Holiday Homework

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 into the woman due to the makeup product that she had just applied to her face. This is stereotypucal as it is representing that men would not have an interest in woman without the use of the makeup product.


Vogue magazine (blush-on)

The images in the vogue magazine article create the stereotypical representation that woman need makeup to be happy and in order to feel seductive. This can be seen as when the woman is using the brush to apply the blush, she is smirking and watching herself in a portable mirror that she carries with her. This connotes that she is constantly concerned with her appearance as she feels the need to carry around a item which will enable her to check up on how she looks in order to impress those who gaze upon her. Below the main image it says “see your face come alive with instant health” The key words being come alive which is made clear as they are underlined. This represents that the magazine believes womans faces to be stereotypically dead without the use of a makeup product and that they must use this in order to look healthy. The facial expression of the woman is constantly positive as in all of the provided images she is using the advertised product, this represents that this product is a neccessity for the woman to feel happy and alive. The article says “suddenly you look untense, untired, untwined-terrific!” This is all propaganda and suggests that if woman are to buy the product then these things will immediately occur which obviously cannot be guaranteed but in addition to this are not essential as they are made out to be.


Vogue magazine (imperial leather)

In the vogue magazine article main image there is a mother nursing and nuzzling her child, both of whom are smiling with contempt, this is playing on the stereotype of woman being motherly focused and that they are all nurturing and should conform to the stereotype of society that all woman are mothers and should stay at home each day with their child. In this image the woman is not sexualised at all like the woman in the other magazine. Babies skin is stereotypically very smooth and the magazine advert says "you want skin that feels soft.... soft as childs" The key words being "you want" The advert is giving firm instructions to the audience telling them what it is that they want. This is a stereotypical representation of woman suggesting that they are unable to make decisions for themselves and that they need to be told what to do.