In today’s society, it is difficult not to examine one’s body and feel a sense of discontent if it doesn’t mirror the lanky images one sees in not only fashion magazines, but also all areas of advertising (Annie Doig 1998). Women are increasingly faced with images of ‘the perfect woman.’ The portrayal of women in women’s magazines all follow the same pattern, they have a well-groomed appearance and a slim body image. Media such as television, movies, and magazines are considered to be among the most influential promoters of the thin standard, given their popularity and accessibility to the people (Anne Marlowe1998). As women’s magazines have a massive influence on women’s self-concept many women quickly become dissatisfied with their body even at an early age. Ironically the ideal of feminine beauty which is being promoted is impossible for the average woman to achieve. This level of unhappiness can lead to an eating disorder in an attempt to conform with the publicised ‘norms.’ Between 1970 and 1990, there was an overall increased emphasis on weight loss and body shape in the content of a popular women’s magazine (Anne Marlowe 1998). This concludes that the roles of women’s magazines changed from traditional and entertaining values into portraying women as consumers and directly targeting women’s own anxieties to make money. Interestingly there is evidence to suggest that eating disorders, especially anorexia and bulimia, are most prominently seen in white women (Molloy 1998). One could claim a high proportion of women’s magazines are aimed at white females. They are not directly discriminative but you rarely see a black cover girl with features on how to cope with African hair types for example. This example outlines the impact these magazines have upon women’s self-perception. Males are also less likely to suffer with an eating disorder. This can be directly linked with the fact that male magazines are primarily concerned with leisure, pleasure and activities, in contrast as discussed women’s magazines focus on beauty, dieting and domesticity. Women are under massive pressure to conform to these unrealistic pictures of beauty. That in turn results in many women in narcissistic absorption with oneself- with ones physical appearance (‘The image of femininity in women’s magazines’ 1998).
Traditionally women’s magazines promoted a perfect wife, good mother and a domestic god. This lead to not only a preoccupation in the way women viewed themselves, but also in the way women coped with all aspects of their life. Today women have a role more than a mother and a housewife these aspects are not as apparent, although the emphasis is upon physical appearance. Many magazines are trying to keep up with the changing environment concerning women’s roles. Some adverts do not portray a female as a ‘goddess’ but as a ‘normal human being.’ On the other hand some magazines fail to keep up with changes in the environment and stick to the perfect image of a woman. One could claim if women’s magazines do not recognise this change they will find themselves becoming less popular and appealing to those females who do not feel they have to conform to traditional values.
There are many examples in women’s magazines today that promote the idea of a perfect woman. With the rise in women’s monthly glossies, readers are increasingly faced with a barrage of images of thin and well-groomed ladies. These magazines appear to lack in written content, this arguably is a major factor towards the huge preoccupation with ones body. Together features and adverts in magazines reinforce the ‘ideal beauty.’ Features that appear in such monthly and weekly magazines include: ‘Buy me and you’ll look awesome!’ ‘I’m skint but want to look loaded.’ These types of features promote the idea that in order to be beautiful a woman needs to change her look or buy certain products. An interesting example of adverts in women’s magazines is perfumes. A large proportion of these adverts promote a woman in either a compromising situation or wearing next to nothing! It seems odd that a perfume targeted at women uses a picture of a woman. Male fragrance advertisers mainly use women to publicize their products as females appeal to men and therefore they may be persuaded to buy the fragrance. Dior Addict is an example of a perfume that uses the picture of a ‘perfect woman.’ (Appendix one) For women looking at the advert they may feel either that in purchasing the fragrance they will be as attractive as the model, or most likely that in order to wear the perfume at its best you need to look like the model in the advert. Either way these adverts are sending the wrong message to women. Women construct images due to their visual perception. Women do not devote much significance for magazine texts in terms of reading (The image of femininity in women’s magazines’ 1998). One could argue this is mainly due to a large number of magazines not containing much stimulating reading material, therefore women immediately become preoccupied with visual images. The visual images become a substitute for reading. Magazines recognise this factor and use pictures of models, make-up features and clothes. This leads to many women purchasing the goods in order to try and look like the pictures in the magazines, or more worryingly embarking upon fad diets in an attempt to ‘look better.’
Not only do magazines promote the idea of what is attractive, they also use adverts, which show women hiding their faces if they are less than perfect. A new Kleenex promotion for new packaging does exactly this (Appendix one). It shows a woman hiding behind the tissue box as she is not looking ‘perfect.’ In addition to pictures of unrealistic ideologies, magazines are now including adverts, which state if you happen to be less than perfect one should hide their face! As previously discussed women’s magazines in the past have enabled women to escape into ‘their own world.’ This is not always the case. Although women’s magazines are full of features and adverts aimed at women it is still evident that the women posing in these magazines appear to be posing in such a way that appeals to men. The look of the women models is not relaxed or happy it seems to be aimed at looking ‘sexy.’ The women appear to be looking at men whilst shooting their front cover. This reinforces the idea that women’s magazines are not an escape for women, they purely reflect cultural norms that men are in control even in a woman’s magazine.
Increasingly magazines are making an attempt to keep up with the rate of change of women’s roles in society. The monthly glossy magazine, Company, has the slogan ‘for your freedom years.’ This signifies an aim towards more independent women, with an emphasis on an entertainment value rather than preoccupations in the way one looks. An increase in real-life features indicates that the magazines wish to focus more upon the textual content as opposed to visual. This alone portrays that magazines are attempting to keep up with the many changes in women’s lives, and provide them with a magazines that compliments this. Adverts such as FCUK show a strong generation of women. (Appendix two) They show women in control not just over men but in general, taking control of their lives and not having to conform with norms in society. FCUK is obviously a strong play on a word and reflects a strong woman in control of what she wishes to wear. The slogan is seemingly sending out a harsh message to males, which again enforces an element of power and choice. Nicorette adverts (Appendix two) also show women in a position of control. It shows women who have the power to stop smoking and beat their addiction. This shows a positive picture of women rather than displaying a woman as a sex object. With the use of features in magazines the self-concept obsession of women is slowly being destroyed. Features such as ‘who needs to be a millionaire,’ portray women fulfilling careers that they love rather than purely for the lifestyle that magazines previously used to promote as the perfect way to live and look. The main emphasis on a new type of magazine is that women have choices. They no longer have to conform with idealistic looks in order to be accepted in society, increasingly magazines are recognising different women have different needs.
In conclusion to the above it is clear that changes are being made to women’s magazines to reflect the changes in society. One could argue these changes are not happening quick enough in relation to the speed of change in our culture. Women are increasingly being seen as equal to men and as individuals. With individuality being recognised there is no longer a need to conform to stereotypes of ‘pretty women.’ This is evident in the increasing appreciation of different kinds of beauty. For example magazines and the media in general are beginning to see other looks as beautiful. The current fixation is on Latino women. These women are more curvaceous and do not conform to the waif like models seen in the press. One could claim that women’s magazines face a rapid decline if they do not reflect these changes in their content. Gender roles just aren’t as important in daily life anymore (‘Women’s magazines are dead’ 2000). If our culture is accepting this then magazines also need to do so. A rise in the power in women has lead to them no longer wanting to read superficial articles and look at waif like models, which today is deemed unattractive. We are moving into a society where people have access to anything anytime. This is due to the rise in the use of the Internet. Paperback magazines do not fit in with the changing cultures, as women have access to information and articles 24 hours a day which are far more interesting and relevant to their changing lives. Magazines do continue to effect women’s self-perception, although changes are being made, arguably not quick enough. However in our society being beautiful will always be desirable. There is nothing bad to wish to be beautiful but people would feel much happier to find some more versatile images in a magazine than just the skinny Kate Moss (‘The image of femininity in women’s magazines’ 1998).
Bibliography
Beetaham, Margaret., 1996. A magazine of her own? London: Routledge
Doig, Anne. 1998. Eating Disorders and the Distorted Perception Of Self [online] Available from [Accessed 05/12/02]
Ferguson, Marjorie., 1983. Forever Feminine. London: Heinmann
Marlowe, Anne. 2000. Women’s magazines are dead. [online] Available from [Accessed 04/12/02]
Media Influence, the thin ideal, and body image. 1998 [online] Available from [Accessed 04/12/02]
Molloy, BL. 2000. Sex roles: A journal of Research.[online] Available from [Accessed 05/12/02]
The image of femininity in women’s magazines: Focus on the female reader. 1998. [online] Available from [Accessed 05/12/02]
Winship, Janice., 1987. Inside women’s magazines. London: Pandora
Appendix one
Example one- Dior Addict
This advert for a new designer perfume directly states why women have become so concerned with their looks. It clearly shows a woman with an extremely thin body image. Ironically this image has probably been enhanced and air brushed with the use of computers. It therefore creates an extremely unrealistic image as it’s not even the models own body. The slogan with the advert is ‘Admit it.’ This refers to the woman being addicted to the perfume or symbolically something else. The advert is trying to force the woman into purchasing the product, by making them admit to their ‘addiction.’ This addiction is ironically an addiction to wanting to look a certain way which is advertised by the media. The provocative nature of the advert reinforces the idea of women as sex objects. The advert is trying to suggest a sexual tone, which ironically one would think may be evident in a male’s magazine rather than a female’s. Adverts such as this aid to the preoccupation women have with the way they look, and need to look in order to feel attractive.
Example two- Kleenex
This promotion shows a woman hiding her face behind a box of Kleenex tissues. Their slogan is ‘our pack has never looked better….even if you think you have.’ This implies to women that if you are not feeling at your greatest you can hide your face away. This at a glance seems almost tolerable, but an increasing number of adverts suggest this method as well for example Zovairax. The increase in adverts suggesting this adds hugely to the visual images of perfection contained in the magazines. Adverts of this kind give off wrong signals to women and add to their self –concept worries.
Appendix two
Example one
The FCUK advert conveys an extremely positive image of women. Just their trademark, FCUK, is an obvious statement in itself. It sends a message to other people that women do no longer care about what others think and they can do and wear what they please. The slogan with the advert says ‘like time, I wait pour non homme.’ This enforces the power feel to the advert. Also the model herself is not dressed or posing provocatively. Again the image is taken away from women as a sex object, and moves it towards women as equals, or even superior to men. The woman in the advert is obviously stating she is not going to wait around for a man. This is a definite new idea in women’s magazines as traditionally the magazines were full of tips on how to please men.
Example two
Nicorette also portray a strong image of a woman in their advert to beat cigarettes. It shows a woman physically beating a cigarette. Interestingly the person dressed as the cigarette appears to be male. This shows women have the power to beat both an addiction to cigarettes and overpower dominant males. In the advert the models husband looks on in disbelief which shows it is not normally something a woman does, i.e. take charge of her life. These types of advert in the media show that advertisers are recognising women as powerful consumers and therefore they wish to appeal to women not insult them by using waif like naked models.