The Gentlewoman: Language and Representation

 

Gentlewoman front cover 

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

The title of the magazine is the biggest text as they are well established and their audience knows what to expect, the sans serif font suggests they are a modern and up to date magazine

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

It is very zoomed in and distorts her face so you cant tell who it is and the makeup helps with this

3) Write an analysis of the central image.

They use a very zoomed in image of just her face and from a low angle which could be showing the power she has as a woman or as a celebrity. The image doesn't objectify or sexualise her and the makeup used is very unconventional and is not trying to hide her natural face.

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

The direct address and the low angle connote power and influence of celebrity and how women are no longer secondary to men

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

not restricted to a secondary role

the shot isn't framed to sexualise her 

she is not just appearing
subverts Mulvey's male gaze theory

Feature: Modern Punches

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

Talks about her recent match and then how she prepared and her journey into boxing 

uses action codes like her talking about her matches and you could say the questions being asked are enigma codes

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

she calls herself a tomboy and says she would choose trainers over makeup any day, in both the interview and the image she is presented as doing stuff not as passive however in the image she is stood on a chair and is not presented in the same way that male boxers are presented

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

subverts stereotype that boxing is a sport for men

subverts the idea that men act and women appear

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. 

doesn't show Isabella Tree once because it assumes its audience would know who she is suggesting a well read educated audience

although its a women's lifestyle and fashion magazine it is focusing on neither in this feature but instead on environmental issues

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.

shows that its audience cares about the environment and that women especially are caring more and more

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

many pictures of just nature and nothing edited or added with it, emphasising the beauty of nature

Feature: Stella McCartney and vegan fashion

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

people still want fashion but they want it to be ethical

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

very unconventional design

still talking about fashion and uses a big name

still linking to the environmental movement

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

"depict women doing stuff"

image feels real and not like its been constructed

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? 

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?

she is very interested in how women live and she doesnt try to dress them in ways that could damage their careers

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?

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.

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? 

"Other things" includes the recently formed Gentlewoman Club which extends  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"