Sunday, December 9, 2018

Representation in Beauty Magazines

Hello! I'm back again, this time analyzing the representation of "beauty-gurus" in the media... Here's what I found:

Within my project, I will represent people who enjoy makeup and beauty tips, also known as the makeup “gurus” group. In the media, especially in magazines, this group is usually women ages 15 to 25. Hence, the make-up and clothing that will be talked about will be colorful and bold, since younger people are often more open to push their boundaries and try out new products. Furthermore, since young adults today are increasingly present in social media platforms, the magazine will incorporate pieces of these types of media, such as interviews with and recommendations from popular social media make-up gurus like Kylie Jenner and Jeffree Star.
Most beauty magazines also show women as successful and beautiful only if they wear certain clothes or makeup that are “in style.” Because of this, women who do not like these trends or cannot afford these products may feel inferior if they do not wear these looks. Furthermore, an issue I might want to represent in my magazine is the pressure for women to “look good” and wear makeup to fit in with the “norms” for girls. My magazine would not just recommend makeup that a woman should wear but makeup that a woman can wear only if she wants to, without any pressure from society. In other words, this beauty magazine would encourage women to embrace their natural, raw beauty, being their own authentic self with no filters or cloaks to mask their real beauty.
Within the media, this group is already represented in the social media platform of YouTube; for example, in the channel “Nikkie Tutorials”, a YouTube channel with a whopping 11 million subscribers. Nikkie is the epitome of “makeup gurus”, as she is in her mid-20s and uploads weekly videos of makeup tutorials and makeup product reviews. Nikkie also frequently wears bold makeup looks, using rainbow eyeshadow and bold lipsticks, unafraid to challenge her viewers' expectations. Uploading frequently to additional social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter, the trendy YouTuber creates original looks never done before and uses her platforms to advertise and represent the “makeup guru” life, marketing towards young adult women. Another example of a type of media that represents “young beauty specialists” is Allure Magazine. This magazine introduces new looks and styles for women, especially makeup looks; the editors exhibit celebrities’ best makeup looks, recommend products that will achieve the “no makeup makeup look”, and present tips for self-styling. Furthermore, this is the essence of content that represents the group of young women who enjoy beauty tips. The editors and models are all seen as fashion-forward examples-to-follow since they know about all of the trends that are most popular in celebrity looks and all the new products that women should try. In addition, these beauty gurus are represented as bold, outspoken women, since they are not afraid to criticize celebrity looks, and always look impeccable, with flashy clothing, hairstyles, and makeup.
Based on how “beauty-guru” women are represented, I do think that it is fair to assume they are very fashion-forward since they analyze celebrity styles and are knowledgeable about the newest trends. However, I do not believe that they should be represented as always looking flawless, wearing a layer of makeup and bearing anything but sweatpants. Consequently, these women are criticized if they have messy hair, wear no makeup, or wear casual clothes when they go out in public. These women should not be pressured by society to feel as if they always have to look good and fashionable to look beautiful. Instead, these beauty lovers should be allowed to go out in public wearing what they want to wear and learn that they are beautiful even if they don’t wear the newest trends or the best makeup.
I would retain the characteristic that beauty gurus are extremely knowledgeable about makeup, hair, and fashion trends. However, I would challenge the characteristics that all beauty gurus have to be women and always have to look exemplary. Thus, I will promote raw, natural beauty with pictures showing all types of models wearing only what they want to wear. Most importantly, not only will girls be represented in my magazine, which is the usual target demographic for make-up and hair magazines, but also boys, as genders should not be limited by the media by being told what type of media they are supposed to consume. Hence, models, editors, and beauty gurus will be females and males, such as is already the case in media examples such as James Charles’s and Manny “Mua” Guiterrez’s YouTube channels.

Saturday, December 8, 2018

And the research continues...


Hello again! I'm back with more research for my magazine, this time analyzing the beauty genre! Right now I'm still leaning towards making a travel magazine, but I'm still keeping my options open in case my team members recommend me something or I find something that I really like!
Hope you enjoy my research for beauty magazines:
1. Genre:
a. Beauty Magazines
2. Genre ConventionsContent
a. Most beauty magazines are combined with fashion, like popular magazines Elle and Vogue.
b. Beauty magazines provide information for women to look their best and suggestions for their overall well-being.
c. The articles contained can give suggestions on what is “in style” that season, what products celebrities are wearing or using, and possible relationship advice.
d. Additional topics covered in beauty magazines are recommended make-up products and make-up tutorials.
e. Advertisements in beauty magazines are on almost every other page and are all related to beauty products such as perfume and make-up.
f. The longest article in the magazine is generally about the person on the front cover of this publication and is usually located near the end of the magazine. This feature usually starts with a short biography about the person, usually a famous celebrity, and continues with an interview of the person.
g. The pictures utilized in the magazine are normally close-up shots or extreme close up shots in order to give a detailed view of the model and the product she/he is wearing. In the case of the close-ups used for the interviewed celebrity, the pictures are used to establish a closer intimacy and vulnerability, so building a connection to the audience.

3. Genre conventions – production techniques
a. The backgrounds of the layouts are frequently white in order to make the products and pictures displayed stand out.
b. The layouts are either a large picture or a collage of the product or model with text in between.
c. The arrangements of the pages frequently include swatches of make-up products alongside the name of the product in order to show the reader the pigmentation or texture of a specific make-up merchandise.
d. Most of the fonts are either bold, large serif fonts for the titles and body. In addition, many of the fonts used are curvy and cursive to give off a feminine feel, since this is the target demographic: women.
e. The most used colors in the front covers are pink, red, and white.
f. The body text is usually displayed in columns, leaving gaps to be filled with pictures and swatches.
g. The target audience of beauty magazines are usually women ages 16 to 35 since this is usually when women start to become interested in beauty products and when they are most in need of them.
h. Swatches and pictures are usually accompanied by a caption including the name and price of the product being advertised/recommended.
i. Magazines are mostly distributed not by purchase in a store, but by mailing subscriptions, mailing them to the readers’ houses.
4. Film/magazine sample #1 – include analysis of how this magazine embodies your genre

Image result for allure magazineThe magazine Allure magazine embodies the beauty magazine genre because based on the front cover, it provides recommendations for make-up products which I found was one of the most common beauty contents in a beauty magazine. In addition, another text on the cover includes, "Behind the Scenes with a Skin Doctor: And Her 15 New Rules", showing another piece of content that is regularly displayed in beauty magazines: recommendations for women's wellbeing and ways for women to look and feel their best.
Like I found in my research, this beauty magazine uses feminine colors such as pink and white, depicting another reason why this magazine is a great embodiment of the beauty magazine genre.
The picture shown on the cover is a mid-shot of celebrity Jessica Alba, attracting readers who are in the targeted audience: women in their mid-30s.
5.Film/magazine sample #2 – include analysis of how this magazine embodies your genre
Related image
The magazine Modern Hair+Beauty is a superb example of the beauty magazine genre. This publication is filled with content such as hair and make-up tips, claiming to be "Your Ultimate Hair and Makeup Manual". This is the most common content of beauty magazines, according to my research.
Furthermore, the picture on the front cover is a close-up of the model wearing a makeup and hair look that is "in style", another content criteria in the beauty magazines genre.
Using pastel colors such as light orange and baby pink, the magazine attracts a female audience between the late teens and mid-30s.
Overall, this magazine focuses purely on beauty recommendations for the target audience of women, making it a clear example of the beauty magazine genre.


6. List of 5-7 other film/magazine examples within the genre (with links or images of these examples)
Image result for beauty magazinesRelated imageImage result for beauty magazinesImage result for beauty magazines
Related imageImage result for beauty magazinesRelated image
(Shown above):
-Professional Beauty Magazine
-Black Beauty Magazine
-New Beauty Magazine
-Hello! Beauty Magazine
-Pro Hair and Beauty Magazine
-Cosmopolitan Hair and Beauty Magazine
-Marie Claire Magazine