Critical & Contextual Studies: OUCS301

For my gaze theory chapter I am looking at modern examples of the female gaze, in particular those found in Cosmopolitan magazine. From the issues I have looked at I have found these offending advertisements. I will choose one of them to write about in more detail.

Tutorial 5 ~ 18/01/13

Tuesday, 15 January 2013

Cosmo UK Readership

http://www.hearst.co.uk/Cosmopolitan/5-magazine.htm

Taken from official Hearst website

Friday, 4 January 2013

Tutorial 4 - 4/1/13

E-mail feedback from Richard:

This is definitely on the right lines. It is generally well written and structured at the moment. perhaps a slightly more explicit conclusion to each chapter would help.

Your essay plan looks excellent. try to stick as close to this as possible. It will be useful to refer to this at final editing stage.

leave the introduction and conclusion until last. they are easier to complete when the other chapters are already written.

the chapter on gaze theory seems quite good. it could do with expanding slightly and definitely needs some other sources for purposes of triangulation. I see Mulvey needs to be added according to your plan. Where is this going to fit in?

I feel like there should be more sociological theory / cultural studies theorists in the second chapter. Angela McRobbie's work would fit in.

Chapter 5 should use the theory outlined in the preceeding 3 chapters and apply it directly to a close critical reading of cosmopolitans f-word campaign. This chapter is probably going to be the most important in terms of evidencing your critical and analytical skills.

The Best of Jackie Annual

Jackie

I have been researching females magazines from past and present and came across 'The Best of Jackie' annual where I was actually shocked by some of the articles. Here are some photos of some of the articles that shocked me.

From what was written in the foreword by Nina Myskow, I was expecting an innocent magazine for teenagers, but I found a magazine with content obsessed with men, celebrities and body image. This shows that not much has changed with magazines from the 70's to the content of magazines now. While the magazine does not contain articles about sex, some of the comments made about being fat would shock even readers of Cosmopolitan. The magazine may have been quite innocent but it seems it was still focused on what girls should do to get a boyfriend.

‘In Jackie's heyday you were worried about how to kiss... now magazines seem to go straight from Barbie dolls to bondage, with no time for that important and precious breathing space between childhood and adulthood. Jackie was not about sex. It was about romance, but with a healthy dose of realism to counter the fantasy’

The articles in this annual are from issues of the magazine between 1970 and 1977. The magazine ran from 1964 to 1993 and was Britain's top-selling teenage magazine.

How to groom yourself so you get a holiday romance.

What to wear to catch the attention of the men you fancy.

Dating chart based on horoscopes.

How to get yourself noticed by the guy you fancy.

Slimming advice with the quote- 'Here's how to find out what's keeping you in the fatties' brigade'

A quiz to find out how much you know about boys.

'A Jackie Teach-in'.

A quiz about the readers own opinion on their beauty.

A few exercises to do at home.

A recipe 'for skinnies only'.

A quiz about how sexy the readers think they are.

You know you should go on a diet when... is a humorous article, but still places the idea of body image at the front of the readers mind.

What celebrities of the time wanted in a woman - based on what they were wearing. Reminds me of the 'Men vs. Fashion' feature in Cosmopolitan at the moment.

'Despite all our warnings, some of you could be feeling a bit flabby by now, after all the goodies you've been eating lately. Now's the time to do something about it'. Another slimming article.

Thursday, 3 January 2013

Cosmo Month by Month Review - Feb 2013

Can women’s magazines, focusing on the case study of Cosmopolitan (UK edition), ever be considered feminist?

February 2013 - Cover star - Kimberley Walsh (Girls Aloud Singer)

180 pages of which 38 are fashion/beauty adverts = 21%

For

100% Confident - Regular Feature (pg20)

- This feature often includes inspirational quotes from famous female celebrities which encourage the readers to be confident women.

- This promotes women as living up to the tagline of the magazine, which is 'For For Fearless Females'

- "Never be ashamed of what you feel. You have the right to feel any emotion that you want and to do what makes you happy." Demi Lovato

Alpha Female - Regular Feature (pg20)

- This feature often includes advice from a successful working female about the industry they work in

- This advice encourages the readers to focus on their career choices

The Secret of Perfect Naked Confidence (pg 76-81)

- This article is about women who feel confident shedding their clothes
- The section of the magazine the article is in is 'Cosmo loves your body' and it seems the article wants women to feel good about themselves, no matter what their size is. It also wants women to be happy with their bodies for themselves, not for anyone else.

Cash & Careers Clinic - Regular Feature - (pg 90-91)

- This regular feature helps women with a different topic regarding their work every issue, inspiring women to focus on their careers.

- Gives women reassurance, tips, and real life examples of certain situations. Can help to build women's confidence in work, an topic that other magazines may not touch on.

- This example is about working abroad.

So You Think You Want My Job? - Regular Feature (pg 93)

- This regular feature often explores unusual occupations that readers may not often know about

- Again, it promotes the importance of having a good job to the reader, giving them confidence to achieve whatever they want. The feature also gives advice about how the reader can get in to that profession.

- This issue the job is a wedding blogger.

Catwalk to Curvy - Regular Feature (pg 121)

- This regular feature shows how women with curvy bodies can still wear the catwalk trends

- This feature shows the readers that any size body can be beautiful

- However this feature only takes up 1 page of the whole magazine, there should be more pages focusing on the bodies of curvy girls rather than the pages full of thin models

Against

Men on 22

Men vs. Fashion - Regular Feature - (pg 25)

- This is a regular feature where three men rate what they think about what four female celebrities are wearing, also featuring the Cosmo fashion verdict, which can be quite different from what the men think

- The article does state, "we don't dress for men, but we're often curious about their fashion sense."

- However this article still suggests that we should consider what men would think of our outfits and what is 'fashionable', rather than wearing what we want to, and what we feel comfortable in

- The article also is an example of the magazines fixation with celebrity culture and body image

- The celebrities are often criticised for making bold moves or wearing unusual fashion choices, giving the reader the idea that we should all be dressed the same to be considered fashionable

Never Be Tagged in the Same Look Twice - Regular Feature (pg 39)

- This fashion feature suggests we should be obsessed with what we wear, and that it is a bad thing to wear the same outfit twice.

- It suggests we will be judged on Facebook by the outfits that we are wearing, rather than opinions shared.

- This encourages women to splurge on new clothes, causing unnecessary worry

What's the Best Way to Find a Man? (pg 68-72)

- An article giving advice from two different dating books, which is tested out by a Cosmo writer, as she tries to get a guy.

- At a distance, this article suggests that women need to find a man.

- However, the article does not force women in to finding a man, as it gives advice, but this is only if you are looking and only if you're interested in keeping him, meaning that Cosmo wants the readers to do as they wish. The writer even starts with: "Yep, I know I don't need a man to make me feel happy and successful, but they do come in handy every so often, and they can be quite nice to have around."

Body News 165