big green thing in the forest with a trunk and green leaves (a tree). Sign- A sign is made up of both a signifier and the signified. Both the word "tree", which you are reading right now, and the actual concept of a tree, which you are seeing in your head, make up the sign. Semiology- A discipline that takes the study of signs as its subject. That includes any kind of sign, not just linguistic -- so body language, traffic lights, and icons would all e considered signs. Bin...

In 1693 the first issue of the first women's magazine in Britain,  The Ladies' Mercury , was published. A quote to support that the author enjoys the pictures in vogue is “   I like to look at the meticulously styled photographs with the intensity of a  five year old  drawing in a colo u ring book. ”  The tone of this article is for womans magazines as she talks about the potential she believes womans magazines to behold in influence and entertainment, however she still posseses some criticisms. The main issue the author has with womans’ magazines is that there is too much influence on opinions for paying advertisers, taking up valuable space with advertisements, rather than providing a meaningful message to move and motivate female readers. This incessant focus on materialism is often funnelled toward female clientele.  -This quote shows that the author believes that there is a ridiculous focus/goal in trying to target woman with advertising to e...