Representations of Women in Women’s Magazines - By Viwe Ndzamela

"Women’s magazines form part of popular culture, which is not only concerned with the production process but also takes into consideration the needs of the readers. The aim of this research is to analyse the representations of women in selected women’s magazines. In particular, this research focuses on the social construction and cultural representation of women in terms of whether they are represented as glamorous sex objects or independent women who are in control of their sexuality."

Here is highlighted the two main stereotypes the media has created for women. 

"Women’s magazines are one of the many structures that are concerned with producing representations of women. Because these magazines are commercially driven, advertising plays an important role in the kind of content they deliver."

Viwe is suggesting magazines have to be appealing to the eye to sell, so the content has to be for the  stereotypical woman to gain a mass audience. 

There are structures that are concerned with producing representations of women from primary school reading schemes to Hollywood films, from advertising to opera, from game shows to art galleries, women are depicted in ways that define what it means to be a woman in this society, what women are like (naturally), what they ought to be like, what they are capable of, what roles they play in society and how they differ from men.

This quote supports how women from an early age are told what to think not how to think, the media has fed images and ideologies to girls of a young age on what to look like and how to behave in order for society to accept them. The media has told women what they can and cannot do, evidence can be shown for this in magazines. For example there are many pages on how women should act in relationships and the do's and don'ts of the fashion world. 

"Because stereotypes have their basis in the material conditions and social practices of society, they
serve to naturalise the power relationships in society, they have a hegemonic function, hence women are often stereotyped as subservient to men (Lacey 1998:139). This implies that women may be represented in a way that suits the views of those who are involved in the production process as well as the owners in the manner that they think will be profitable for them." 

This is suggesting that the men involved in the production process control how to portray women in the media, therefore this makes it more difficult to change the stereotype of women. This cycle cannot be broken as this stereotype is what sells in the media.

"Tuchman states that according “…to media researchers, the media do not represent women who are viable role models, and therefore the media’s irrational role models when internalised, prevent and impede female accomplishments” (1979:11). As a result of this the media also encourage readers to define women in terms of the way men perceive them (as sex objects) or in the context of the family (as wives and mothers)."

This quote is highlighting the issues of the media undermining women and portraying them as submissive, and that equality still exists today. 

"Croteau and Hoynes also argue that the creation and production of media images is also in male hands. “Women are generally not in positions of control and perhaps as a result are less likely than men to be prominently featured in media products”

This is evidence for the last quote that there is still equality as more males than females are in positions of control, for this is the reason women are advertised more in the media. 

"This seems to say that women have one thing in common, a concern about how they look, how they can please men and how they can look after their families in an even better way."

here is a quote that supports the ideologies most magazines have in today's society, they give tips on how to achieve all the things listed above. This portrays all women to be narrow minded. 

"for magazines it is imperative to attract consumers. This is done by using the most eye-catching pictures and headlines."

This quote implies that the more attractive the model is on the front cover, the more consumers it has. It gives a message to society that beauty holds worth in society, and the more beautiful you are, the more value you hold. 

"Cover images and sell lines also reveal a lot about the nature of women’s magazines. The woman’s face, which is their hallmark, is usually white, young, smoothly attractive, immaculately groomed and usually smiling or looking seductive. The image represented in these magazines affirms and sells these qualities of white skin, youth, beauty, charm and sexuality as valuable attributes of femininity."

Magazines tell the audience what is considered beautiful in society just by the front cover of it. The qualities mentioned here are all prominent ideologies most magazine models hold in the 21st century. 




http://eprints.ru.ac.za/2303/1/NDZAMELA-MJourn-TR02-129.pdf