Research on Magazines

This magazine has been produced very cleverly as is has put Cheryl Cole on the front which is clever because she is one of the biggest music artists at this moment in time and will entice anybody who enjoys upbeat songs, pop, hip hop and RnB music. As well as being an musical artist, Cheryl Cole is a fashion icon to a lot of people all over the world which will draw in a whole new potential audience to buy the magazine which could then lead on to this potential audience to carry on buying the magazine for years. On the right hand side of the magazine it says 'THE 10 BEST NEW ACTS', if the front cover appeals to them there may be more acts inside that could be like Cheryl Cole which is what first drew them to look at the magazine in the first place. That is just one of the ways the designer and publisher of the magazine are trying to make it appeal to their audience. All of the adverts and appeals round the edge of the magazine cover are all there to engage the reader into buying the magazine and this magazine does that well by also advertising other artists such as 'Vampire Weekend, Musk, Snow Patrol, Midlake, 50 cent and more'. The magazine has tried to put as many different genres and types of artists to attract different types of music lovers and readers to the magazine.

Research on Magazines

This contents page is very different to the one before. Whereas the last one was very focused on what was in the magazine and the articles inside I think this one is a lot more about the artist inside as you can see there is a picture of a woman which is the most eye catching feature of the magazine. There is a feature list on this contents page the same as the other magazine before but instead of a 'regulars' there is a 'fashion' section instead, this makes me think they are focused on fashion and music fitting in together. There is a very clear house style on the magazine which is a beige sort of colour with a white title and black writing which stands out very well on top of the beige background. Also the picture is taking up the majority of the page and very bold and centered so that it could be a way of drawing in the potential audience especially the younger generation. The main picture also would be very forward for certain target audiences as it shows the artist laying on the ground but also has fashionable clothes which would appeal to some of her audience which then would make more people buy the magazine.

Television and Representation

Today i was looking at how there  is a major difference between the terms sex and gender.

I found that the term 'sex' will often be used by academics while defining those biological differences which separate women. These differences are determined by genetics and there is little room for debate or change in our biological make-up. Definitions of 'gender', however are cultural. The qualities which are identified which masculinity and femininity are very much debatable and certainly subject to a great deal of change over time.

Masculinity	Femininity
Professional	Domesticated
Strong	Weak
Rational	Emotional
Competitive	Co-operative
Independent	Communal
Aggressive	Passive
Ruthless	Sensitive
Ambitious	Supportive

This table that we created above shows how some of these stereotypical qualities are linked to our understanding of gender. These are not meant as descriptions of how men and women actually are, but rather they indicate the kinds of ideas out of which conventional representations tend to be built. It is worth nothing that female characters can be constructed out of the qualities which tend to be associated with masculinity. However we seemed to find that more often than not, the character will be portrayed in a negative light and 'punished' through the narrative for her actions.

Television and Representation

The most common forms of representation in our culture are those which serve the dominant interest. Dominant groups will often promote themselves as 'normal', and dismiss those groups who are seen as different and therefore abnormal. The position of dominant groups comes about through the complex forces of history, economics and social politics.
    It has been noticed that their is and has been a constant struggle between dominant groups' sustain of position and the sub-ordinate groups attempts to gain recognition and status. Nevertheless, the fact that the dominant groups often control environments where power can be contested and restributed.
   The Television tends to rely on the dominant views of gender roles and stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. Most broadcast and production companies are run by men or have institutional practices which have been set-up by years of male input and decisions. Through this kind of orginisation, dominate or accepter views of gender are continually reflected in the programmes that make it to our screens, in turn, the constant use of particular representations serves to naturalize them, therefore making them seem 'normal' and without alternatives.
   

Dominant	Sub-ordinate
Male	Female
White	Other ethnic groups
Middle class	Working class
Middle aged	The young/The old
Heterosexual	Homosexual/Bi-Sexual
Able-bodied	Disabled