Magazines: Oh Comely - Language and Representation

Front cover

1) What do the typefaces used on the front cover suggest to an audience?
They use a font which is stylish and unique. Also, the font looks handwritten which makes the magazine feel more personal.

2) The words under the title introduce the content and topics addressed. What do these suggest about the potential audience of Oh Comely?

Stories, film, music, fashion, mischief, idea
The audience can be creative because of the subtopic and some of the topics are quite niche.

3) How do the cover lines use narrative to create enigma? What do the cover lines suggest about the magazine's content and audience?

Words of hard-won wisdom - Shows how the book contains information that will provide wisdom which will make the audience gain 

4) Write an analysis of the central image.
The pose the model is doing portrays dominance and power and she is staring straight at the camera to show that is directing towards the audience.

5) What representation of gender can be found on this front cover?
She subverting stereotypes about feminisms and her style of fashion differs from what society would want to wear her clothes.

Feature: Speaking Out

1) What does the headline and standfirst suggest about Oh Comely's feminist perspective?
The headline says "Speaking Out" this shows how a magazine is a place where anyone is allowed to speak out and express their opinion and there are no boundaries or stereotypes to hold them back.

2) What do the interviewees in this feature suggest about the values and ideologies that underpin this magazine?

3) How conventional is the page design in this feature? Why?

The design is kept simple and minimalism so all the readers focus stays on the interviews and words expressed.

4) Pick out specific aspects of this feature that subvert the stereotypical representation of women in the media. Are they different to what we may find in conventional women's lifestyle magazines such as Glamour or Cosmopolitan? Why is the absence of men a key feature of Oh Comely?
If there is an absence in men it shows how women are independent and a magazine with a lack of men can still be successful.

5) How does photography offer a fresh or unusual perspective on women?
There is no Photoshop or editing done on the photos and they are also not exploited for their body but kept it natural and simple.


Feature: More than gender

1) How does this feature offer a fresh perspective on gender and identity?

Shows a new representation and allows people to understand what women have to fight for in today's society.


2) What is the significance of the writer and photographer? How does this fit with the Oh Comely brand?

The photos express Independence and closure making the reader feel more emotionally closer to the interview.


3) What style of photography is used in this feature?
Photos of landscape and forest makes it feel more personal and series it shows a window to their lives.


4) What representations of the transgender lifestyle can be found in this feature?

Shows how the transition impacts other variables in life and shows how it has impacted them.


5) Why is the biographical information at the end of the article significant? (Clue: the writer is also an editor of a niche, creative magazine called Entitle).

The writer is one of the siblings being interviewed therefore this shows how personal this magazine has been written.

Representation and identity

Work through the following questions on representation and Oh Comely:

1) How do representations in Oh Comely challenge stereotypes? 

They represent women who don't fit their "ideal" characteristic and in fact challenge them. Shows independent women in modern society

2) What representations of race, ethnicity and nationality can be found in the 'Speaking Out' feature?

They use a diverse women from all culture, race, ethnicity and nationality to show that every women has the right to express themselves.

3) What representation of women and femininity can be found in Oh Comely?
The women are independent and can free express themselves and subverts the features of feminism and shows a true feminist.


4) Why might Oh Comely deliberately under-represent men? (The absence of men in the magazine appears to be a largely deliberate move by the editors).
It is quite refreshing and new to see men being under-represented and the magazine is trying to show women perspective from society. 

5) Does Oh Comely fit into the possible fourth wave of feminism? Or is it evidence of post-feminism - that feminism is no longer needed?

Forth wave feminism use technology to empower women and oh comely is an example of this. Shows how gender is more fluid now.

6) How does the 'More than gender' feature challenge Levi-Strauss's structuralist theory of binary opposition?
The binary opposition theory would suggest about how we think in opposite like happiness and sad therefore gender it would be feminine and masculine however with transgender the contrast fades away and there is a sense of fluidity between opposites.

7) Judith Butler argues gender is a performance. How does Oh Comely challenge traditional gender roles? You should refer to both the cover and the selected CSP features. 

Judith Butler believes gender is a performance and the media influences the performance of traditional gender however the magazine goes against because in the cover the model has both masculine and feminine attributes to show how it is fluid.

8) Liesbet van Zoonen has suggested women's bodies are objectified and artificially constructed to present women as passive and restricted to secondary roles. How does Oh Comely challenge this stereotypical representation of women in the media? 
The women are Photoshop in the images and they magazine use photos which a natural and expressive to show the truth being each story.


9) David Gauntlett argues that identity is becoming more fluid, media representations change over time and that there are generational differences. Does Oh Comely support this viewpoint?
Yes because it is clear to see how gender has become so much more fluid. In the past the cover Oh comely used would have been non-extinct however it is openly accepted and people prefer to see media which subvert gender
.

10) It has been argued that Oh Comely is a far more open text (Stuart Hall - encoding and decoding/reception theory) with more room for negotiation in interpretation. Do you agree with this view? Why?
the dominant reading is show how women are independent and the role models to inspire reader.
the negotiated reading women expressing themselves
the oppositional reading anti masculine,


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Video games - exam style question

Feminist theory

Advertising: The representation of women in advertising