Magazine - Woman Magazine and media language

Woman Magazine 
Genre: Women's lifestyle
Year: 1964
Target audience: Middle-aged 35-50, working class women, British
Sold 5 million copies a week 
BORING
Stereotypical, straightforward, sexist ARGUMENT


How does media language combine to create meaning? 

COLOUR - lilac coloured background, feminine connotations, though more 'adult' than a typical pink or bright colour, symbolic of flower
Direct mode of address - YOUR kitchen, A-level beauty
Alfred Hitchcock interview targets British women, choice of putting the interview on the front page directly addressed British women
MES of models makeup, representing a stereotypical beautiful woman for aspiring women

MES of models clothes, floral 

80p 
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The cover model is stereotypically hegemonically attractive, and will function as an aspirational role model for the target middle aged audience. The model selected is in her late 20s to early 30s, which is younger than the target audience, and constructs the hegemonic value that in order to be beautiful, the audience must look as young as possible 

The MES of the purple backdrop is highly stereotypical 'feminine' colour, lilac, and this reinforces the ideology to be stereotypically feminine, a woman should be associated with certain colours. Additionally, purple has connotations of luxury, which is further anchored through the selection of gold for the boxout/highlighted cover lines at the bottom. To the working class audiences, this constructs an aspirational mode of address.

The lexis in the headline associated with the famous film director Alfred Hitchcock directly addresses the target audience. The selection of language "British women have a special magic" functions as a symbolic code and suggests underlining sexual connotations. Once more, for the target working class audience to be sexualised by Alfred Hitchcock is an aspirational goal. Furthermore, the lexis British is clearly an address to the nationalistic British audience

The makeup of the model is bold and heavy around the eye, which anchors the lexis "special magic". The makeup functions as a proairetic code, and suggests a future romantic engagement. This is an excellent example of Van Zoonen's notion of the male gaze, and situates the model as an object of male desire.

The MES of the model's piercing eyes and forced and even creepy smile positions the audience in a potentially uncomfortable mode of address. In fact, the cover model looks somewhat uncomfortable to be on the front cover, which creates a relatable mode of address for the target working class female audience. Unlike the representation of glamorous models on the front cover of vogue, the cover model for Woman magazine will typically be hegemonically attractive in a realistic and relatable manner. This allows the magazine yo a mass audience of impressionable working class women.

The layout and design is simple, straightforward, and lacks a significant amount of text. This suggests the target audience also lacks sophistication, and may not have a high level of education.

The mast head uses a bold, flowing serif font which resembles handwriting, and constructs a relatable and non threatening mode of address for the target female audience. Additionally, the mast head forms the start of a z-line in a highly conventional way, typical of the women's lifestyle genre, and creates a simple and straightforward mode of address for the target audience.

The lexis of the term "lingerie" has highly sexual symbolic connotations, and reinforces the highly sexualised hegemonic norms and expectations for the target audience.


The combination of media language creates a highly leading and highly manipulative mode of address, which reinforces many sexist standards. However, in the 1960s many social changes saw increases in sexual and social freedom for women. Yet Woman magazine barely acknowledges this. Instead, it clearly and deliberately reinforces patriarchal hegemonic standards. Bt reinforcing patriarchal standards, Woman magazine constructs both clearly differentiated gender roles and a hierarch of gender where men are in charge. By constructing a conservative ideology where the status quo is maintained, Woman magazine actively tells the female audience to be happy with their subservient role in society. And, by constructing a stereotypical and conservative female audience who buy the magazine week after week, IPC ensure their financial success.