The Gentlewoman - Language and Representations

 Gentlewoman front cover 

1) What do the typefaces used on the front cover suggest to an audience?

Lower case sans serif text communicates the elegance and modernity of the magazine.

2) How does the cover subvert conventional magazine cover design?

The cover subverts from conventional magazine covers by having a close up as the main image, no cover lines and the overall design makes the cover look more like a book cover than a magazine cover. 

3) Write an analysis of the central image.

The central image is a close up of a celebrities face with a lot of unnatural makeup (red lipstick and purple eyeshadow) which shows the magazines goal of not objectifying women by not showing her body. The image could also be empowering her in a way through the use of a low angle shot and having her look down at the camera. 

4) What representations of gender and celebrity can be found on this front cover?

The cover challenges traditional feminine representations by not sexualising the actress. However I believe the cover follows celebrity representations by trying to make her stand out and give her an abstract look which many celebrities are seen to do. 

5) What gender and representation theories can we apply to this cover of the Gentlewoman? 

Mulvey, Male Gaze - The cover resists the male gaze 

Butler, Gender as a performance - The cover shows how gender is not natural but rather performed through the use of exaggerated makeup. 

Feature: Modern Punches

1) How does the feature on Ramla Ali use narrative to engage the audience? Apply narrative theories here.

It uses her story as an enigma code to create questions about her past and make the reader want to find out more about her life. 

2) What representations can you find in this feature - both interview and image?

It goes against stereotypical representation of women as we see her boxing which subverts from ideas of women being innocent and fragile. 

This feature also shows positive representation of cultural diversity by celebrating her Somali heritage.  

3) What representation theories can we apply to the Modern Punches feature? 

Hall, representation - Ramla challenges dominant stereotypes of women in media 

hooks, intersectionality - Discusses how her experiences cone as a result of her gender, race and religion not just one thing 

Feature: Isabella Tree interview

1) Why is this feature unconventional for a women's lifestyle and fashion magazine? Comment on the use media language in these pages. 

This feature contains a picture of a tree rather than a person or clothing which are more likely to be featured in a fashion magazine and rather than talking about fashion they talk about her rewilding projects. 

2) How does the Isabella Tree feature reflect the social and cultural contexts of contemporary Britain? Think about AQA's discussion of lifestyle, environmental issues and ethical movements.

It reflects growing concerns about climate change and its effects as readers are making lifestyle changes to live more sustainable lifestyles. 

3) What representations of nature can be found in this feature?

Representation of nature as powerful and respected.

Feature: Stella McCartney and vegan fashion

1) How does this feature reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts?

Cultural shift towards ethical fashion, people desire vegan fashion as they become more conscious consumers.

2) Comment on the typography and page design in this feature.

Minimalist fonts with a modern layout where there’s large spaces between words and changes in font size.

3) What representations can be found in the image accompanying this feature? 

The photo doesn’t look like a regular fashion shoot, it doesn’t focus on her appearance but rather depicts her doing something and focuses on her achievements which is Penny Martins goal. 

Representations

Read this Business of Fashion interview with The Gentlewoman editor Penny Martin. If you don't want to sign up to the website (free) then you can access the text of the article on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login). Answer the following questions: 

1) What type of magazine did Penny Martin, Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom want to create? 

They wanted to create a magazine that readers actually read rather than just looking at things that were supposedly interesting to women as they believed there was a death of intelligent perspectives in fashion. 

2) What representations of modern women did they try to construct for the magazine?

They wanted to represent women as intelligent, capable and stylish by focusing on how women actually live not only celebrity glamour.  

3) What examples of cover stars reflect the diversity in the magazine's content? 

Angela Lansbury, 88 years old which shows the age diversity of the magazines content. 

Beyoncé, shows racial diversity and the cover is authentic and empowering by her doing it without makeup which is unconventional for a magazine cover shoot. 

They also represent people from non fashion professions such as gardeners, boxers and entrepreneurs.  

4) What is Penny Martin's view on feminism and whether the magazine is feminist?

She doesn’t label the magazine as a feminist magazine as she doesn’t want to make feminism an aesthetic but she does say that the people behind it are all feminists so the magazine naturally conveys feminist ideas. 

5) Look at the end of the article. How does the Gentlewoman help readers construct or reflect their identity by engaging with events and spaces beyond the magazine? 

The Gentlewoman helps readers do this through the use of their Gentlewoman Club which they use to hold events for their readers in person to allow engagement between both the editors and readers but also other readers so they can meet like minded people and express themselves.