Magazine mock

How does the front cover of the set edition of Woman reflect the socio-historical context in which it was made? Make reference to the front cover and one other article from the set edition.

The Woman magazine was published in 1964, during this time, Women were more treated objectively than rather as actual people as the magazine does enforce what women (especially mothers) were supposed to do during 1964. For one on the yellow banner on the cover of the Woman Magazine, it states "Seven star improvements For you kitchen". This anchorage involves hyperbolic notations here as the use of the "seven star" exaggerates how great the magazine is, and how great the magazine will have an effect on the target audience, being middle aged married women, with perhaps children, as further in the magazine we are given clues that suggest this magazine is aimed towards mothers as it involves a photograph of a what looks like a stereotypical mother helping her son in the kitchen on page 28 of the magazine, including the line "back to school clothes". In addition this is further suggested to be in the kitchen as the caption, "improvements for your kitchen" stereotypically enforces that women should be and always should be in the kitchen.

What makes this aimed towards mothers on the front cover is the producers use of using the certain woman on the cover. In Stuart's Hall theory about representation, he states that representing certain people groups through media products, such as a magazine, enforces stereotypes of that people group, this is what can be known as cultural representation but also enforces the hegemonic norms of women in 1964. In the mid shot of the woman, the mise-en-scene is that she is white, a slight tint to her skin, suggesting tanning is a sign of beauty, in addition her brown shoulder length hair with a smooth slightly curly at the end of her hairs suggest that she is sensible as straight hair is stereotypically a sign of being formal and neat whilst frizzy is a sign of wild and craziness. She is also fake smile, pearly white teeth whilst staring at the audience. This direct mode of address suggests that she is trying to be friendly whilst showing what beauty the magazine can give you, that in society in 1964; women should always look like this according the the company publishing the magazines (IPC). 

Also her direct mode of address to the target audience (middle-age women) suggests that women should always be friendly towards one another and especially men as well. A reason why the magazine would appease men as well during 1964, because men would always expect women to be nice to them no matter what since it was the patriarchal hegemonic norm of the time. If a woman didn't introduce herself in a friendly manner, they wouldn't be accepted into society. The ideology of the producer in this case is that all women should be housewives and greet their husbands in a nice stereotypical womanly fashion.

By the end of the 60s, more women were going into higher education and women's rights were getting very popular, this may be due to them wanting equal pay as by 1960, 26,00 women were going into university and getting better jobs than housewives. This magazine was one of many that dehumanised women at the time, reinforcing hegemonic norms

In addition there are very specific roles women should follow (women are good at cooking). That they should be loyal to their husbands/that they are heterosexual. "Are you an A-level beauty" suggests that all women aren't beautiful unless they read such magazines as the Woman magazine. Women have plenty of spare time. Women have to wear make-up, in order to be attractive, you've got to be young

BAND 3 (8) C This the peer mark