Critical investigation
First draft
According to becomeawag.com 70% of the female gender aspire to become or have aspired “to be a wag or a R n B rap star” My main magazine for analysis is GRAZIA magazine however, I may make references to other platforms and texts to back up my responses. The title GRAZIA means grace in Italian which one could say denotes that the readers and target audience demographic would be of an superior class and reasonably sophisticated. The font used is very sophisticated which reflects the target audience and is conventionally is in white which connotes elegance and simplicity. The colour white also connotes, delicate and innocence which could suggest that the magazine may impact them reader negatively (Gramsci(How the media impacts people))
In issue.... the celebrity presented is Jennifer Aniston and she is represented positively, she is a positive influence on middle aged women because she is successful, single beautiful and independent. She gets a reasonable amount of media attentions hence GRAZIA magazine use this to their advantage in order to sell their product. The image is a medium close up which keeps the readers attention on her, moreover, she is wearing neutral make up which looks elegant and sophisticated which once again reflects the magazines audience demographic. She is a role model for young to middle aged women due to her being fashionable and attractive whilst being a hard working career women. The image shown consists of her wearing a dress which is quite short which on could say connotes her femininity however one could also say that she is showing off because she knows that she is attractive. In all of the GRAZIA magazines the celebrities have their hair out, and therefore not tied or slicked back this signifies that hair out is what readers want.
Also the image is the focal point because the reader will decide whether or not to buy the magazine from their first impressions. “Jen: To blame for Courteney split” One could say that Jennifer has come in the public eye because of Brad Pitt and that she has become a figure to feel sorry for because her and Brad have divorced after his alleged adultery. Publishers only publish what they think will sell and therefore what will make them money, this is
According to Greene “You simply have to be present, in the right place at the right time.” Whereas “...public[ly famous] people were once defined as such based upon the fact that their remarkable skills had brought them to the attention of the public.” Greene. this reduces famous people down to them being noticing for being themselves, and therefore they are not famous for doing anything worth while. Expand I am not sure what to write
The fact that GRAZIA magazine has chosen to shorten Jennifer’s name connotes that they may have a positive relationship with her. Why is she getting blamed for something that has no proof? Could it be due to the fact that she is successful at what she does? GRAZIA magazine also have an e-media platform which supports the conventions of using celebrities in order to promote and sell their product When you enter the website you are greeted by catchy articles and images of/on celebrities.
Programmes such as, Celebrity big brother, X factor, I’m a celebrity, Britain’s got talent are all shows consisting of celebrities in some way or another. They are aired on terrestrial TV hence the viewings are considerably high because one could say most households have terrestrial TV. These shows are very popular and moreover the print platform can use this to their advantage by publishing story that directly link to the shows. In issue 294, the top left corner represent Cheryl Cole and Simon Cowell in a very ‘comfortable’ way. Even though the institution X Factor is not mentioned the reader automatically links the image with the show which may lead to sales of the magazine. The idea that both celebrities look very formal connotes that they are attending somewhere important? X factor is a programme that is recognised globally and therefore, it is a very good topic for GRAZIA magazine to discuss and create articles which are either factual or not.
The main colour scheme for GRAZIA magazine front covers are bright vibrant colours : orange, green this grabs the attention of the reader because it is eye catching and looks quite interesting. This colour scheme is unconventional, hence it goes against the stereotypes and typical concepts of a magazine.The layout is quite busy, with most of the text and images being placed at an angle which is quite unconventional compared to other magazines with a similar topic. The key signifiers within the GRAZIA front covers are the images which are conventionally a medium close up where the reader can see the closing of the celebrity. On the issues which i have been looking at, celebrities have been used as a selling point on all of them which signifies that celebrities are GRAZIA magazines focal selling point. On the right hand side of the front cover there is a section that reads “50 under £50” The language used communicates that the clothes are something to get excited about and the big lettering stands out plus the font looks like a marker pen, this is also quite unconventional which could connote that the audience demographic are sophisticated and classy even different. In addition using words such as 'secret, shock, new and details' it enforces the audience to buy the magazine and read it. Grazia usually has a sub heading which has changed historically from “BRITAIN’S FIRST WEEKLY GLOSSY” to “BRITAIN’S NO.1 GLOSSY” this connotes that the magazine has gained a sense of popularity and possibly since publishing got taken over by Bauer Consumption Media from EMAP PLAN. the whole idea that the magazine is on glossy paper informs the audience that they are choosing the best if they read GRAZIA. The writing is in capital letters and is therefore eye catching and one could say that it could influence “affluent” women to purchase the magazine. In addition
Most magazine front covers consist of a big image of someone ‘beautiful’, small catchy articles, bright colourful mise en scenes, and ‘Carlyo fonts’. The front covers have changed historically because when the magazine got published in Spain the effect was 2D, GRAZIA have now got a 3D effect on their page connoting that they are successful and that they have money to spend. They are one of the first magazines to go 3D which denotes that their selling techniques work and are therefore successful. On most of the GRAZIA magazine issues the top left corner consists of celebrities which acts like a reinforcement of the main image, this signifies that the readers of GRAZIA want to know about celebrities and their lifestyles.
This brings me nicely on to the whole prospect of the Marxism and hegemony.The target audience for GRAZIA magazine believe that they are deciding whether or not to purchase and read the magazine, however the publishers and editors pic and choose what to include, they only include stories and articles that will help maintain their dominance and control in society. They want to make money and they want to stay at the top of the hierarchy. For example in issue 303, Victoria Beckham has been used as the focal point of selling. The image is a medium close up and therefore you can see some of her features i.e her skinny frame and square jawline. “VICTORIA QUITS!” the exclamation mark adds emphasis on her action which also makes the statement stand out, therefore it is eye catching and may lead to people purchasing the magazine. Once again the magazine does not use the celebrities full name they seem to be denoted as having a connection and understanding with them.
The magazine is priced at £1.95, which is reasonably cheap considering that the target audience for GRAZIA magazine is affluent women. The magazine is published and issued weekly by BAUER consumption media founded in 1875, whom also publish other well known magazines such as Heat. Grazia magazine GRAZIA magazine see themselves as a very sophisticated and classy magazine establishment “GRAZIA readers are upmarket women in their 30’s. They are affluent, high spenders on fashion and beauty. The majority are married or living with a partner and working full time. They read GRAZIA avidly and cite its fashion content as their main reason to buy the magazine.” “Its target audience is 25- to 33-year-old urban, upscale, modern women, leading busy lives.” i do not know what to write about this :-/
There are a range of stereotypes available today but there are many women whom are excluded and therefore, they are unrepresented. The industry is run to sell a product rather than to reflect the reality of women’s lives today. The institutions want to sell their products and if that means ignoring unrepresented women, then so be it. This is reinforced by GRAZIA magazine, through the use of specific celebrities on their front covers, for example; Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, Cheryl Cole, Angelina Jolie, although the images look natural, however they have been airbrushed and photoshoped to a certain extent. All of these women are famous in one way or another they are also successful. GRAZIA magazine is a magazine focused on celebrity news and fashion hence the this is what the target audience demographic ‘expect’ from the magazine. In addition the audience may not purchase the magazine if it is not what they expect, for example if they were to include a random individual with no fame the target audience demographic may look at it ignore the magazine, therefore not purchasing it. In men’s magazines as well the stereotype is a man interested in fast cars, women, sports and music and again the number of men excluded is vast.
In the Spanish issues of GRAZIA celebrities also play a big part in marketing the magazine, and therefore the use of celebrities as a focal selling point is global.
In conclusion
