Magazines: The Gentlewoman - Language and Representations

 Close-textual analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your close-textual analysis of the Gentlewoman CSP pages:

Gentlewoman front cover

1) What do the typefaces used on the front cover suggest to an audience?

• The masthead uses all lower case sans serif typography which creates a very modern look that reflects the values and attitudes of the magazine.

2) How does the cover subvert conventional magazine cover design?

• It uses an unconventional cover design with no cover lines and a bright, vibrant colour scheme with its orange border and the bright make-up,  subverting the typical women's lifestyle or fashion magazine. 

3) Write an analysis of the central image.

• The central image of Scarlett Johansson has an artistic design, being visually similar to a framed portrait, with a tightly framed low-angle close-up shot that focuses on her striking make-up with no costume in the shot making for an unconventional central image. 

4) What representations of gender and celebrity can be found on this front cover?

• The low angle shot and direct address makes for an empowering representation of women, with Scarlett Johannson being the highest paid actress in 2018 and 2019, indicating her success as a prominent female celebrity. 

5) What gender and representation theories can we apply to this cover of the Gentlewoman?

• Butler's theory of gender performativity can be applied to this front cover as Scarlet Johannson still has make-up applied to her face, a stereotypically feminine action, however, Mulvey's male gaze theory may not be as applicable as her empowered pose and make-up may not be appealing for a male audience. 

Feature: Modern Punches

1) How does the feature on Ramla Ali use narrative to engage the audience? Apply narrative theories here.

• Todorov:
• Previous equilibrium of traditional expectations of boxing being disrupted by Ramla Ali
• Setting a new equilibrium where women boxers are given the same level of relevance as their male counterparts
• Propp:
• Ramla Ali fitting the character type of the hero, standing centre in image
• Barthes:
• Action code of her strength being showcased in the image pose, being empowered

2) What representations can you find in this feature - both interview and image?

• There is mainly a focus on the representation of women in this feature that subverts traditional gender expectations, focusing on Ali's strength and perseverance in her dedication to boxing.

3) What representation theories can we apply to the Modern Punches feature?

• The Modern Punches feature challenges van Zoonen's theories on the media perpetuating sex role stereotypes, with Ali saying that as a child she was "a total tomboy" that would "pick trainers over make-up" any day. This phrase also indicates her dismissal of performing the traditional roles and rituals expected of her gender as discussed by Butler's theory of performativity. 

Feature: Isabella Tree interview

1) Why is this feature unconventional for a women's lifestyle and fashion magazine? Comment on the use media language in these pages.

• This feature is unconventional for a women's lifestyle magazine both due to its narrative of environmental recovery and its lack of featuring any images of Isabella Tree herself, not showcasing any portraits of her or any display of her style or fashion and focusing solely on her interview and the work she has done.

2) How does the Isabella Tree feature reflect the social and cultural contexts of contemporary Britain? Think about AQA's discussion of lifestyle, environmental issues and ethical movements.

• The Isabella Tree feature reflects how the discussions around climate change in contemporary Britain have become a slightly niche topic that could be considered upper class, despite its relevance to us all.

3) What representations of nature can be found in this feature?

• Nature is elevated above the human individual which is reflected by the lack of any image of Isabella Tree herself, instead focusing on imagery of animals in the woods and various plants and trees. 

Feature: Stella McCartney and vegan fashion

1) How does this feature reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts?

• It reflects contemporary fashion's need to appeal to consumers' new environmental concerns and that social change in fashion is ethical and necessary, but that this social change needs to be marketable.

2) Comment on the typography and page design in this feature.

• Both the typography and page design are very minimalist, keeping with The Gentlewoman's house style. 

3) What representations can be found in the image accompanying this feature?

• The image has a representation of an upper class celebrity and product that evokes an air of minimalism and quiet luxury which supports The Gentlewoman's general take on ethical consumerism.

Representations

Read this Business of Fashion interview with The Gentlewoman editor Penny Martin. If you don't want to sign up to the website (free) then you can access the text of the article on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login). Answer the following questions:

1) What type of magazine did Penny Martin, Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom want to create?

• They wanted to create "a fashion magazine for actual readers" with intelligent perspectives on fashion, wanting to produce long-form journalism and "a personality-centred magazine that has equally eloquent imagery and graphic design."

2) What representations of modern women did they try to construct for the magazine?

• They wanted to have realistic and empowered representations of modern women that were informed by feminist perspectives, that tells you about "how modern women live."

3) What examples of cover stars reflect the diversity in the magazine's content?

• Cover stars have ranged from 88-year-old actor Angela Lansbury, shot in a peach silk blouse and Terry Richardson's black frame glasses, to popstar Beyoncé, looking calm, strong and composed in Dior with a face free of make-up.

4) What is Penny Martin's view on feminism and whether the magazine is feminist?

• "When people ask me about politics or feminism, I say that it isn't a magazine about those things, it's a magazine informed by those things — among others. Is it a feminist magazine? Well, it's made by feminist people, so what do you think?! But I don't want to make those values and principles fashionable, because I don't want to undermine them by turning them into an aesthetic and I don't want them to pass into the realm of the unfashionable. Let's just assume that we all agree there should be equal pay and childcare and get on with it, eh?"

5) Look at the end of the article. How does the Gentlewoman help readers construct or reflect their identity by engaging with events and spaces beyond the magazine?

• The recently formed Gentlewoman Club will extend the magazine's brand into physical events where readers can interact and chat with editors. "We're starting to develop our website as a kind of portal for real things to happen rather than a bogus virtual community with likes and message boards. I am so not interested in that. I think that's over. For me, the future is going to be about in-person transactions and real conversations, skills and sharing in real spaces, rather than the cabaret of the nameless we’ve witnessed over the past decade.”