There is a number of ways particular social groups could be represented in media products. It is found not only in magazines but in other media products too such as films, advertisements, TV series and more. In my magazine, I tried to avoid presenting my models in a typical way, however I also had to be aware of the fact that the market prefers those type of magazines the most. Therefore I had to balance the two issues and adapt my magazine. Firstly, I decided to focus on the male gaze. This was because I knew my model for my front cover would be a female. The male gaze was studied and argued in the essay of British feminist Laura Mulvey.
The male gaze is found commonly in all sorts of media products. This could be for a variety of reasons such as dominant ideology, the rise in feminism where women have more power and more. As a result of this, I asked my model (Milena Aleksandrova) to wear a tight black dress to gather a slight male gaze because of her revealing her curved silhouette, however I didn’t want her to wear a revealing dress as that would be rather typical. As you could see in my front cover, Milena is also making direct eye contact with the camera while her hair is being blown back. This makes her look very appealing to both men and women. As well as that, she is smiling without her teeth showing, almost in a smug way. This would make her look quite sexual and confident in some people’s eyes as she is posing in that way.
The male gaze is found commonly in all sorts of media products. This could be for a variety of reasons such as dominant ideology, the rise in feminism where women have more power and more. As a result of this, I asked my model (Milena Aleksandrova) to wear a tight black dress to gather a slight male gaze because of her revealing her curved silhouette, however I didn’t want her to wear a revealing dress as that would be rather typical. As you could see in my front cover, Milena is also making direct eye contact with the camera while her hair is being blown back. This makes her look very appealing to both men and women. As well as that, she is smiling without her teeth showing, almost in a smug way. This would make her look quite sexual and confident in some people’s eyes as she is posing in that way.
Here is a great example of a magazine attracting the male gaze. In the front cover stands Beyoncé, in a wet outfit. This immediately would gather the male gaze as she is portrayed in a sexy way. She is also wearing minimal clothing showing off her body to the audience which is appealing to both men and women. This reinforces dominant ideology. Beyoncé is also standing with her hands wide spread on the background and her head slightly tilted which is very appealing to men.
From looking at this front cover, I realised that the clothing and the pose of the model is very important in order to present your model the way you want them to look.
The fact that Beyoncé posing in a way that the photographer has asked her to shows that she is trying to get male attention and gather the male gaze, as well as making herself an aspiration to women.
This relates to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.
From looking at this front cover, I realised that the clothing and the pose of the model is very important in order to present your model the way you want them to look.
The fact that Beyoncé posing in a way that the photographer has asked her to shows that she is trying to get male attention and gather the male gaze, as well as making herself an aspiration to women.
This relates to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs is about the goals people would like to achieve and the factors they need to do so.
This relates to this topic as people, mainly women aspire to be like Beyoncé as she has the dream looks and body many women want. The theory is very important in magazines as the images the audience see in the magazines are what they will aspire to be as, no matter if the image has been airbrushed to emit hypereality.
This relates to this topic as people, mainly women aspire to be like Beyoncé as she has the dream looks and body many women want. The theory is very important in magazines as the images the audience see in the magazines are what they will aspire to be as, no matter if the image has been airbrushed to emit hypereality.
The male gaze has been a big part of the media industry for quite some time, and is presented to the audience at a young age. An example would be The Little Mermaid
This magazine is clearly aimed at female children, however the mermaid is barely dressed and has nice hairy going everywhere. This makes the mermaid look appealing as well as making young girls want to be like her. This is what is happening as the age increases except the contents get more explicit and is with real models.
By looking at my finished contents page, I can see that I have represented my model (Ali Roumieh) in an interesting way. The fact that Ali is holding a microphone and looks like his about to sing clarifies that he is a singer. I tried to avoid presenting him in a stereotypical or archetypical way by making him dress in a suit. This allowed Ali to look formal and powerful, unlike most male artists found in magazines.
This magazine is clearly aimed at female children, however the mermaid is barely dressed and has nice hairy going everywhere. This makes the mermaid look appealing as well as making young girls want to be like her. This is what is happening as the age increases except the contents get more explicit and is with real models.
By looking at my finished contents page, I can see that I have represented my model (Ali Roumieh) in an interesting way. The fact that Ali is holding a microphone and looks like his about to sing clarifies that he is a singer. I tried to avoid presenting him in a stereotypical or archetypical way by making him dress in a suit. This allowed Ali to look formal and powerful, unlike most male artists found in magazines.
Here are two magazines of the same artist, Chris Brown. Chris Brown is a popular singer, however in magazines almost no artist looks like they are singers. However, I prefer the first magazine as Chris is not represented in a stereotypical way of a music artist. In fact, he looks more like a business man that is quite serious. However in the second magazine cover, he looks like a thug. This is what most music artists are presented as. He has a lot of jewellery on alongside his gold teeth. His face also looks stressed, perhaps symbolising the stresses of being a celebrity.
This gave me the idea that I want to challenge stereotypes and dress Ali in a suit.
Finally, by viewing my double page spread you would notice that I have done the complete opposite with my model Sherry Khan. I presented Sherry in a manner that makes him look like a thug. I did this to match my story, as he just came out of prison. This reinforces stereotypes as celebrities are often labeled as criminals. I did this because in my studies I realised that stories that are about celebrities coming out of prison are quite successful. The fact that Sherry is also leaning against a brick wall is synergy that he is in a progress of getting back to his fullest and is building his way back up.
This gave me the idea that I want to challenge stereotypes and dress Ali in a suit.
Finally, by viewing my double page spread you would notice that I have done the complete opposite with my model Sherry Khan. I presented Sherry in a manner that makes him look like a thug. I did this to match my story, as he just came out of prison. This reinforces stereotypes as celebrities are often labeled as criminals. I did this because in my studies I realised that stories that are about celebrities coming out of prison are quite successful. The fact that Sherry is also leaning against a brick wall is synergy that he is in a progress of getting back to his fullest and is building his way back up.