Woman’s realm Flashcards
Connotations of front cover image
• gesture code of hand over mouth suggests secrecy/ modesty (enigma code)
• clothes are modest/ not sexualised (contrasts Van Zoonen’s theory)
• style of clothes and price signify that the target audience are middle class women
• direct address through eye contact engages the audience
• woman is the Westernised beauty standard, creates aspirational image
• lack of diversity - Gilroy’s postcolonialism theory
What does the masthead woman’s realm suggest about the values and ideologies of the magazine?
• woman’s - clearly establishes female target audience
• REALM is capitalised, suggest that the space is primarily for women
• serif font used, more formal, reflects traditional ideologies of magazine
• REALM covers the models head, largest typography on page, reflects importance of reputation of brand
• masthead is in the same typography as other issues to attract pre sold fans
What do the cover lines signify about the magazines values and ideologies?
• hyperbole/ emotive language connects the the audience: ‘wonderful’ ‘exciting’
• assumed interests of target audience are displayed in sell lines : ‘exciting new period romance’ ‘the language of flowers’
• women are assumed to be housewives and mothers : reference to ‘homemaking’ and ‘children’s raincoats’
How can Guantlett’s theory of identity be applied to Woman’s realm?
• narrow representation, stereotypical representation, socially and historically accurate for the 1960s
How can Gilroy’s post colonialist theory be applied to Woman’s realm?
• lack of diversity, myth of western superiority, doesn’t reflect increasing immigration to the UK at the time
How can hook’s feminist theory be applied to Woman’s realm?
white women are idealised
how can Gerbner’s cultivation theory be applied to Woman’s realm?
• women represented repeatedly in this period and in the magazine as housewives, this message then cultivates over time to the female audience
How can Van Zoonen’s feminist theory be challenged/applied to Woman’s realm?
challenged - women aren’t sexualised overtly in woman’s realm
applied - idea that gender is constructed according to historical and social contexts
how can laura mulvey’s male gaze theory be applied / challenged by woman’s realm?
challenged - women aren’t overtly sexualised
applied - women are the beauty standard and modest, which was what men desired, could appeal to male gaze. Also, companies would have been controlled by men - women therefore viewed/ designed from their perspective
How does the Atrixio advert reflect the ideologies of the magazine?
• the female ‘keeps everything clean, spotless, shining, bright’ - domestic, place is in the home
• ‘husband keeps the home newly decorated’ - post WW2 housing boom, different gender expectations
• woman’s hands are perfectly manicured, unrealistic beauty standard
• woman is wearing a wedding ring whilst the man is not, reflects different gender expectations
How do the Sunday cook illustrations reflect the ideologies of the magazine?
• image of family at the table, man at the head of the table while woman serves him in an apron, signifies domesticity
• family at church, conformist society
• image of delicious food, makes women want to follow the recipe and be a good housewife
How do the recipes in the Sunday cook engage the target audience?
• contain prices, target a middle class audience
• recipes are easy to follow/ understand, makes women want to try them and buy the next copy to try new recipes also
How can Stuart Hall’s theory of representation be applied to woman’s realm?
• women consistently represented as domestic throughout the magazine, creates a shared cultural roadmap of women as housewives
How can Hall’s reception theory be applied to woman’s realm?
• preferred reading - target audience of housewives find the magazine useful and representative of their lifestyle/values
• negotiated reading - contemporary audience - women with feminist values question representations
• oppositional - modern audience may consider the representations in the magazine sexist
