‘How and why do fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue construct unobtainable representations of beauty? Is this a concern’?
We’ve all heard of phrases such as “beauty is only skin deep”, “seeing is believing” and “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, but have these phrases any meanings or value in contemporary media?
Elle and Vogue are well known and established women’s fashion magazines, sold and read all around the world. Elle Magazine created in France in the 1940’s and Vogue created in 1910 cover issues such as fashion, beauty and health, subsequently the magazines are immensely popular amongst readers and are at the forefront of the advertising industry. This essay will discuss how and why Elle and Vogue magazine construct unobtainable representations of beauty and whether this is a concern for the magazines audience. I will look at how the media has created a ‘beauty myth’ that magazines follow to entice the audience, and how the evolution of technology has changed our perception of the ideal body and face.
The issue of unobtainable representations of beauty has long been debated even when technology had not yet advanced to today’s standards. In the past era before the introduction of Photoshop in 1990, magazines such as Elle and Vogue featured flawless looking models in their magazines using specialist lighting and expensive make up to create a perfectionist look on their models, giving their audience a representation of beauty which is unobtainable. Over the years as technology advanced and the introduction of specialist editing software such as adobe Photoshop, technology has allowed images to be manipulated to the advantage of the magazine companies for their financial gain and status. This issue also came into the limelight of politicians, and the members of the Liberal democrat’s party in 2009 backed proposals to require all photos “‘retouched’ to make them more attractive to be clearly labelled as retouched images. This was because they were “misleading and harmful and had contributed to the rise of eating disorders” . Katy Gordon, the party’s Glasgow north candidate described how even “Marilyn Monroe would be considered fat by today’s standards” , and highlighted the fact that “however good a parent you are, you are up against the might of the beauty industry and the media” .
The media uses images of beauty against women to force an ideology of the ideal women that is impossible to attain, a so called ‘beauty myth’ . This is done by magazines to escalate magazine sales and to help sell third party products advertised in their magazines in order to generate a profit by portraying women as sex objects. Naomi Wolf’s “The Beauty Myth” describes how there is “a secret “underlife” poisoning our freedom: infused with notions of beauty, it is a dark vein of self-hatred, physical obsessions, terror of aging, and dread of lost control” . The ‘beauty myth’ has effected “women in Western culture” as females “are damaged by the pressure to conform to an idealized concept of female beauty” . In July 2010 Elle magazine featured an airbrushed image of the renowned RnB singer Rihanna on its front cover. The image had been digitally enhanced to show the slim singer looking impressively leaner. This manipulation of the celebrity’s image using digital enhancements helped Elle to depict the singer as a sex symbol and hence follow the beauty myth, as the media knows that sex appeal sells to both genders and subsequently featuring the singer in this pose increases magazine sales. In contrast, this process of image manipulation gives rise to the hypodermic syringe model where passive audience are injected with misleading ideologies of beauty which they are likely to believe. In return the audience (usually young women) are led to believe that they are viewing a genuine image of the singer and could possibly attempt to attain a similar figure at all costs, usually by starving or eating and then inducing self vomit to control body weight resulting in eating disorders and illnesses such as bulimia and anorexia.
“Within this universe connotating superficiality and the worshiping of appearances, Photoshop reigns like an emperor” . With the introduction and availability of specialist editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, media has become equipped with a powerful tool that could enable it to manipulate any digital image to its advantage. Supermodels such as German born Heidi Klum who has appeared on the cover of fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue once said “Hook me up with a great photographer, a clever stylist and an expert retoucher, and together we create a beautiful illusion” . This shows that no one is perfect and how even beautiful women have become dependent on technology, as the increasingly demand to look immaculate grows on image conscious women in society. In order for magazines to sell they must have a unique selling point, so in this case fashion magazines feature airbrushed images of models to attract in the audience and promote sales. Arguably the female consumer is deluded by this and is led to believe that the magazine will guide them to achieve the model look through segments on beauty tips, fashion advice and special diets features, when in fact the truth is that the immaculate look is superficial and unobtainable.
‘The technological development of the medium has undoubtedly made images seem more ‘real’’ . The advancement of technology has allowed the print medium to create their own representation of reality. Using Photoshop tools such as the ‘patch tool’ that is used for eliminating blemishes on images and ‘clone tool’ which is used to duplicate good areas of an imagine to cover flaws along with numerous other image enhancing tools such as liquidfy filter and lighting, the print medium is able to create flawless images of females what they believe to be the ‘ideal women’.
‘Together, the visual images and headlines on a magazine cover offer a complex semiotic system, communication primary and secondary meanings through language, photographs, images, colour and placement’ . Magazines such as Elle and vogue use image enhancing software to retouch images of their models, this is done in order to create an image of the so called ‘ideal women’ ‘By constructing the body as a work zone, women’s magazines encourage women themselves to perpetuate the objectification of their bodies’ . The models are depicted on the cover in a direct mode of address to catch attention and stimulate an interaction with the reader. This along with aspects of non verbal communication e.g. facial expressions, gaze, text and posture of the image is used by the magazine to entice its audience. An example of this is shown in the December 2010 edition of ELLE magazine where an airbrushed image of Anne Hathaway is featured on the front cover. The critically acclaimed actress is depicted in a poised posture, connoting dignity and power. The direct seductive gaze stimulates interaction with each individual reader, while the revealing clothing connotes self confidence. Here, ELLE magazine is conveying an ideology of beauty as seen from its eyes. Together, ELLE’s unique masthead, fonts and texts, layout, puffs and buzz words all contribute to its identity and appeal, while the magazine conveys a fundamental message through its cover lines of how a woman must be beautiful. This is digested by its audience as the magazine is aware that women have obsession with appearance. Informative hints on hair and beauty, diets, fashion, health issues and make up/fashion disasters are some appealing segments covered by the magazines to which all women can identify and relate to.
In June 2009 Elle featured an airbrushed image of Reese Witherspoon (actress) covering the Elle masthead accompanied with a single strapline ‘Reese hearts Jake’ . This strapline used by ELLE magazine highlights how Reese needs to look immaculate in order to attract Jake who happens to be her attractive fiancé. This conveys a message to the reader than only attractive women can be with attractive men and reinforces the ideologies of the beauty myth. This way the magazine is able to persuade and manipulate its female audience as the female audience buy into the concept of love. This layout of the front cover also highlights the importance of the ideal women over the brand name and emphasizes the importance of women’s images indirectly through the reinforced physical beauty on show. Therefore, In Elle and Vogue magazines case, depicting images of unobtainable beauty in their magazines attracts the audience and acts as an inspiration to women as to what they should look like and can become if they were to follow the magazines way of lifestyle. The consumer is then given an impression that the magazines will offer guidance in achieving similar beauty when in fact it is unachievable.
‘Advertisers often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness in an attempt to sell products’ . The majority of advertisers today use airbrushing to enhance images of ordinary looking women; this is because “advertising makes big money from images of flawless women” . Everybody wants to look immaculate as it boosts self esteem and confidence, ‘by presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain, the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits’ therefore seeing perfect beauty in images is pleasing to the eye and it also acts as an inspiration which people are attracted to then follow suit. Advertiser’s use this principle to delude and influence its audience into buying the advertised product, which do not realise that, the portrayed beauty within the advert is really unobtainable. Elle and Vogue understand this psychology, therefore the magazines only select and feature adverts that have been airbrushed along that feature skinny women as this is the demand set by the beauty myth. An example of this is the advert in the Vogue magazine 2007 edition (pg189) which shows an image of a well groomed, immaculate looking woman with big eyes and high cheek bones advertising a Versace perfume. The image has been airbrushed to eradicate blemishes and imperfections. So, here Vogue is following a stereotype of the ideal woman set by the beauty myth. The passive audience in particular female adolescents are vulnerable to these adverts as they are new and inexperienced consumers, who are in the process of learning their values and roles and developing their self concept, therefore are the prime targets of advertisers to sell their product. This way the magazines not only generate revenue from advertisers but also maintain their high status through associating itself with high class brand names, an example being ‘Gucci’ and ‘Louis Vuitton’.
Throughout the Elle and Vogue magazines there is evidence of image manipulation. This is notable through the depiction of slender looking models and flawless beauty on display page after page. “Just 2% of today’s women see themselves as beautiful” , the beauty industry bombards us with images of perfection which fuels a sense of insecurity amongst the ordinary women. The pressures to look like the ideal women that the beauty industry has created make the ordinary women question themselves whether they measure up. This intense pressure on the ordinary women has known to give rise to eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia. Clare Curtis from the Eating Disorders Association highlights, “Sixty-seven percent of girls think they are overweight and six out of 10 girls say they would be happy if they were slimmer," . Magazines such as Elle and Vogue portraying images of the perfect women inject representations of beauty as they see it, which has given rise to the passive audience who are easily influenced and manipulated by what these magazines have put across to them as they believe that ‘photographs represent the real world’ . This reinforces the idea of the cultivation theory which states that the more a person is exposed to a message provided by the media, the more likely that person is to believe the message is real. This is then a concern as young women are tempted to take extreme measures in order to achieve similar beauty, often resulting in dieting heavily, leading to excessive weight loss, malnutrition, depression, and other mental health and physical health problems. The increase in this type of behaviour amongst female gives rise to a moral panic within society as a whole. A recent body image survey found, ‘Girls who were already dissatisfied with their bodies showed more dieting, anxiety and bulimic symptoms after prolonged exposure to fashion and advertising images’ and that ‘”very thin “models made them feel insecure about themselves’ . So to an extent Elle and Vogue magazines convey a message to the ordinary women what they are and what they should be. This pressure put upon women has seen rise in anorexia and bulimia, eating disorders in weight conscious women who has either loss of appetite or indulge in food and then induce vomit in order to control their weight; ‘the anorexic and bulimic body, painfully thin and even emaciated, is the true unruly body, the body that has escaped the control of the mind. For the sufferer, the body ceases to obey instructions’ . This reinforces the idea how the media has the influence to disorientate the mind which could result in bodily turmoil.
To conclude, I think that magazines such as Elle and Vogue have a great control and influence over women in society as they inject ideologies of the ideal women into ordinary women which they are, to an extent, compelled to become. As Elle and Vogue magazines are distributed in many languages and countries, the beauty myth is seen as a worldwide issue and the pressure for women to look immaculate is being spread globally by these magazines. The magazine‘s do not promote the natural beauty of a women, rather they promote what a women should look like.
‘In the age of the airbrush, can we ever really believe our eyes?’ Since the print medium is now in possession of powerful editing software such as ‘Photoshop’, there is no limit as to how extensive an image can be manipulated. Imperfections such as blemishes, spots and wrinkles on images can easily be eliminated from images at a click of a button. So the phase ‘seeing believing’ is indeed obsolete and has no value today in the world of print medium. Elle and Vogue magazines see that sex and beauty sells, so they only feature those adverts in their magazines that have been airbrushed or that feature models in a seductive posture as they fit in to the lifestyle of their magazine. As human beings we are attracted to beautiful people, so the perfection of beauty depicted in these magazines inspires the passive audience who are led to believe that the magazines will offer them advice in obtaining similar beauty and this is what increases the magazine sales as we want to associate ourselves with immaculate looking people.
Elle and Vogue have created their own representation of beauty which makes us ordinary people feel insecure about our body and looks. To measures up to the immaculate images that magazines such as these bombard us with from all angles, we take measurements such as dieting and surgery, which in the long run has a negative effect our physical and mental health. So by featuring images of unobtainable beauty in their magazines, Elle and Vogue are contributing to the insecurity felt in ordinary people about their body and looks. ‘Subordinated groups accept the ideas, values and leadership of the dominant group’ As ordinary women are accepting and following the ideologies of unobtainable beauty set by fashion magazines such as ELLE and Vogue, there are reinforcing the hegemonic system which states that the media is the dominant group. This is a concern in a post-feminist society. “By presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits” . As unobtainable beauty continues to be promoted as a demand and judgement upon women by magazines such as Elle and Vogue the insecurity in ordinary women will remain and the increase of eating disorders such as Bulimia and anorexia are likely to increase especially as these magazines are distributed worldwide leaving a moral panic in a global society.
Work cited
Websites
http://www.libdemvoice.org/real-women-policy-paper-debate-live-blog-ldconf-16203.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beauty_Myth
http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/10/18/media_advertising_reality_and_the.htm
http://www.squidoo.com/photoshop-retouch
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8264640.stm
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5074642.stm
http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/main/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/menu-id-58/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10558258
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm
Books
Lacey, Nick. Image and representation: key concepts in media studies. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. Print.
Gregory, R. L.-Eye and brain: the psychology of seeing-Princeton University Press- 1990
McCracken, E. (1992) Decoding Women’s Magazines. Basingstoke: Macmillan
Wolf, Naomi. The beauty myth: how images of beauty are used against women. New York: W. Morrow, 1991. Print.
Strinati, Dominic (1995), An Introduction to Theories of Popular Culture, Routledge, London and New York.
Macdonald, Myra. Representing women: myths of femininity in the popular media. London: E. Arnold ;, 1995. Print.
Magazines
ELLE Magazine June 2009
Work consulted
Websites
Challenges in the media's representation of beauty
http://daniela09.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/challenges-in-the-medias-representation-of-beauty/
GQ magazine
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/showbiz/2643777.stm
Real Girls, Real Pressure: A National Report on the State of Self-Esteem
http://www.rocketxl.com/dsef/assets/DSEF_KeyFinding.pdf
Rihanna manipulation
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1285468/Rihanna-appears-magazine-cover-impossibly-waist.html
Emily Blunt rejection of manipulation
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1298950/Emily-Blunt-condemns-airbrushing-poses-sexy-photo-shoot-Elle.html
Gabourey Sidibe's manipulation
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/8005734/Elle-magazine-in-Gabourey-Sidibe-skin-lightening-controversy.html
Tina Fey-Scar removal
http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-headlines-in-jacksonville/tina-fey-minus-the-scar-vogue-march-2010-cover-shoot-video
Blake Lively- chest flattened
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/huh-vogue-flattens-out-blake-livelys-chest-1458902
Beat- helps females with body image
http://www.b-eat.co.uk/Home
Beauty and advertising
http://hubpages.com/hub/Beauty--Women-in-Advertising
Article on retouching of images over the decade
http://www.newsweek.com/feature/2010/unattainable-beauty.html
Unattainable Beauty - Paying the Price For the Media's Portrayal-
http://ezinearticles.com/?Unattainable-Beauty---Paying-the-Price-For-the-Medias-Portrayal!&id=1540095
Weight and Shape Ideals: Thin Is Dangerously In (Google scholar)
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1559-1816.2000.tb02506.x/abstract
The Influence of Fashion Magazines on the Body Image Satisfaction of College Women: An Exploratory Analysis
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2248/is_n127_v32/ai_20413253/?tag=content;col1
Beauty myth quotes
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/naomi_wolf.html
Beauty myth
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2005/oct/18/classics.shopping
Vogue info
http://www.bookrags.com/history/vogue-sjpc-05/
Books
Argyle, Michael-The psychology of interpersonal behaviour-Penguin- 1986
Sullivan, Tim, Brian Dutton, and Philip Rayner. Studying the media: an introduction. London: Arnold, 2003. Print.
Spender, Dale. Feminist theorists: three centuries of women's intellectual traditions. London: Women's Press, 1983. Print.
Bird, Linda. Look gorgeous always: find it, fake it, flaunt it. New York: Penguin Group, 2007. Print.
LeMoncheck, Linda. Loose women, lecherous men a feminist philosophy of sex. New York, N.Y.:
Oxford University Press, 1997. Print.
Mason, Linda. Make up: the art of beauty. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2007. Print.
Video
Fashion doesn't cause eating disorders.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d5KcT1HZT6k
Magazines
ELLE magazine December 2010
Vogue 2007
Tuesday 17 May 2011
Thursday 10 March 2011
Thursday 3 March 2011
Sunday 27 February 2011
sound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wkogdMsCKI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcXXpssBFVM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svP7soh2kTQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cUUEOvMCTM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa7UVkVwV7U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PaeWpRaUjA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9haTFoGcvk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTgK4bNjZxg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiPP7fA53fM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrKHN02Xo0E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25i56AWtFqk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCzI4_3T6EE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcXXpssBFVM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svP7soh2kTQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cUUEOvMCTM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa7UVkVwV7U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PaeWpRaUjA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9haTFoGcvk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTgK4bNjZxg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiPP7fA53fM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrKHN02Xo0E&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25i56AWtFqk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCzI4_3T6EE&feature=related
Monday 21 February 2011
Production ideas
advertisement- clothes/cosmetic - non slim girl used in advert- breaks stereotypical conventions
awareness- girls go shopping, one girl has magazine- buys everything in the magazine that advises her. goes home trys to imitate. not achieved. doesn't eat, pukes..
awareness- image manipulation stages- normal girl made into a cover girl. young girl uses as guide, trys to achieve image- looks in mirror etc.
documentary- what people think of these images in magazines. talk to people effected etc
(final idea)
awareness- show what girl who suffers from anorexia goes through, how she suffers and what stages she goes through. vomitting, slimming pills, buying special clothing. use of excessive amounts of make up.
awareness- girls go shopping, one girl has magazine- buys everything in the magazine that advises her. goes home trys to imitate. not achieved. doesn't eat, pukes..
awareness- image manipulation stages- normal girl made into a cover girl. young girl uses as guide, trys to achieve image- looks in mirror etc.
documentary- what people think of these images in magazines. talk to people effected etc
(final idea)
awareness- show what girl who suffers from anorexia goes through, how she suffers and what stages she goes through. vomitting, slimming pills, buying special clothing. use of excessive amounts of make up.
Slogan
Words to consider:
beauty
help
awareness
pro-active
every word counts
silent
quiet
girls
lost
magazines
destruction
Final slogan
'Help every lost girl.
Every word counts, don't stay silent.'
beauty
help
awareness
pro-active
every word counts
silent
quiet
girls
lost
magazines
destruction
Final slogan
'Help every lost girl.
Every word counts, don't stay silent.'
Plan
Story boards
analyse 2 videos
find;
set
voice over
slogan- brain storm and come up with idea
actor
campaign company- logo and tagline
analyse 2 videos
find;
set
voice over
slogan- brain storm and come up with idea
actor
campaign company- logo and tagline
Advert analysis
sentimental music
slow paced
no real effects, blunt cuts
disappointed face of actor
body shots
disbelief of body
range of shots- medium long and close
zoom out to reality
slogan and company name with website at the end - overlay video
shows story of sufferer- not eating, excersise, trying on clothes not happy,
no signs of happiness
several scenes infront of mirror
voiceover- few words near the end
shot types- long, close, slow pans,
slow sentimental music- scenes follow tempo and cut to music
title screen with company name(with tagline), website and phone number
Wednesday 9 February 2011
Bibliography
1. Gregory, R. L.-Eye and brain: the psychology of seeing-Princeton University Press- 1990
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8264640.stm
3. http://www.libdemvoice.org/real-women-policy-paper-debate-live-blog-ldconf-16203.html
4. Ibid
5. Wolf, Naomi. The beauty myth: how images of beauty are used against women. New York: W. Morrow, 1991. Print.
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beauty_Myth
7. http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/10/18/media_advertising_reality_and_the.htm
8. http://www.squidoo.com/photoshop-retouch
9. Lacey, Nick. Image and representation: key concepts in media studies. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. Print. – Pg223
10. McCracken, E. (1992) Decoding Women’s Magazines. Basingstoke: Macmillan
11. ELLE Magazine June 2009
12. http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/main/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/menu-id-58/
13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8264640.stm
14. Representation of beauty in the media
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm
15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5074642.stm
16. ibid
17. Wolf, Naomi. The beauty myth: how images of beauty are used against women. New York: W. Morrow, 1991. Print.
18. http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/main/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/menu-id-58/
19. Ibid
20. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10558258
21. http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm
2. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8264640.stm
3. http://www.libdemvoice.org/real-women-policy-paper-debate-live-blog-ldconf-16203.html
4. Ibid
5. Wolf, Naomi. The beauty myth: how images of beauty are used against women. New York: W. Morrow, 1991. Print.
6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beauty_Myth
7. http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/10/18/media_advertising_reality_and_the.htm
8. http://www.squidoo.com/photoshop-retouch
9. Lacey, Nick. Image and representation: key concepts in media studies. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. Print. – Pg223
10. McCracken, E. (1992) Decoding Women’s Magazines. Basingstoke: Macmillan
11. ELLE Magazine June 2009
12. http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/main/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/menu-id-58/
13. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8264640.stm
14. Representation of beauty in the media
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm
15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/5074642.stm
16. ibid
17. Wolf, Naomi. The beauty myth: how images of beauty are used against women. New York: W. Morrow, 1991. Print.
18. http://www.healthyplace.com/eating-disorders/main/eating-disorders-body-image-and-advertising/menu-id-58/
19. Ibid
20. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-10558258
21. http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/issues/stereotyping/women_and_girls/women_beauty.cfm
Monday 7 February 2011
essay
We’ve all heard of phrases such as “beauty is only skin deep”, “seeing is believing” and “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, but have these phrases any meanings or value in contemporary media? Bearing this in mind, the question remains….
‘How and why do fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue construct unobtainable representations of beauty? Is this a concern’?
Elle and Vogue are well known and established women’s magazines, sold and read all around the world. Elle Magazine created in France in the 1940’s and Vogue created in 1910 cover issues such as fashion, beauty and health, subsequently the magazines are immensely popular amongst readers and are at the forefront of the advertising industry. This essay will discuss how and why Elle and Vogue magazine construct unobtainable representations of beauty and whether this is a concern for the magazines audience. I will look at how the media has created a beauty myth that magazines follow to anchor in the audience, and how the evolution of technology has changed our perception of the ideal body and face.
The issue of unobtainable representations of beauty has long been debated even when technology had not yet advanced to today’s standards. In the yesteryears, magazines such as Elle and vogue featured flawless looking models in their magazines using specialist lighting and expensive make up to create a perfectionist look on their models, giving their audience a misrepresentation of an unobtainable beauty. Over the years as technology advanced and the introduction of specialist editing software such as adobe Photoshop, technology has allowed images to be manipulated to the advantage of the magazine companies for their financial and status gain. This issue also came into the limelight of politicians, and the members of the Liberal democrat’s party in 2009 backed proposals to require all photos “‘retouched’ to make them more attractive to be clearly labelled as retouched images. This was because they were “misleading and harmful and had contributed to the rise of eating disorders” . Katy Gordon, the party’s Glasgow north candidate described how even “Marilyn Monroe would be considered fat by today’s standards” , and highlighted the fact that “however good a parent you are, you are up against the might of the beauty industry and the media” .
The media uses images of beauty against women to force an ideology of the ideal women that is impossible to attain, a so called ‘beauty myth’. This is done by magazines to escalate magazine sales and to help sell third party products advertised in their magazines in order to generate a profit by portraying women as sex objects. Naomi Wolf’s “The Beauty Myth” describes how there is “a secret “underlife” poisoning our freedom: infused with notions of beauty, it is a dark vein of self-hatred, physical obsessions, terror of aging, and dread of lost control” . The ‘beauty myth’ has effected “women in Western culture” as females “are damaged by the pressure to conform to an idealized concept of female beauty” . In July 2010 Elle magazine featured an airbrushed image of the renowned RnB singer Rihanna on its front cover. The image had been digitally enhanced to show the slim singer looking impressively leaner. This manipulation of the celebrity’s image using digital enhancements helped Elle to depict the singer as a sex symbol and hence follow the beauty myth, as the media knows that sex appeal sells to both genders and subsequently featuring the singer in this pose increases magazine sales. In contrast, this process of image manipulation gives rise to the hypodermic syringe model where passive audience are injected with misleading ideologies of beauty which they are likely to believe. In return the audience (usually young women) are led to believe that they are viewing a genuine image of the singer and attempt to attain a similar figure at all costs, usually by starving or eating and then inducing self vomit to control body weight resulting in eating disorders and illnesses such as bulimia and anorexia.
“Within this universe connotating superficiality and the worshiping of appearances, Photoshop reigns like an emperor” . With the introduction and availability of specialist editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, media has become equipped with a powerful tool that could enable it to manipulate any digital image to its advantage.” Supermodels such as German born Heidi Klum who has appeared on the cover of fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue once said “Hook me up with a great photographer, a clever stylist and an expert retoucher, and together we create a beautiful illusion” .This shows that no one is perfect and how even beautiful women have become dependent on technology, as the increasingly demand to look immaculate grows on image conscience women in society. In order for magazines to sell they must have a unique selling point, so in this case fashion magazines feature airbrushed images of models to anchor in the audience and promote sale. The female consumer is deluded by this and is led to believe that the magazine will guide them to achieve the model look through segments on beauty tips, fashion advice and special diets features, when in fact the truth is that the immaculate look is superficial and unobtainable.
’The technological development of the medium has undoubtedly made images seem more ‘real’ . The advancement of technology has allowed the print medium to create their own representation of reality. Using Photoshop tools such as the ‘patch tool’ that is used for eliminating blemishes on images and ‘clone tool’ which is used to duplicate good areas of an imagine to cover flaws along with numerous other image enhancing tools such as liquidfy filter and lighting, the print medium is enable to create flawless images of females what they believe to be the ‘ideal women’.
‘Together, the visual images and headlines on a magazine cover offer a complex semiotic system, communication primary and secondary meanings through language, photographs, images, colour and placement’ . Magazines such as Elle and vogue use image enhancing software to retouch images of their models. This is done in order to create an image of the so called ‘ideal women’ purely for the purpose of sensationalism. The models are depicted on the cover in a direct mode of address to catch attention and stimulate an interaction with the reader. This along with aspects of non verbal communication e.g. facial expressions, gaze, text and posture of the image is used by the magazine to entice its audience. Together, the unique mast head, the magazine layout, the fonts and texts, puffs, sell lines and buzz words all contribute to its identity and appeal. While informative hints on hair and beauty, diets, fashion, health issues and make up /fashion disasters are some appealing segments covered by the magazines to which all women can identify and relate to.
In June 2009 Elle featured an airbrushed image of Reese Witherspoon (actress) covering the Elle masthead accompanied with a single strapline ‘Reese hearts Jake’ . This layout of the front cover highlights the importance of the ideal women over the brand name and emphasizes the importance of women’s images indirectly through the reinforced physical beauty on show. Therefore, In Elle and Vogue magazines case, depicting images of unobtainable beauty in their magazines attracts the audience and acts as an inspiration to women as to what they should look like and can become if they were to follow the magazines way of lifestyle. The consumer is then given an impression that the magazines will offer guidance in achieving similar beauty when in fact it is unachievable.
‘Advertisers often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness in an attempt to sell products’ . The majority of advertisers today use airbrushing to enhance images of ordinary looking women; this is because “advertising makes big money from images of flawless women” . Everybody wants to look immaculate as it boosts self esteem and confidence, ‘by presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain, the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits’ therefore seeing perfect beauty in images is pleasing to the eye and it also acts as an inspiration which people are attracted to then follow suit. Advertiser’s uses this principle to delude and influence its audience into buying the advertised product, who do not realise that the portrayed beauty within the advert is really unobtainable. Elle and Vogue understands this psychology, therefore the magazines only select and feature adverts that have been airbrushed along that feature skinny women as this is the demand set by the beauty myth. This way the magazines not only generate revenue from advertisers but also maintain their high status through associating itself with high class brand names, an example being ‘Gucci’ and ‘Louis Vuitton.
Throughout the Elle and Vogue magazines there is evidence of image manipulation. This is notable through the depiction of slender looking models and flawless beauty on display page after page.” Just 2% of today’s women see themselves as beautiful” , the beauty industry bombards us with images of perfection which fuels a sense of insecurity amongst the ordinary women. The pressures to look like the ideal women that the beauty industry has created make the ordinary women question themselves whether they measure up. This intense pressure on the ordinary women has known to give rise to eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia. Clare Curtis from the Eating Disorders Association highlights, “Sixty-seven percent of girls think they are overweight and six out of 10 girls say they would be happy if they were slimmer," . Magazines such as Elle and Vogue portraying images of the perfect women inject representations of beauty as they see it, which has given rise to the passive audience who are easily influenced and manipulated by what these magazines have put across to them as they believe that ‘photographs represent the real world’ . Young women are then led to extreme dieting which result in excessive weight loss, malnutrition and depression leading into health major mental health and physical health problems and a moral panic within society as a whole. A recent body image survey found, ‘Girls who were already dissatisfied with their bodies showed more dieting, anxiety and bulimic symptoms after prolonged exposure to fashion and advertising images’ and that ‘”very thin “models made them feel insecure about themselves’ . So to an extent Elle and Vogue magazines convey a message to the ordinary women what they are and what they should be. This pressure put upon women has also seen rise in Bulimia, an eating disorder in weight conscious women who over indulge in food and then induce vomit in order to control their weight.
To conclude, I think that magazines such as Elle and Vogue have a great control and influence over women in society as they inject ideologies of the ideal women into ordinary women which they are, to an extent, compelled to become. As Elle and Vogue magazines are distributed in many languages and countries, the beauty myth is seen as a worldwide issue and the pressure for women to look immaculate is being spread globally by these magazines. The magazine‘s do not promote the natural beauty of a women, rather they promote what a women should look like.
‘In the age of the airbrush, can we ever really believe our eyes?’ Since the print medium is now in possession of powerful editing software such as ‘Photoshop’, there is no limit as to how extensive an image can be manipulated. Imperfections such as blemishes, spots and wrinkles on images can easily be eliminated from images at a click of a button. So the phase ‘seeing believing’ is indeed obsolete and has no value today in the world of print medium. Elle and Vogue magazines see that sex and beauty sells, so they only feature those adverts in their magazines that have been airbrushed or that feature models in a seductive posture as they fit in to the lifestyle of their magazine. As human beings we are attracted to beautiful people, so the perfection of beauty depicted in these magazines inspires the passive audience who are led to believe that the magazines will offer them advice in obtaining similar beauty and this is what increases the magazine sales as we want to associate ourselves with immaculate looking people.
Elle and Vogue have created their own representation of beauty which makes us ordinary people feel insecure about our body and looks. To measures up to the immaculate images that magazines such as these bombard us with from all angles, we take measurements such as dieting and surgery, which in the long run has a negative effect our physical and mental health. So by featuring images of unobtainable beauty in their magazines, Elle and Vogue are contributing to the insecurity felt in ordinary people about their body and looks. “By presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits” . As unobtainable beauty continues to be promoted as a demand and judgement upon women by magazines such as Elle and Vogue the insecurity in ordinary women will remain and the increase of eating disorders such as Bulimia and anorexia are likely to increase leaving a moral panic in society.
‘How and why do fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue construct unobtainable representations of beauty? Is this a concern’?
Elle and Vogue are well known and established women’s magazines, sold and read all around the world. Elle Magazine created in France in the 1940’s and Vogue created in 1910 cover issues such as fashion, beauty and health, subsequently the magazines are immensely popular amongst readers and are at the forefront of the advertising industry. This essay will discuss how and why Elle and Vogue magazine construct unobtainable representations of beauty and whether this is a concern for the magazines audience. I will look at how the media has created a beauty myth that magazines follow to anchor in the audience, and how the evolution of technology has changed our perception of the ideal body and face.
The issue of unobtainable representations of beauty has long been debated even when technology had not yet advanced to today’s standards. In the yesteryears, magazines such as Elle and vogue featured flawless looking models in their magazines using specialist lighting and expensive make up to create a perfectionist look on their models, giving their audience a misrepresentation of an unobtainable beauty. Over the years as technology advanced and the introduction of specialist editing software such as adobe Photoshop, technology has allowed images to be manipulated to the advantage of the magazine companies for their financial and status gain. This issue also came into the limelight of politicians, and the members of the Liberal democrat’s party in 2009 backed proposals to require all photos “‘retouched’ to make them more attractive to be clearly labelled as retouched images. This was because they were “misleading and harmful and had contributed to the rise of eating disorders” . Katy Gordon, the party’s Glasgow north candidate described how even “Marilyn Monroe would be considered fat by today’s standards” , and highlighted the fact that “however good a parent you are, you are up against the might of the beauty industry and the media” .
The media uses images of beauty against women to force an ideology of the ideal women that is impossible to attain, a so called ‘beauty myth’. This is done by magazines to escalate magazine sales and to help sell third party products advertised in their magazines in order to generate a profit by portraying women as sex objects. Naomi Wolf’s “The Beauty Myth” describes how there is “a secret “underlife” poisoning our freedom: infused with notions of beauty, it is a dark vein of self-hatred, physical obsessions, terror of aging, and dread of lost control” . The ‘beauty myth’ has effected “women in Western culture” as females “are damaged by the pressure to conform to an idealized concept of female beauty” . In July 2010 Elle magazine featured an airbrushed image of the renowned RnB singer Rihanna on its front cover. The image had been digitally enhanced to show the slim singer looking impressively leaner. This manipulation of the celebrity’s image using digital enhancements helped Elle to depict the singer as a sex symbol and hence follow the beauty myth, as the media knows that sex appeal sells to both genders and subsequently featuring the singer in this pose increases magazine sales. In contrast, this process of image manipulation gives rise to the hypodermic syringe model where passive audience are injected with misleading ideologies of beauty which they are likely to believe. In return the audience (usually young women) are led to believe that they are viewing a genuine image of the singer and attempt to attain a similar figure at all costs, usually by starving or eating and then inducing self vomit to control body weight resulting in eating disorders and illnesses such as bulimia and anorexia.
“Within this universe connotating superficiality and the worshiping of appearances, Photoshop reigns like an emperor” . With the introduction and availability of specialist editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, media has become equipped with a powerful tool that could enable it to manipulate any digital image to its advantage.” Supermodels such as German born Heidi Klum who has appeared on the cover of fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue once said “Hook me up with a great photographer, a clever stylist and an expert retoucher, and together we create a beautiful illusion” .This shows that no one is perfect and how even beautiful women have become dependent on technology, as the increasingly demand to look immaculate grows on image conscience women in society. In order for magazines to sell they must have a unique selling point, so in this case fashion magazines feature airbrushed images of models to anchor in the audience and promote sale. The female consumer is deluded by this and is led to believe that the magazine will guide them to achieve the model look through segments on beauty tips, fashion advice and special diets features, when in fact the truth is that the immaculate look is superficial and unobtainable.
’The technological development of the medium has undoubtedly made images seem more ‘real’ . The advancement of technology has allowed the print medium to create their own representation of reality. Using Photoshop tools such as the ‘patch tool’ that is used for eliminating blemishes on images and ‘clone tool’ which is used to duplicate good areas of an imagine to cover flaws along with numerous other image enhancing tools such as liquidfy filter and lighting, the print medium is enable to create flawless images of females what they believe to be the ‘ideal women’.
‘Together, the visual images and headlines on a magazine cover offer a complex semiotic system, communication primary and secondary meanings through language, photographs, images, colour and placement’ . Magazines such as Elle and vogue use image enhancing software to retouch images of their models. This is done in order to create an image of the so called ‘ideal women’ purely for the purpose of sensationalism. The models are depicted on the cover in a direct mode of address to catch attention and stimulate an interaction with the reader. This along with aspects of non verbal communication e.g. facial expressions, gaze, text and posture of the image is used by the magazine to entice its audience. Together, the unique mast head, the magazine layout, the fonts and texts, puffs, sell lines and buzz words all contribute to its identity and appeal. While informative hints on hair and beauty, diets, fashion, health issues and make up /fashion disasters are some appealing segments covered by the magazines to which all women can identify and relate to.
In June 2009 Elle featured an airbrushed image of Reese Witherspoon (actress) covering the Elle masthead accompanied with a single strapline ‘Reese hearts Jake’ . This layout of the front cover highlights the importance of the ideal women over the brand name and emphasizes the importance of women’s images indirectly through the reinforced physical beauty on show. Therefore, In Elle and Vogue magazines case, depicting images of unobtainable beauty in their magazines attracts the audience and acts as an inspiration to women as to what they should look like and can become if they were to follow the magazines way of lifestyle. The consumer is then given an impression that the magazines will offer guidance in achieving similar beauty when in fact it is unachievable.
‘Advertisers often emphasize sexuality and the importance of physical attractiveness in an attempt to sell products’ . The majority of advertisers today use airbrushing to enhance images of ordinary looking women; this is because “advertising makes big money from images of flawless women” . Everybody wants to look immaculate as it boosts self esteem and confidence, ‘by presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain, the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits’ therefore seeing perfect beauty in images is pleasing to the eye and it also acts as an inspiration which people are attracted to then follow suit. Advertiser’s uses this principle to delude and influence its audience into buying the advertised product, who do not realise that the portrayed beauty within the advert is really unobtainable. Elle and Vogue understands this psychology, therefore the magazines only select and feature adverts that have been airbrushed along that feature skinny women as this is the demand set by the beauty myth. This way the magazines not only generate revenue from advertisers but also maintain their high status through associating itself with high class brand names, an example being ‘Gucci’ and ‘Louis Vuitton.
Throughout the Elle and Vogue magazines there is evidence of image manipulation. This is notable through the depiction of slender looking models and flawless beauty on display page after page.” Just 2% of today’s women see themselves as beautiful” , the beauty industry bombards us with images of perfection which fuels a sense of insecurity amongst the ordinary women. The pressures to look like the ideal women that the beauty industry has created make the ordinary women question themselves whether they measure up. This intense pressure on the ordinary women has known to give rise to eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia. Clare Curtis from the Eating Disorders Association highlights, “Sixty-seven percent of girls think they are overweight and six out of 10 girls say they would be happy if they were slimmer," . Magazines such as Elle and Vogue portraying images of the perfect women inject representations of beauty as they see it, which has given rise to the passive audience who are easily influenced and manipulated by what these magazines have put across to them as they believe that ‘photographs represent the real world’ . Young women are then led to extreme dieting which result in excessive weight loss, malnutrition and depression leading into health major mental health and physical health problems and a moral panic within society as a whole. A recent body image survey found, ‘Girls who were already dissatisfied with their bodies showed more dieting, anxiety and bulimic symptoms after prolonged exposure to fashion and advertising images’ and that ‘”very thin “models made them feel insecure about themselves’ . So to an extent Elle and Vogue magazines convey a message to the ordinary women what they are and what they should be. This pressure put upon women has also seen rise in Bulimia, an eating disorder in weight conscious women who over indulge in food and then induce vomit in order to control their weight.
To conclude, I think that magazines such as Elle and Vogue have a great control and influence over women in society as they inject ideologies of the ideal women into ordinary women which they are, to an extent, compelled to become. As Elle and Vogue magazines are distributed in many languages and countries, the beauty myth is seen as a worldwide issue and the pressure for women to look immaculate is being spread globally by these magazines. The magazine‘s do not promote the natural beauty of a women, rather they promote what a women should look like.
‘In the age of the airbrush, can we ever really believe our eyes?’ Since the print medium is now in possession of powerful editing software such as ‘Photoshop’, there is no limit as to how extensive an image can be manipulated. Imperfections such as blemishes, spots and wrinkles on images can easily be eliminated from images at a click of a button. So the phase ‘seeing believing’ is indeed obsolete and has no value today in the world of print medium. Elle and Vogue magazines see that sex and beauty sells, so they only feature those adverts in their magazines that have been airbrushed or that feature models in a seductive posture as they fit in to the lifestyle of their magazine. As human beings we are attracted to beautiful people, so the perfection of beauty depicted in these magazines inspires the passive audience who are led to believe that the magazines will offer them advice in obtaining similar beauty and this is what increases the magazine sales as we want to associate ourselves with immaculate looking people.
Elle and Vogue have created their own representation of beauty which makes us ordinary people feel insecure about our body and looks. To measures up to the immaculate images that magazines such as these bombard us with from all angles, we take measurements such as dieting and surgery, which in the long run has a negative effect our physical and mental health. So by featuring images of unobtainable beauty in their magazines, Elle and Vogue are contributing to the insecurity felt in ordinary people about their body and looks. “By presenting an ideal difficult to achieve and maintain the cosmetic and diet product industries are assured of growth and profits” . As unobtainable beauty continues to be promoted as a demand and judgement upon women by magazines such as Elle and Vogue the insecurity in ordinary women will remain and the increase of eating disorders such as Bulimia and anorexia are likely to increase leaving a moral panic in society.
Sunday 30 January 2011
Theory
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/cultiv.html -cultivation
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/pph9701.html - hypodermic
contents of the media were injected into the thoughts of the audience, who accepted the attitudes, opinions and beliefs expressed by the medium without question.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/hrb9701.html - moral panics
http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Hypodermic_Needle_Theory.doc/ - hyperdermic needle
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/usegrat.html - uses and gratifications
http://www.slideshare.net/MrsUzumaki/modelling-or-copycat-theory - copycat theory
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/pph9701.html - hypodermic
contents of the media were injected into the thoughts of the audience, who accepted the attitudes, opinions and beliefs expressed by the medium without question.
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/hrb9701.html - moral panics
http://www.utwente.nl/cw/theorieenoverzicht/Theory%20clusters/Mass%20Media/Hypodermic_Needle_Theory.doc/ - hyperdermic needle
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/usegrat.html - uses and gratifications
http://www.slideshare.net/MrsUzumaki/modelling-or-copycat-theory - copycat theory
Monday 3 January 2011
Task 5
Introduction-
introduce topic - talk about reality and deception in the media
include question with reference to quote ' seeing is believing'
History of fashion magazines
introduce topic - talk about reality and deception in the media
include question with reference to quote ' seeing is believing'
History of fashion magazines
Task 6
Introduction
You may have heard of the term ‘seeing is believing’, but in today’s technically advanced world has this term got any meaning or value? Is what we see in the media today a reality or just a deceptive world, and what are the implications of this on today’s consumer and society as a whole?
You may have heard of the term ‘seeing is believing’, but in today’s technically advanced world has this term got any meaning or value? Is what we see in the media today a reality or just a deceptive world, and what are the implications of this on today’s consumer and society as a whole?
Sunday 2 January 2011
task 3
http://students.cis.uab.edu/juli305/finalpaper.html
Vogue magazine has influenced American society for over a hundred years. The magazine has evolved to reflect modern women. Vogue has gone through many changes and has created a market for women’s magazines. Originally, Vogue was more of a high society paper than a mass marketed magazine.
Vogue was founded in 1892 by Arthur Baldwin Turnure. Turnure’s original vision was to be a social gazette for New York’s elite. Turnure’s investors for Vogue included the Vanderbilts, A.M Dodge, William Jay, and Marion Stuyvesant Fish. Turnure hired a staff with a higher socialite status rather than a staff with literary talent. Socialite Josephine Redding was the magazine’s first editor. By all accounts, Redding seemed less worried about fashion and more passionate about animal rights.
Vogue was a weekly journal that aimed to appeal to only high society women and gentlemen. Originally men’s sports were chronicled in the magazine. Fashion was not the focus. Rather, the focus was the traditions of high society; fashion was only mentioned when talking about what was appropriate to wear to an occasion. Vogue had articles reviewing plays, books, music, and discussions of the societal etiquettes of the time. Two regular articles were called “As Seen by Him” and “Of Interest to Her.” “As Seen by Him” was particularly snobbish with articles like “A Word about the Treatment of Servants”. The staff also included “Society Snapshots” which were features of their friends and socialite acquaintances.
Vogue was not focused on advertising sales and revenues were decreasing for its wealthy stockholders. This soon changed when Conde Nast bought Vogue in 1909. Conde Nast graduated from Georgetown where he became close friends with Robert Collier. Robert Collier soon inherited Collier’s Weekly from his father and gave Nast a job as an advertising manager. Under Nast’s management, Collier’s Weekly became first place in advertising revenue for magazines. His salary grew to forty thousand dollars a year at Collier’s Weekly. Nast then left the magazine to build the Home Pattern Company. Nast desired to expand his business into fashion news and set his sights on Vogue.
Conde Nast admitted that he was not creative but was an advertising and sales genius. He transformed Vogue’s advertising base. Because the magazine appealed to high society readers, he courted high-end advertisers who were willing to pay more for a wealthy audience. Nast made Vogue a completely women’s fashion magazine. He also pushed for the covers of Vogue to be done by the best illustrators and photographers. Thus, the covers of Vogue became notable and reflected the art movements of each decade of the twentieth century. With Nast’s previous experience with the Home Pattern Company, he expanded the pattern section in the magazine even though this caused controversy within the staff. Vogue patterns were very successful and gave all of the readers a chance to make their own fashionable pieces. Even women with higher incomes used the patterns. Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly acknowledged that she used the Vogue patterns for herself and her children.
Nast had a constant need to expand his company. In 1916, he established a separate British Vogue and later a French Vogue. Today Conde Nast publications owns many magazines such as Glamour, Allure, W, Self, GQ, Details, Elegant Bride, House and Garden, Domino, Lucky, Golf Digest, and The New Yorker, just to name a few. In addition, Vogue has versions in nine countries including Austrailia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Spain.
During the war and the Great Depression, high tariffs were imposed on imported French designs and many French designs were not being made because of the state of France after the war. America had always looked to France for the latest fashions and Vogue editors were worried about the effects of the lack of French fashion. The magazine started to look to American designers. At first, they were only a substitute for French designs. However, by WWII, American designers were seen as a separate category. Vogue began to dedicate much of the magazine to the runway fashions in New York. Edna Chase even started Vogue fashion shows. This lead to the growth of American designers and fashion houses.
Conde Nast died in 1942. Time Magazine said that, “for a generation he was the man from whom millions of American women got most of their ideas, directly or indirectly, about the desirable standard of living.” The Conde Nast Corporation still lives on today. Anna Wintour became Editor in Chief of Vogue in 1988. Anna Wintour expanded the magazine’s role to include charitable organizations to help in AIDS research and to benefit emerging American fashion designers. Within the magazine, Wintour encouraged reporting on cultural and political issues to reflect the concerns of a modern working woman. Wintour also began Teen Vogue in 2001 and Men’s Vogue in 2005. Currently Vogue has a circulation of about 1.3 million. It continues to validate new designers and trends more than any other fashion magazine. The issues of Vogue are like a history of women’s ideals and fashions since 1892.
No longer just a pretty face: Fashion magazines' depictions of ideal female beauty from 1959 to 1999
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.20039/abstract
http://www.articlealley.com/article_14099_28.html
One of the planet's most famous womens' fashion magazines is, undoubtedly, Elle Magazine, which was created in France in the 1940's (and is still owned by the Lagardere Group of France, but is being published by Hachette Filipacchi Media US to this day). Not only does Elle focus on women's fashions, it also publishes articles on the beauty, health and entertainment inspired by today's modern woman.
Elle Magazine is most definitely the largest fashion magazine in the world with thirty-six editions on six continents throughout the world. The magazine also has offshoot companies such as Elle DÉCOR (with nineteen editions), Elle girl (nine editions), Elle Cuisine (five editions), elle.com (sixteen websites) and high quality products such as books, footwear, eyewear and other fashion related accessories. The U.S. edition alone reaches an audience of almost five million women who find in Elle Magazine a sharp style and substance with a more independent point of view than other magazines of its genre.
The innovators behind Elle Magazine are now located in New York where its main focus is on "fashion, beauty and style – with a brain." One of the best creations of the ELLE staff was the online version which has benefited with archival articles from the previous year along with sections on fashion (well, of course!); catwalk trends ("runway"); beauty; and style. Also included and quite popular with the readers is the discussion forum and the opportunity to subscribe to an e-mail newsletter. This site is an amazing insider's style guide with a worldly outlook which provides both leisurely convenience and an addictive high-end inspiration to boot. Not bad, huh?
Magazine showcases some of the most affordable designer clothing along with top quality articles that are quite informative (and actually quite interesting!). There are also updated CD, art and book reviews in each and every issue. Subscribers exclaim about the magazine layout and even the quality of both the cover and paper stock are raved about in the forums. Elle Magazine is wonderful for giving its large readership information on the latest pop culture trends both in the United States and abroad while roaming away from what is presented in our present day mainstream culture.
Vogue magazine has influenced American society for over a hundred years. The magazine has evolved to reflect modern women. Vogue has gone through many changes and has created a market for women’s magazines. Originally, Vogue was more of a high society paper than a mass marketed magazine.
Vogue was founded in 1892 by Arthur Baldwin Turnure. Turnure’s original vision was to be a social gazette for New York’s elite. Turnure’s investors for Vogue included the Vanderbilts, A.M Dodge, William Jay, and Marion Stuyvesant Fish. Turnure hired a staff with a higher socialite status rather than a staff with literary talent. Socialite Josephine Redding was the magazine’s first editor. By all accounts, Redding seemed less worried about fashion and more passionate about animal rights.
Vogue was a weekly journal that aimed to appeal to only high society women and gentlemen. Originally men’s sports were chronicled in the magazine. Fashion was not the focus. Rather, the focus was the traditions of high society; fashion was only mentioned when talking about what was appropriate to wear to an occasion. Vogue had articles reviewing plays, books, music, and discussions of the societal etiquettes of the time. Two regular articles were called “As Seen by Him” and “Of Interest to Her.” “As Seen by Him” was particularly snobbish with articles like “A Word about the Treatment of Servants”. The staff also included “Society Snapshots” which were features of their friends and socialite acquaintances.
Vogue was not focused on advertising sales and revenues were decreasing for its wealthy stockholders. This soon changed when Conde Nast bought Vogue in 1909. Conde Nast graduated from Georgetown where he became close friends with Robert Collier. Robert Collier soon inherited Collier’s Weekly from his father and gave Nast a job as an advertising manager. Under Nast’s management, Collier’s Weekly became first place in advertising revenue for magazines. His salary grew to forty thousand dollars a year at Collier’s Weekly. Nast then left the magazine to build the Home Pattern Company. Nast desired to expand his business into fashion news and set his sights on Vogue.
Conde Nast admitted that he was not creative but was an advertising and sales genius. He transformed Vogue’s advertising base. Because the magazine appealed to high society readers, he courted high-end advertisers who were willing to pay more for a wealthy audience. Nast made Vogue a completely women’s fashion magazine. He also pushed for the covers of Vogue to be done by the best illustrators and photographers. Thus, the covers of Vogue became notable and reflected the art movements of each decade of the twentieth century. With Nast’s previous experience with the Home Pattern Company, he expanded the pattern section in the magazine even though this caused controversy within the staff. Vogue patterns were very successful and gave all of the readers a chance to make their own fashionable pieces. Even women with higher incomes used the patterns. Eleanor Roosevelt reportedly acknowledged that she used the Vogue patterns for herself and her children.
Nast had a constant need to expand his company. In 1916, he established a separate British Vogue and later a French Vogue. Today Conde Nast publications owns many magazines such as Glamour, Allure, W, Self, GQ, Details, Elegant Bride, House and Garden, Domino, Lucky, Golf Digest, and The New Yorker, just to name a few. In addition, Vogue has versions in nine countries including Austrailia, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Spain.
During the war and the Great Depression, high tariffs were imposed on imported French designs and many French designs were not being made because of the state of France after the war. America had always looked to France for the latest fashions and Vogue editors were worried about the effects of the lack of French fashion. The magazine started to look to American designers. At first, they were only a substitute for French designs. However, by WWII, American designers were seen as a separate category. Vogue began to dedicate much of the magazine to the runway fashions in New York. Edna Chase even started Vogue fashion shows. This lead to the growth of American designers and fashion houses.
Conde Nast died in 1942. Time Magazine said that, “for a generation he was the man from whom millions of American women got most of their ideas, directly or indirectly, about the desirable standard of living.” The Conde Nast Corporation still lives on today. Anna Wintour became Editor in Chief of Vogue in 1988. Anna Wintour expanded the magazine’s role to include charitable organizations to help in AIDS research and to benefit emerging American fashion designers. Within the magazine, Wintour encouraged reporting on cultural and political issues to reflect the concerns of a modern working woman. Wintour also began Teen Vogue in 2001 and Men’s Vogue in 2005. Currently Vogue has a circulation of about 1.3 million. It continues to validate new designers and trends more than any other fashion magazine. The issues of Vogue are like a history of women’s ideals and fashions since 1892.
No longer just a pretty face: Fashion magazines' depictions of ideal female beauty from 1959 to 1999
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.20039/abstract
http://www.articlealley.com/article_14099_28.html
One of the planet's most famous womens' fashion magazines is, undoubtedly, Elle Magazine, which was created in France in the 1940's (and is still owned by the Lagardere Group of France, but is being published by Hachette Filipacchi Media US to this day). Not only does Elle focus on women's fashions, it also publishes articles on the beauty, health and entertainment inspired by today's modern woman.
Elle Magazine is most definitely the largest fashion magazine in the world with thirty-six editions on six continents throughout the world. The magazine also has offshoot companies such as Elle DÉCOR (with nineteen editions), Elle girl (nine editions), Elle Cuisine (five editions), elle.com (sixteen websites) and high quality products such as books, footwear, eyewear and other fashion related accessories. The U.S. edition alone reaches an audience of almost five million women who find in Elle Magazine a sharp style and substance with a more independent point of view than other magazines of its genre.
The innovators behind Elle Magazine are now located in New York where its main focus is on "fashion, beauty and style – with a brain." One of the best creations of the ELLE staff was the online version which has benefited with archival articles from the previous year along with sections on fashion (well, of course!); catwalk trends ("runway"); beauty; and style. Also included and quite popular with the readers is the discussion forum and the opportunity to subscribe to an e-mail newsletter. This site is an amazing insider's style guide with a worldly outlook which provides both leisurely convenience and an addictive high-end inspiration to boot. Not bad, huh?
Magazine showcases some of the most affordable designer clothing along with top quality articles that are quite informative (and actually quite interesting!). There are also updated CD, art and book reviews in each and every issue. Subscribers exclaim about the magazine layout and even the quality of both the cover and paper stock are raved about in the forums. Elle Magazine is wonderful for giving its large readership information on the latest pop culture trends both in the United States and abroad while roaming away from what is presented in our present day mainstream culture.
Task 1
The image above is of ELLE’s July 2010 edition. ELLE is a renowned worldwide magazine that focuses on women's fashion, beauty, health, and entertainment. Elle is also the world's largest fashion magazine. The magazine is aimed at females ranging from the ages of 16 to a more mature age of 40. From demographic groups such as B, C1and C2 as it focus on rich, glamorous and materialistic articles with the inclusion of famous celebrities to appeal to certain audiences.
The masthead is written in a clear block format which instantly stands out and makes a statement. ‘ELLE’ which translates ‘She’ in English instantly tell us who the magazine is aimed to appeal at. To add, the masthead is written in purple which connotes royalty and wisdom. This therefore gives the magazine a representation of high stature which can provide its readers with wisdom to help them with their fashion and health.
The image plays a big part in the appearance of the magazine as this can act as an anchor to the magazines readership. This issue of ELLE has famous RnB star Rihanna, being shot from a medium shot this allows her figure to be displayed and causes the readers to gain several gratifications from her. Rihanna being clothed in tight, revealing clothing shows of her small waist makes the audience believe that this is what beauty is and shows the ideologies that the magazine is promoting. The images mode of address has direct contact with the reader which connotes to the reader that she is the voice of the magazine she is speaking one on one to each other about the stories inside.
Bordering the magazine are several sell lines which give an insight into what the magazine has to offer to its reader to try anchor the sale of the magazine. For example the sell line that relates to the main image says ‘Rihanna! On her new look and new man’ which instantly interests readers to indulge into the story. These sell lines are there to help the magazine promote itself to the audience and also act as anchor to main images.
Elle using Rihanna as a model for front page instantly appeals to a young audience, however using a skinny young girl like her it sends of negative representations of beauty. As beauty is not all about being skinny. This has therefore lead to young audiences to do whatever it takes to try achieve the skinny glamorous look however really it is causing them more harm than bettering their appearance.
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