Fashion Magazine Analysis

The name of the magazine I have chosen to analyse is ‘GLAMOUR’ which is a women’s magazine published by Conde Nast Publications with a total circulation of 2,348,000. The genre of the magazine is a woman fashion and beauty magazine which has the connotation of making women have a feel good factor about themselves by providing basic health needs as well as getting the latest celebrity looks.

The layout of the magazine has been set to almost imitate the model’s curvy figure with the use of text to highlight it. The themes in the magazine include sex, women, beauty, fashion and health which connotes the magazine’s interest to help women’s lifestyle. The font used is capitalized and bold in order to reinforce the brand imagine of the magazine, as well as the colours pink, gold and white used, pink linking to the female target audience and the colour gold linking to the title of the magazine as well as the model’s outfit. The magazine cover contains various fonts, font sizes and colours which suggest that there are a variety of content within the magazine. The coverlines ‘Happier! Hotter!’ In bold white font further emphasize the genre of the magazine through the alliteration of the letter H as well as the uses of the exclamation marks for effect. The colour scheme for the background of the magazine seems to be a dark blue/purple colour which gradually becomes lighter and calmer at the bottom of the magazine, this reinforces the idea that once this magazine is read that females will become more relaxed and calmer. This could also suggest binary opposition for the male and female consumers, as even though the magazine is female orientated, the dark blue colour could possibly be aiming at a male audience to purchase the magazine for females.

The title of the magazine aims to appeal to the target audience which are women aged 18-49 with the median age of 33.5. As, it aims to fulfill Blumler and Katz Uses and Gratification Theory of the personal identity strand. This is by persuading the audience to be glamorous as well as to shine and stand out. The image of the model covers the masthead which creates the idea that the model, which is seen to be Jennifer Lopez, is as important as the title of the magazine. The model’s outfit also further emphasizes the title of the magazine, as she wearing a gold sparkly dress with matching heels, which shows that she is glamorous and is standing out. The model has also been placed in the center of the page to emphasize on her importance, as she stands out and attracts the consumers to purchase the magazine. The model also uses serious facial expressions as well as a direct stare which potentially engages the audience and automatically creates a deep connection with them, as it is eye catching. This also fulfills Laura Mulvey’s theory of the ‘male gaze,’ as it attracts the opposite sex which further persuades them to purchase the magazine for their girlfriends or wives in order for them to look like the model.