Extracts from the conclusion of Media Gender &Identity by David Gauntlett

"We have seen various ways in which popular ideas about the elf in society have changed, so that identity is today seen as more fluid and transformable than ever before.twenty or thirty years ago, analysis of popular media often told researchers that mainstreams culture was a backwards-looking force, resistant to social change and trying to push people back into traditional categories. Today, it seems more appropriate to emphasise that, within limits, the mass media is a force for change. the traditional view of a woman as a housewife or low-status worker has been kick-boxed out of the picture by the feisty, successful 'girl power' icons."

This quote shows us the decline of tradition over the recent years, it mentions how the media has managed to change the traditional view of women into successful icons. This is important as it demonstrates all women's magazines do not portray women in the same way, and some, like Cosmopolitan, are open to social change.

"Magazines, bought on one level for a quick fix glossy entertainment, promote self confidence (even though they partly undermine it, for some readers, at the same time) an provide information about sex, relationships and lifestyles which can be put to a variety of uses."

Here is shown the functions of a magazine, and highlights the issues in the topic of self confidence. Magazines usually undermine self confidence by telling the audience how they can improve their looks by indicating what's best for women. This can be changing their weight, dress sense, hair or makeup to feel more confident. However this can be read as there is something wrong with the reader and they must change themselves in order to achieve self confidence.

"neverteless, in this book i have suggested thatby thinking about their own idenitity, attitudes, behaviour and lifestyle ........ It is for this reason that the 'role model' remains an important concept, although it should not be taken to mean someone that a person wants to copy. Instead, role models serve as navigation points as individuals steer their own personal routes through life."

The term 'role model' in magazines suggests the audience wants to copy their style of clothes, hair, makeup, ect. For example, they would take a celebrity's outfit from a night out or red carpet and find a similar items of clothing in high street shops. This allows the reader to copy the celebrity's outfit but in their price range.

"magazines for young women are emphatic in their determination that women must do their own thing, be themselves, and/or be as outrageously sassy and sexy as possible."

This quote supports the transition from women having to act/dress traditionally to them doing their own thing and being themselves. It shows how the media is open for social change over the recent years.

"Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people are still under-represented in much of the mainstream media, but things are slowly changing. in particular, television is offering prime-time audiences the change to 'get to know' nice lesbian and gay characters in soap operas, drama series and sit-coms. Tolerance of sexual diversity is slowly growing in society, and by bringing into people's homes images of sexual identities which they might not be familiar with, the media can play a role in making the population more - or less - comfortable with these ways of living."

This highlights that our society is accepting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people but the media, like magazines, under-represent them. For example in women's magazines they will feature tips on relationships with men but never women.

"We no longer get singular, straightforward messages about ideal types of male and female identities (although certain groups of features are clearly promoted as more desirable than others). Instead, popular culture offers a range of stars, icons and characters from whom we can acceptably borrow bits and pieces of their public persona for use in our own."

Again this quote shows how the media has changed how gender is portrayed. However, some messages still come across as traditional because certain groups of features seen as more desirable, for example the more feminine a woman looks the more attractive she is.