Task 3: Essay!

To what extent should magazines be held responsible for the social ramifications of the representations they offer?

Teenage magazines are becoming more popular day by day, but how are they affecting young girls? With the constant pressure of having the perfect hair or wearing the latest fashion, are magazines to blame for the increase in low-self esteem on young girls?

Magazines frequently discuss the latest trends, boy gossip and male-up issues but it is argued that this is having a negative impact upon many of the young girls in modern day society. According to watchdog, teen magazines are to blame for the young sexualisation of young girls. Girls as young as 10 are consistently reading magazines which inform readers on the “4 steps to snogging” which is shown on a cover on ‘Sugar’ magazine whose readers have an average age of just 14. Young readers of ‘sugar’ magazine can read about “the truth about your teens; virginity, puberty, divorce”. Ed Mayo, chief executive of Consumer Focus said, "There is no doubt that some of these magazines are responsible for the early sexualisation of children." Girls who are below the age of consent are already being given tips on grabbing that perfect boy immediately putting pressure on them over their sexual activity. The media create this 'perfect' image of what a natural and normal body should look like using photo-shop but how achievable is it for young girls to actually reach? Dr Helen Wright said, referring to teenagers, "they are under a huge amount of pressure buffeted by these images and messages." Photo-shop can completely change what someone looks like, erasing spots, changing hair colour and even changing the shape of a person's body. When the celebrities are photo-shopped into having the ideal body shape often the readers will try to achieve this with 79% of teenage girls who self-purge frequently reading women's fitness and health magazines according to http://www.raderprograms.com/causes-statistics/media-eating-disorders.html. A shocking 81% of ten-year old girls experience a fear of being fat, so are these magazines aimed at young girls actually having an affect on the way they see themselves?

Although many people point out the negatives that magazines have on young girls, they do also contain useful information and give the readers something to look forward to. Although the ‘Sugar’ magazine cover which contains “the truth about your teens; virginity, puberty, divorce” could be seen negatively, it could be argued that it informs young girls on the next few years of their life. Although the idea of divorce probably won’t be on 14 year olds minds, it is important that they read about it. Reading that article could give these young girls an insight into the down side of growing up showing it’s not all ‘fashion’ and ‘snogging’. It will give them a sense of reality and also give advice on any future problems. Surely if these young girls are buying magazines, they enjoy reading them? It gives them something to look forward to each time the latest edition is released. It could also be argued that at least they’d be reading rather than continuously playing on the computer. Many magazines also have an ‘agony aunt’ section where young girls can read and seek out their problems, so surely it’s better to educate them rather than keep them in the dark?

Magazines do have both their positive and negative impacts on society and they change the way many teenagers view themselves, but are magazines the only thing to blame when it comes to how young girls perceive themselves? Catwalk models are often seen as the ‘size 0 girls’. They represent the most glamorous body and are sometimes viewed as the ‘ideal’ girl. Recent figures suggest that 1 in 100 women has a clinically diagnosed eating disorder (http://anorexiabulimiacare.org.uk/information-and-statistics-media_ ) and it’s even been reported that girls as young as 7 and 8 have been treated at Great Ormond Street hospital for eating disorders. Cultural secretary Tessa Jowell said that "young women need role models that look like real women, not stick insects on a catwalk." This shows that other factors aside from magazines are having an impact upon the way young girls see themselves and view the way they should look. 

In conclusion, although magazines do contribute to the way young girls view themselves and are often accused for sexualising them too early, there are many other factors that also add to anorexia problems, depression and low self-esteem issues. Magazines also give many girls something to look forward to each week and give them a variety of activities to do and can be useful to give young teens advice. 

Task 2: Magazines and Audiences- Part 2!

Glamour is one of the worlds most popular magazine’s, containing love, sex, beauty, health and fashion tips as well as the latest celebrity gossip. It’s clear that Glamour aims to target the female population with the age range of around 18-49 by the colour scheme, the main image and also the plugs that it uses.

One of the first features that would appeal to females is the bright and vibrant colour scheme. They are stereotypically more feminine and the mix of the two instantly grabs your attention. The use of the colour scheme also suits the month/season that the magazine was issued which was ‘June 2009’, labelled in the top right, below the masthead. Beyonce, who this magazine uses as there main image, is also seen as an independent women and many females aspire to her for this reason. She’s well known for promoting ‘girl power’ so it is likely women would want to read about her as she could be seen as a role model to them. The text scattered around the cover also attracts its female audience. “The 50 best companies to work for if you’re a woman”, lures the audience in and it almost separates men and women in the hope that women would want to read this article so they can find the best place to work because of their gender. It also has the implication that the magazine is promoting ‘girl power’ which is backed up by the main image of Beyonce. Aiming at a female audience, gossip is a must on the front cover. The readers have a choice of the gossip they read into whether it’s Beyonce and how she “opens up about Jay-Z and ugly days” or “745 high street hits”. With Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z being a big celebrity couple, female readers are lured into buying the magazine as they’d be the first to know of the couple’s gossip. “745 high street hits” also entices the reader in as the use of the number empathises this huge news. Below gives further information on the “high street hits” as it shows the prices which are made to sound like a bargain. This implies that the readers would be working or middle class as they want to save money where possible but still want to be included on the latest trends.  Finally, one of the last major features that invite a more female audience is one of the most obvious to a passer-by. Above the masthead, “Britain’s No1 women’s magazine” is highlighted in a bold orange. Having this information there gives the suggestion that women should buy the magazine because so many others do. Women would want to keep on trend with the most popular magazine and it would also give the buyer a sense of being part of a community as so many other females buy it.

Glamour magazine use many designs of a typical front cover. Some of the most evident are the masthead which is bold and in sans serif font. It stays with the colour scheme, of pink and orange, and although you cannot read all of it, you still know what it says as it is such a popular magazine. Numbers are used all over the cover which draws the attention of the audience in and creates a bigger impression. The main cover-line which states “win everything” instantly gains attention as not only does it stand out the most but also offers the opportunity of freebies. Quotes are used to emphasis the idea of gossip and to tease the readers into wanting to no more.

Glamour uses many features to appeal to their target audience of females and it obviously works as it is, as it states, “Britain’s No1 women’s magazine”! 

Task 2: Magazines & Audiences-Part One!

Glossary of magazine designs:

1. Masthead- This is the title of the magazine and often the first thing you see so needs to catch your attention.
2. Number- These are often used to lure the reader into thinking the magazine contains something big and interesting.
3. Puff- This is anything that appears of the magazine cover that isn't text eg; bubbles to highlight texts.
4. Plug- This is used to advertise items that the magazine has to offer. 
5. Main Cover line- This is the item that the magazine most wants you to see! It's usually in the centre of the page and catches your eye straight away.
6. Main Image- Often a celebrity. This needs to grab your attention and it usually covers most of the  page.
7. Pull Quote- Usually taken from the celebrity interview that the magazine is focusing on.
8. Bar-code- This is standard on all magazines and informs the reader the price.
9. Dateline- Lets the reader know whether it's the latest edition of the magazine by having the date on it.
10. Serif Font- This is the traditional text that magazines often use. It stands out and grabs attention!
11. Sans Serif Font- This is the more modern type of text which is usually bold and clear.
12. Left Third- The magazine will often put everything they have to offer on the left hand side so it tends to be full of information.
13. Bleed- Where an image carries straight to the edge without leaving a margin.
14. Colour Scheme- Enhances features and sometimes follows the seasons.
15. Tag line- Magazine's selling point.
16. Price- This is often with the bar-code, however, if the price has been reduced then it will often be displayed in the third left of the page as it'll stand out more and people will see if from the shelf. 

Task 1: Getting to know Blogger!

Things you can do with Blogger:

Before you start, here is a basic video of getting started on Blogger; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryb4VPSmKuo

You can do several things with Blogger, some of these include;

• post links of videos.
• add images to share.
• promote businesses.
• share your interests with other people.
• edit your post
• gain feedback from viewers.
• look into other people blogs to share idea
• publish voice notes
• and much more!

How I think Blogger will be useful for my coursework:

Blogger will be useful in many reasons, including;

• Easy access for many people including my teacher
• I can edit posts quickly 
• I can post links to places including youtube and other blogs
• I can receive feedback quickly
• It can have a clear layout which will make it easy to navigate around
• You can present work creatively 
• Add pictures 
• And interact with viewers through use of links.