Task 4: Essay

Task 4: Essay

Find 5 examples of magazine covers for magazines aimed at teenage girls. Study them closely and identify what seem to be the conventions of this genre of magazine.

This front cover for Cosmo Girl has a colour scheme of blue, pink, yellow and orange, which suggests and teen female audience, as the colour scheme suggests it is playful, and not on serious topics. The magazine advertises articles about getting boys over night and extreme stories such as 'Raped for years by my piano teacher', making readers intrigued. There are also plugs such as '143 hot autumn looks'. The left third is also populated with the most shocking stories the magazine has to offer, so that it is the first thing readers see on the shelf.  The main coverline is '476 ways to be irresistible' is showing the teenage audience that there is a way to look attractive, but without the designer price tag.

This magazine cover has the colour scheme of pinks, oranges and whites, indicating spring because of the cheerful colours. Taylor Swift's image shows her with wild hair, indicating she has broken free of her feelings for Harry Styles, as indicated by the main coverline, "Taylor her first interview since Harry". This is contradicted by the hairbrush that she is using as a fake mike, which also gives the impression of fun. Taylor's outfit also contrasts with the clothes in the plug in the bottom left corner, making them stand out more. The left third also shows that main stories, with the titles in white text boxes to make them stand out as well. The plug and puff in the top right corner attracts a niche audience of One Direction Fans.

This magazine front cover has a colour scheme of pink and blue, with a blurred forest background, putting more focus on Taylor Swift, who is the main image and is also wearing a dress that matches the colour scheme of the magazine cover. The writing in the only black text box is a code that is is the only bad news on the front cover, which is proven true as it advertises 'Holiday Horrors', which is normally a grim subject. The blue and striped dress on Taylor Swift contrasts the pink puff of the fashion advertisement on the bottom left corner, as well as the pink text boxes in the bottom right hand corner. The green background allows the bold blue text to be visible, but also ties in with Taylor's dress. The colour scheme also matches the 'eclectic' clothing advertised because blue and pink are chosen from different sources.

This magazine has a more random layout, with text in varying fonts and colours, which suggests excitement as it is a 'special issue'. This is also enforced by the pose that Rihanna is holding in the main image, where she is smiling and looks as though she is jumping up and down. The colour scheme of pink, blue, yellow and black all contrast together to make the relevant titles, such as the main coverline and pull quote 'Rihanna "why British men are the hottest"' stand out more to the audience. The puff in the left third is positioned there because of how they are typically stacked on shelves. The word 'sexy' is written in a different text and in black, emphasising that they will improve your appearance and also gives  the audience the impression that autumn coats are a must and should be bought.  

The model this magazine is using is not as famous as the above, as she plays Alice Cullen in the Twilight series. The blurred background of a desert suggests summer, and the bright orange of the floor length split skirt, contrasted with the black shoes and jacket, gives a rebellious feel, as one of the key titles is that she reveals the ending of the last film. The accompanying colours of orange and yellow  further implies a summer theme.The left third also looks populated with the plug '503 fun party looks', again giving the audience the impression that wardrobe choices do matter, and only a select few options are acceptable. The main coverline 'Holiday Beauty', further implies the idea that appearances do matter, instead of intelligence.

To what extent should magazines be held responsible for the social ramifications of the representations they offer?

Magazines are a popular source of entertainment, as shown by the Press Gazette website, which shows that 351,020 copies of Ok magazine were sold in just 6 months in 2012. This shows the wide audience that these magazines have influence over.

On one hand, there is little evidence to suggest any direct link between teen magazines and their readers, as most teenagers today do not follow a certain fashion or listen to the same types of music. This makes it unlikely that all teenagers read the most popular teen magazines because most of the main stories are based on pop artists, such as Taylor Swift and Rihanna. Furthermore, according to ABC consummer magazine round-up, there has been a signficant drop in sales in the countries top teenage magazines, including Bliss and Mizz, both of which have seen sale decrease of 20%. Top of the Pops, Sugar and Shout have also seen 10% decreases.

However, the audience that does still purchase magazines are influenced in their fashion and lifestyle by the stories published. A review completed by physcologist Dr Linda Papadopoulos shows that the increased use of sexual imagery in advertising campaigns and ‘lads’ mags’, encourage boys to become macho and dominant, whilst girls become more sexually attractive. This has also led to an increase in sexual bullying, in which girls felt seduced into posting topless/naked photos on social networking sites. The review also gives recomendations on how to limit childrens exposure to mature themes, such as not allowing job centres to advertise lap dancing and massager jobs and games consoles being automatically set up with parental control.

However, this does not include other social factors which could affect teens daily. Examples of other social factors include family and income, as this could influence the brands of clothing and other products they buy, because they may not necessarily be in fashion. Other influences could be friends and the neighbourhood in which the teens live, as this again could affect clothing choice and music, which could either make them agree or disagree with negative activities, such as crime and pornography.

In conclusion, magazines should be accountable for the stereotypical messages they give to teenagers because of the amount of advertising of sexual images that convince boys to become more physically strong and girls to become more sexually appealing, as shown by scientific reseach. Magazines also encourage stereotypes on areas that are less wealthy than others to give the illusion that less savory activities are decided on by the individuals and not  fantisied by magazines. Although statistics of sales of magazines counter the idea of a large audience, this further shows how the internet has expanded in avaliablity and information that was previously difficult to obtain by teenagers. This means that subjects like pornography and violence can be more freely viewed without parental concent. Finally, magazines show a ideology of men being dominant over women, thus showing that history is repeating itself, and making women feel inferior once again.