Women's magazine- Representation

What messages about female identity are encoded in to Woman magazine?

• That  women belong in the kitchen 
• That there job is to bring up the children 
• That they should keep the house clean and tidy
• That women should wear make up in order to be attractive

What impact could this have on the target audience?

• The target audience is middle aged hetrosexual women 35 plus It will cultivate the idea that they have to wear make up
• Cultivates the idea that women should become a housewife - to clean the house and raise the children 
• Constructs a target audience

What potential advantages are there for reinforcing hegemonic notions of gender in a primarily female reader base?

• Reflects the society in which it was made
• If you control women then you control society
• Constructs a specific target audience 

Female stereotypes: 

• weak
• incapable 
• emotional 
• useless
• that women should be in the kitchen (cultivation theory)
• looks stereotypically attractive 
• objectified 
• that they don't drink beer 
• passive
• dependent on the man 
• romantic
• gentle 
• purity 
• innocence 

Positives of stereotypes:

• Makes people feel more comfortable especially with makeup 
• Gives people rules to live by for example men are meant to be dominant and strong 
• Makes males more polite for example opening the door for women

Advertising in magazines:

•  Magazines generate revenue primarily through sales of copies(print and digital) and through advertising 

• Advertising accounts for approximately one third of total revenues across the industry. It is, therefore, vitally important that the magazine ad advertising content target the same audience in order that the advertising brands benefit from increased sales as a result of advertising in the magazine 

• High audience engagement

• less distraction likely from other activities

• the ability to target niche audiences

• high production values 

• potential for placement in highly relevant editorial environment 

• non-intrusive (readers can turn the page)

• long shelf life

Representation/ Audience response - advertising in Woman: 

• This is a soap advert which cultivates that women should do the washing and looking after the house
• The word 'darling' is used repeatedly- patronising 
• That women are all sexy and this soap makes them sexier 
• She's not in a bath however she is covered in soap 
• She's all glammed up with immaculate makeup and hair
• Creates the assumption that if you buy this magazine it will help you look like the model 
• The soap provides you will kindness which could represent he man in their lives 
• Closed body language which empowers women as she is controlling how much of her body is on show
• The advert also points out that women can smell as well as males 
• There is binary opposition of being gentle in order to clean, however it is also tough because it is destroying dirt
• The word 'gentle' implies that this is how women should always want to be 

Representation of women - Advertising in Woman:

• Mid-shot emphasises her interest in the make up as she is directly looking at the makeup 
• Implies women are more interest in the makeup than sex and a man
• Mid-shot emphasises that she is putting make up on to look good for the man 
• Her make up is already immaculate yet she is putting more on 
• Patriarchal hegemony  as women are wearing make up which is to look good for the males
• Shows a direct correlation between putting on makeup and attracting men 
• Creates the assumption that women need men

• The man is looking at her in the same way that she is looking at her makeup 
• 'Beauty at a moments notice' implies women who don't wear makeup are lazy and unattractive 
• Could be empowering as the women isn't looking at the man which challenges stereotypical representations of women 
• Challenges stereotypes as she isn't at home she is actually at some sort of station which for women was a big deal during these times
• Stereotypical representation of men in the advert of them being dominant and very shallow liking women for their looks 
• In the advert there is one women surrounded by men
• Men is dressed professionally in a suit