Vogue

• The 1960s magazine industry was a less crowded market place and was dominated by a small number of major publishers compared to the modern magazine industry that is dominated by major publishers, has a wider variety of titles available and therefore is a greater competition for readers
• Print circulation is falling now but there is a rise in digital sales. In the modern day, magazines must have a strong online and social media presence and a clear, unique brand identity to be able to compete
• Mainstream lifestyle magazines have struggled to survive especially as there is a wider range of niche / specialised magazines available, which have a unique selling point and a loyal readership, which allows them to be successful.
• Magazines are self regulated but IPSO sets the industry standards
• Vogue is published by Conde Naste - a large American mainstream conglomerate that is owned by Vance publications which produces other magazines such as The New Yorker and Vanity Fair
• Vogue was first published in 1916
• The set edition of Vogue was published in 1965
• The set text of Vogue cost 3 shillings, which is between £3-4 now.
• Women’s magazines became popular in the post-war period and they sold 12 million copies each week.
• When Vogue first began it was linked to the theme of art and was committed to championing bold and fearless women. It was used during the war for morale - supported by the British government.
• The target audience for Vogue is affluent, fashion and style conscious females aged 30-45
• Coverlines are used on the front cover of a magazine to give readers an insight into the content and main articles of the magazine
• On front cover of the set text is Sophia Loren - an Oscar winning Italian actress who was at the height of her fame in the mid 1960s
• The front cover has a dominant central image and a lack over cover lines, which breaks typical magazine conventions, in order to focus on the image.
• The masthead is over the top of the main image and is not entirely visible but is recognisable, which suggests how it is an iconic fashion brand and the sans serif font targets a more upper class audience.
• ‘Vogue’ means fashion/fashionable in French (connotations of style and sophistication)
• On the front cover there is a list of words relating to the content - linguistic technique to capture attention. This includes ‘mad midsummer’ (connotes breaking free of conventions/restraints - hinting at emerging freedoms of the 1960s especially for women), ‘sheiks Sophia’ (connotations of ‘otherness’/exoticism) and ‘scintillate’ (stereotypical norms of femininity/beauty, women must be scintillating in every environment)
• The elements of narrative within the front cover is the enigma of the link to Sheiks.
• The cover lines on the front cover are unconventional as they are in a list and lowercase. This is more conventional for a contemporary magazine but unusual for 1960s. This gives the sense that gives the sense that Vogue breaks conventions, it is individual and stands out, which would appeal to more independent women.
• The main image is a photo of Sophie Loren from her latest film Lady L (1965) in which she is dressed as a Turkish dancer. She portrays a ‘mythic’ notion of femininity that is aspirational - potentially creates a sense of the ‘desired self’ that a reader wishes to become
• The iridescent turquoise colour palette connotes glamour, luxury and wealth, which is emphasised by the feathers, pearls and jewels. Loren’s make-up clearly emphasises her dark brown eyes (stereotypical notion of female beauty)
• The front cover reflects the social/cultural context as there is a sense of economic prosperity (luxury/glamour) and Sophia Loren is featured who is an iconic film star of the 1960s
• Women are represented as more maternal. Examples of this are in the Imperial Leather advert where she is with her child and her intra-diegetic gaze is placed solely on the child - stereotypical representation of women, especially at the time. In the same advert, women are signified as needing to be "soft", which may mean delicate / weak
• The close up of Sophia Loren makes her seem important and powerful.
• There is an article called "money" within the magazine featuring a female expert on finance which would have been quite unusual in the 1960s. She talks about women being financially independent and making investments - challenges historical context when women were often financially controlled by their husbands. This may reflect the status of the typical readers of Vogue (AB)
• Van Zoonen argues that women are either domesticated or sexualised, which can be seen throughout the set product.
• CUTEX ADVERT:

  • The woman in the Cutex advert appears to be naked - sexualised
  • "Are you woman enough to wear them?" -suggesting that you need to be naked / sexualised to be a real woman
  • However, the advert could also be suggesting liberation of women