Vogue Flashcards
1
Q
intro
A
- Created and published by Conde Nast
- In the post-war period Vogue continued to do well, as many women were enjoying the consumerism and emphasis on “treating yourself” (40s, 50s).
- still able to mainatain circulation throught the years despite the in general decline in print sales
- INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION - launched a spanish vogue, italian vogue and the rest of eastern europe = REFLECTIVE OF HESMONDAULGH that powerful companies often replicate successful formats to maximise profit
2
Q
vogue
production context
A
- Front cover design centers on Sophia Loren, (an Oscar-winning Italian actress) ,avoiding conventional cover lines for a minimalist approach emphasising her image.
- Language choices evoke themes of freedom and exoticism, while the central image of Loren in a Turkish dancer attire exudes aspirational femininity, reflecting the glamour and luxury of the 1960s cultural context.
- She wears aturquoise colour palette, shimmering scarf, feathers, pearls, and jewels= which connotes luxury, and wealth.
- This aesthetic was a reflection of fashion associated with the ‘mad midsummer’of the 1960s.
- The masthead, overshadowed by Loren’s image,showcased the iconic Vogue brand, synonymous with high fashion and sophistication. = Z-LINE
- Vogue evolved into a symbol of sophistication and style, remaining relevant today as a global brand promoting diversity
3
Q
vogue
ECONOMIC CONTEXT
A
- Major publishers like Hearst, IPC still dominate the magazine industry, but there’s increased competition due to a wider range of titles available.
- Print circulation decline necessitates strong online presence; magazines must cultivate unique brand identities to compete, leading to closures of some mainstream titles while niche magazines thrive with distinct selling points and loyal audiences.
4
Q
historical/social context
A
- Vogue’s July 1965 cover featuring Sophia Loren captures the transformative era, blending Old Hollywood glamour with emerging liberation.
- Th cover emphasises Loren’s image, reflecting societal shifts towards individualism and self-expression.
- The cover mirrors the era’s political and social movements, expressing a desire for freedom and rebellion against traditional norms.
- Sophia Loren as an embodiment of a ‘mythic’ encapsulates evolving perceptions of femininity and beauty, *challenging traditional expectations.
5
Q
Industry
Vogue was very sucessful, in the 20th centutry, why, what makes him stand out?
A
- one of the first magazines to start using colour photography for their magazines, which was very expensive back in the 1930s but their target audience could afford it.
- Conde Nast encouraged more modernity and risk-taking.
- one of the first fashion magazines to use a black woman on the cover = it created the idea of Vogue being pushing boundaries.
- Vogue has a huge range of international editions to target various global audiences. = this reflects Hesmondhalgh’s idea that powerful companies often replicate sucessful formats to maximise profits.
6
Q
Industry
Minimising risk/ maximising sales : featuring celebrity
Hesmondhalgh’s
how they stood out:
A
- how they stood out: one of 1st to use colour, very expensive to produced but the audience was able to afford it
- risk taking business plan: use a black african american model - paved the way for models to appear in magainzes
- audience like that cutting -edges - pushing boundaries
- MAXIMISING DALES Guess aditing collaboration: ANDY WORHAL
- Featured people that weren’t exactly famous before hand,
- also featured Nelson Mandela &. exclusive photos about people apart of the Royal Family like Princess Diana
- brings inclusivity/collectibe
- draw in global audience
7
Q
Industry
Anna Wintour
A
- (editor in cheif)
- made huge changes in the magazine
- began a trend of using more celebrities on the covers, rather than just models.
- She also introduced “Teen’s Vogue” and “Men’s Vogue” in order to expand the brand and attract a much larger audience
8
Q
Industry
Diversifcation of Vogue
A
- moving from producing one type of product to creating different another
- Vogue has now moved into a lot of digital media- there’s a digital version of the magazine.
- have a strong social media presence, recognising many people are online now
- Vogue “Fashion Fund” which started in the mid-2000s and was all about helping new fashion designers financially.
- [adds to the reputation of Vogue being the forefront of fashion]
9
Q
industry
Advertising
A
- Have their own exhibition in national portrait gallery to celerabte 100 years
- charged£36,000 = earn profit from advertising
- Manyfrom afluent backgrund, embraces their culture likely to buy
10
Q
Representation
Sophia Loren
A
- A very famous actress in the 60s.
- The front cover is a close-up of her that makes her seem important, powerful, exotic, and like a role model.
- (looks like a turkish dancer).
- The exotic nature of her image may reflect Stuart Hall’s ideas about the use of Middle Eastern stereotypes, representing ethnic minorities as “other”.
11
Q
features in the magazine
Sheila Black
£
A
- Featuring a working female expert on finance would’ve been quite unusual in the 1960s.
- Sheila Black works for the Financial Times. (She talks about women being financially independent and wanting to invest money) = Countertypical for women.
- at the time women didn’t have that much power over finance.
- This started after an influx of second-wave feminism.
12
Q
Cutex advert
Representation of Women
A
- conventional representations = often showing them as domestic or sexualised. links to Van zoonen
- For example, one of the magazine (Cutex advert) denotes a woman with bare shoulders suggesting nudity,“bare essentials”, “barely decent”.
- The shade names have connotations of nudity, suggesting that showing flesh and being sexualised is important for women.
- “Are you woman enough to wear them?” the rhetorical question suggests that femininity is linked to nakedness and sexual appeal.
- Very reflective of the way women were and often still are, represented.
- Appearacne is importance
- However, The passivity of the women in many articles, fails to reflect the growing power of some women in the 60’s e.g. feminist, the sexual revolution, the crotraceptive pill,
13
Q
Historical Representation of vogue
young women
A
- The use of images of young women as mothers reflects the historical context as women in the 60s were typically expected to marry young and start families.
- Modern women’s magazines aimed at those age 20-35 often choose not to feature content about children, as many women now are able to have careers first, and have children in their 30s or later
- Vogue was aimed at a mainstream market. this may also reflect the fact that richer women were under less financial pressure to go out and work, so many of them did lead lives more centred around leisure and family life.
14
Q
Class Representations
A
- There’s quite complex language going on because the magazine is targeted toward middle-to-upper classes with an assumed advanced lexis.
- they talk about lords and ladies, famous artworks, etc, representing upper-class “cultured” women
- This may reflect the fact that readers of Vogue tend to be from the middle/upper classes, or aspire to this.
15
Q
PICNIC ADVERT
Ethnicity Representations
A
- White ethnic appearance is normalised, with darker ethnicities being underrepresented in the range of ‘nude toned’ Cutex products
- White models are often pictured in jewels and expensive clothes, representing them as high status.
- The lack of minority models, and makeup aimed at darker skinned readers, reflects the less inclusive nature of Britain in the 60s.
- in other vogue magazines: the black Egyptian men in the fashion pages positions show as being marginalised
- they’re in the background of the shots, out of focus, and are seen as working,whereas the white woman is dancing and enjoying leisure time
- This marginalisation of ethnic minorities creates a post colonialist view of ethnicity, with them being seen less important than the white models. - GILROY
