Fun and Fearless: Magazine Covers, Feminine Ideologies, and Representations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32871/rmrj1806.01.01Keywords:
multimodal critical discourse, feminine ideologies, magazine cover, language and media, representationAbstract
Starting with the assumption that media, particularly magazines, serve as a ground that shape the ideological landscape for women representations, this paper explored feminine ideologies and representations of twelve (12) Cosmopolitan Philippines magazine covers from the year 2015. Underlying ideological structures were found not only in the linguistic but symbolic features of the text as well. Employing the methodologies of multimodal critical discourse analysis, the investigation revealed emerging patterns on how women are portrayed and represented in the magazine covers. The “fun and fearless†catchphrase that the magazine has shaped to define the modern Filipina (a) presents them as hypersexualized and practicing adventurous sex, (b) positions them as followers of health and beauty regimens and glamorous lifestyle that ultimately lead to the affirmation of the opposite sex, and (c) objectifies them through come-hither poses and scantily-clad bodies that emphasize the cleavage, toned abdomens, and legs. The paper also discussed the possible implications brought about by the perpetuation of these ideological structures.References
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http://www.starmometer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Coleen-Cosmo.jpg
https://images.summitmedia-digital.com/cosmo/images/naddy.jpg
https://rse.magzter.com/314x408/1427182557/1428481606/images/thumb/390_thumb_1.jpg
Berlatsky, N. (2013). Women's Magazines Objectify Women Just as Much as Men's Magazines Do. The Atlantic. Retrieved 20 June 2018 from https://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/ archive/2013/03/womens-magazines-objectify-women-just-as-much-as-mens -magazines-do/274330/
Croteau, D. R., & Hoynes, W. D. (2014). Media/society: Industries, images, and audiences (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Gudekli, I. A., & Celik, I. (2014). Using woman in advertisement as a symbol of sex: Cosmopolitan magazine example. Journal of Yasar University, 35(9), 6129-6137. Retrieved 12 February 2012 from https://journal.yasar.edu.tr/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/3_Vol_9_35.pdf
Hart, C. (2014). Discourse, grammar and ideology : Functional and cognitive perspectives. London: Bloomsbury Academic.
Hatton, E., & Trautner, M. N. (2011). Equal opportunity objectification?: The sexualization of men and women on the cover of rolling stone. Sexuality & Culture, 15(3)256-278. DOI 10.1007/s12119-011-9093-2
Johnson, S. (2002). The art and science of magazine cover research. Journal of Magazine & New Media Research, 5(1), 1-10. Retrieved 18 June 2017 from http://aejmcmagazine.arizona.edu/Journal/Fall2002/Johnson1.pdf
Machin, D., & Mayr, A. (2012). How to do critical discourse analysis: A multimodal interaction.London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Mans, H., & Lauwrens, J. (2013). Christian-Afrikaans women under construction: An analysis of gender ideology in Finesse and Lééf. Image & Text: A Journal for Design, 22(1), 45-64.
Marco, M. J. L. (1997). Linguistic choices for the representation of women in discourse. Bells: Barcelona English Language and Literature Studies, 8, 247-259. Retrieved 17 May 2015 from http://www.raco.cat/index.php/ Bells/article /download/102801/149206
Maslow, A. (2015). Depictions of beauty on cosmopolitan magazine: content analysis of covers (1959-2014). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones.Retrieved 15 February 2017 from
http://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations/2381
Montiel, A. V. (2014). Violence against women and media: Advancements and challenges of a research and political agenda. In A. V. Montiel (Ed.), Media and gender: A scholarly agenda for the global alliance on media and gender. France: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Publication.
Roces, A., & Roces, G. (2013). Culture shock Philippines!: A survival guide to customs and etiquette. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish.
Rose, G. (2001). Visual methodologies: An introduction to the interpretation of visual materials (2nd ed.). London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Steigrad, A. (2015). Too racy?: Retailers to put blinders on cosmopolitan. Retrieved February 3, 2016 from http://wwd.com/media news/publishing/cosmopolitan-pornography-censor-victoria-hearst-10194482/
http://www.starmometer.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Coleen-Cosmo.jpg
https://images.summitmedia-digital.com/cosmo/images/naddy.jpg
https://rse.magzter.com/314x408/1427182557/1428481606/images/thumb/390_thumb_1.jpg
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Published
2018-06-30
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Baluran, C. A. (2018). Fun and Fearless: Magazine Covers, Feminine Ideologies, and Representations. Recoletos Multidisciplinary Research Journal, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.32871/rmrj1806.01.01
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