COSMO WOMAN
This is one of the few full-length explorations of the women's
magazine market. Focussing on Cosmopolitan magazine, Oliver
Whitehorne considers every aspect of the women's magazine, from
themes and issues to images and style. The feminism in women's
magazines is discussed in detail, and is related to second wave
feminism and third wave or 'postmodern' feminism.
As well as Cosmopolitan, the author also studies many other
magazines in the women's magazine market, and related magazines,
such as lifestyle magazines and men's magazines.
The author looks at the use of advertizing and consumerism in
women's magazines and other lifestyle and consumer magazines,
drawing on many examples of ads which are deconstructed in
detail.
EXTRACT FROM CHAPTER TWO, "THE COSMO WOMAN"
Let's start with the typical front page of Cosmopolitan. As
with most other women's magazines, Cosmopolitan features a woman, a
model, smiling. It's not a movie star, or someone with a name (the
model, we see inside, is called 'Rohini'. Models/ supermodels are
known by their first names: Naomi, Claudia, Kate). The imagery of
the woman is 'positive', 'exuberant', 'young', 'tanned', 'smart',
'in control', 'self-confident'. The photographs on the covers of
women's magazines speak of healthy living, clean-washed clothes,
where white is truly sparkling white. Teeth are perfect. There are
no wrinkles or unsightly flabby bits of skin. The models' skin is
blemishless. Jewellery is perfect and there are no 'bad hair' days
for cover stars. This woman is nameless but she is also 'Cosmo
woman', centrepiece of the image chosen to sell this month's issue
of the magazine. The model is selected to portray the mood and aims
of the magazine, and to leap out of the other magazines on the
racks. She is, of course, also the mirror of the audience, but a
stylized, idealized mirror. The cover of Cosmo shows the would-be
buyer and audience what they could be like. It is a piece of
advertizing, the magazine cover. It invites the browser into the
world of the magazine. It has to make a direct and instantaneous
appeal to the potential buyer. Booksellers know that the most
important aspect of a book's sales potential is its cover.
Magazines have developed cover design to a refined artform, and
each magazine has its house style, its code of subtle laws that
consumers read in a very sophisticated manner. There may not be
much to read on the cover, but it takes a while to really explain
and understand the significance of every aspect of a cover. Like a
movie poster or a burger bar menu, a magazine cover is a highly
stylized product (physical details of the magazine cover include
type size, shape and colour; size and texture of paper; the
sell-lines; the lay-out; it's also crucial where the magazine is
displayed - high or low, or next to particular magazines).
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