The Format of Women's Magazines:

There is a basic outline for the layout of magazines originates to the first women’s magazine Ladies Mercury, which is: to give advice on love, marriage (relationships), behavior, dress, and humor. These elements are the foundation for most women’s magazines, then and now, from Cosmopolitan to Elle.Women’s magazines are a form of print media that have stayed this way even though technology has evolved. While most women’s magazines have an online component they do not match the content in the actual magazine.

Today relevant women's magazines are: Vogue, Elle, Glamor, and Cosmo girl for teens.

POLITICAL:

WWII revolutionized the magazine industry in that it changed the role of women from seductress (juxtaposed with the vamps of the roaring twenties) to working girl. Because so many men were overseas fighting the war, magazines emphasized the fact that women should work outside the home. The overall message that magazines gave women during this time period was that not only should women work outside the home but they should also not neglect their duties at home. It was here where the role of women changed. Not only were they supposed to be the dutiful wife and mother, concerned citizen, but also hold a job outside of the home. This was to be done all in the name of family and allegiance to their country.

SOCIAL:

Ideology in Magazines in Modernity and Feminist Critique:

From the 1950s to now, the art of beautification is what most magazines perpetuate. They offer tips on makeup, hair, and exercise tips to be the “best” and most “confident” young woman that you can be. Magazines offer idea on how women should and ought to be. By this I mean, trendy, tone, thin, and beautiful. Although this feminist critique has grown, much improvement has not been seen as imagery in which women are objectified is still dominant. It can be argued that the readers of magazines today resemble members of a religion or cult. Magazines are the bible and femininity the religion. Not just any femininity but a particular brand of it, where she is constantly keeping up with trends and looking her best while living with a hectic work schedule. For more information on this topic in particular one can read The Beauty Myth by Nomi Wolf. She offers an insightful feminist critique of a wide range of imagery in magazines. While magazines like Ms. offer a feminist critique, they are not as widely read as mainstream magazines such as Cosmopolitan.

Civil rights:

The civil rights movement called for diverse models and representations of different culture to be displayed in magazines. While this did happen, people of color-such as Asian, Latino and African American- are still underrepresented in magazines. When they are they are usually stereotyped without the audience really taking notice as certain images have become part of dominate culture. Often times, generic looking models are used to reach a larger audience. However this did lead to the creation of magazines targeted at specific audiences such as Ebony, to African American females. Women’s magazines still seem to struggle to keep this concept of diversity separate from adding stereotypes, and it is something that is still widely pronounced in many magazines, but it is something that they utilize to target their vast spectrum of readers, and that is their main focus.

GROUP ID #: LM 17

MORALISTIC:

WWII was the floodgates that lead to the liberal topics we see in magazines today. After WWII, taboo topics such as sexuality and abortion were freely discussed. The reason for the sexual revolution was due to the surge in numbers of men after the war. As a result of this, increased sexual tensions lead to more liberal views so that clear dialogue could be freely exchanged. In this way, the content of magazines mirrored what was in dominate culture at the time. Cosmopolitan, since its launch in 1972, has freely addressed sex. A new sexualized woman was created. This is where we are now.

In Summation:

Magazines are producers of culture while simultaneously mirroring what their target audience wants to know about. They influence how women choose to carry themselves, how they view themselves in relation to social norms while giving multiple options of how to go about this. They help construct identities and biases while being bias sources. Overtime women’s magazines have changed the image of women politically through war times, socially through the uprising of the “new woman,” and lastly moralistically as we have this new beauty ideal that has been placed on women through the portrayal that is exemplified in the pages of all women’s magazines.

EXTRA INFO:

Relevant youtube videos:

The Twenty Tweetable Facts About Magazines

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmGSfVo2NUw&feature=related

This video relates to our topic because not only is it about our subject matter but it gives a lot of insight about the power of this form of print media. They give a lot of statistics and demographics that suggest that magazines are on the rise and show no signs of slowing down.

Will Magazines look like this in the future?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8u3OfKG3tI&feature=fvw

This video was made by AP (the associated press), it suggests that magazines of the future will be able to update themselves and will be digital while still offering the same experience. This so called experience is defined “a small world that has been created for me where I don’t have to be bombarded with advertisements.” This news segment was created in 2009, a year later magazines have not made the move to become digital.