The first check-point states ‘Fixes for smooth skin, shiny hair’. This emphasises the previous point that the stereotypical woman would always want to look her best. The informal use of the word ‘fix’ portrays that the magazine is friendly. As this is an incomplete sentence, it reiterates the fact it is in a check-list, and so needs to be quick and snappy notes. The alliteration makes the sub-heading stand out whilst the long vowel sounds of ‘smooth’ and ‘shiny’ imply long healthy hair.
The second check-point states ‘Try out amazing “eat-all-day” diet’. The word ‘try’ doesn’t make the reader think that they have to do it, but the magazine is suggesting, and wanting, them to. This makes the readers want to buy the magazine because it gives the impression that the magazine is friendly, by helping them, and not demanding. This is also illustrated by the plural pronoun ‘our’, which makes the reader think that the magazine’s editors use the diet. It also makes the sentence first person, and so it becomes more personal. The adjective ‘amazing’ implies that the article surprises the reader and that it is wonderful, in addition to being out of the ordinary. ‘“Eat-all-day” diet’ appeals to readers because the stereotypical image of diets is eating very little but with this diet it seems the reader can eat all day and still lose weight. This is appealing because it doesn’t present any strict rules, and is easy to do in a busy lifestyle, which reinforces the notion of the reader being a busy working woman. This links in with the word “amazing” because it goes against the stereotype, in a good way. The noun “diet” is a key point here. The stereotypical modern woman worries about her weight, so ‘diet’ draws most readers in because of modern problems, like obesity which are on the rise and continually in the press.
The third and last check-point states “Found! No-streak fake tans”. This links to the previous point that the modern lifestyle is busy, and a woman needs quick and easy ways to deal with problems, like fake tans that streak. “Found!” suggests that something has been searched for and the magazine editors have eventually discovered it whilst the exclamation mark also suggests that the editors have looked hard for the products, are glad to find them, and that because they had to look hard for them, they are rare and exclusive to the magazine while implying Essentials editors are giving away something special to the reader at no extra cost.
Just below the title of the magazine is a sticker-style circle, which overlaps it slightly and suggests that it is more important than the title. The background colour is orange which stands out and has a shadow to make it look three dimensional. The sticker-style also makes it look as if it has been pasted on just before going to press as a brand-new last minute article. The words inside the circle state: ‘New look! New size!’ This makes use of the rhetorical device of repetition and is referring to the layout of the magazine. It is short, sharp and snappy, and is an exclamation while being monosyllabic so is quick to say.
Below the circle is ‘131 summer must-haves’. The number ‘131’ is in a bigger font than the rest of the title and is on its own line. This suggests that it is more important than the rest of the title and the editor wants readers to see the number first. It is also a random number which is used to draw the reader’s attention and in my opinion it is gimmicky. The noun ‘summer’ highlights the time that the magazine was published whilst ‘must-haves’ suggest that the reader can’t live without it: the words also partly cover the main picture, illustrating that the heading is more important.
The subheading underneath reads: ‘Dresses, sandals swimwear … the lot! From just £5’. This is in a much smaller font than the main heading and in black so that it doesn’t stand out suggesting it is not as important. ‘Dresses, sandals, swimwear’ are all summer items, and therefore refer to the main heading and the time of the year. The ‘s’ sound is repeated and suggests to the reader that the article is exclusive and secretive, while the plurals suggest lots of items featured inside the magazine. The ellipsis after the list presents that there is more to write, but the reader must buy the magazine to find out. ‘The lot!’ is informal, which reiterates the point that the magazine is trying to be friendly and wanting the reader to have everything, whilst the exclamation mark raises the tone adding more effect. The last section ‘From just £5’ makes the reader think that most of the items are really cheap, and that any reader can afford them. However in my experience magazines and other advertising mediums display one item that is this price and everything else is generally a lot more expensive, so they are not technically lying, but still it is a misleading way to attract the attention of the reader.
Furthermore, another heading states: ‘No-cook food! Less time in the kitchen – more time for you’. This is in orange, but is in a small font, so doesn’t stand out as much as the previous title, implying that it isn’t as important. Most of the words are monosyllabic, so it is a quick snappy title reflecting its message. ‘No-cook food’ is presented in bold capital letters and is a short exclamation. It also contains assonance which makes it stand out from the rest of the title. The hyphenated compound word ‘no-cook’ is a created word suggesting something new. The second part of the heading uses an opposite, and repeats itself. It also contains a dash which separates the sentence into two halves and demonstrates that there is a missing word to complete the sentence. This technique keeps the heading short and sharp. The heading as a whole would appeal in my opinion to busy, modern women because it implies quick, easy meals which will give the reader more time to themselves. This links back to ‘Fast ways to get gorgeous’, and suggests women of the target readership want easy ways to live.
‘7 things to stop feeling guilty about’ is the heading underneath this. This is in black, but because the headings above and below it are orange, it stands out. In addition, the number seven is in a bigger font and is another random number, a technique that was used in a previous heading. The whole heading is in my opinion taking some of the pressure off women by stating that the reader doesn’t have to worry if they have done something they should not have done and that they should not feel guilty about it.
Interestingly, in brackets, is ‘go on, have another glass!’ This is in a lot smaller text than the main heading, and is encouraging the reader to drink more. This is informal, and speaks directly to the reader, which links back to the magazine being friendly. The editor also assumes that the reader knows what is being talked about, and that the reader has already had one glass of alcohol.
Further down, the next heading is ‘Simple tricks for instant energy’. As mentioned before, this is again in orange text, and is presented in quite thin letters compared to other headings. The adjective ‘simple’ suggests it is easy and the noun ‘tricks’ implies that it is quick and achieves the impossible. Again, this links back to the idea about modern women wanting easy ways to sort out their life, and with the subject of energy, it also implies that modern women are always ‘on the go’ and don’t have enough time to sleep. From this, a picture of a working readership is emerging.
The dotted line between this and the next heading is, in my opinion, trying to mimic new technology, and by doing this, it is trying to present the impression that the magazine is straight off the press and the heading below it is brand new.
This heading is reads: ‘£2000 NEXT vouchers to be won!’ This is presented in pink, so it stands out and is feminine. ‘£2000’ is also in a bigger font, so that is catches the reader’s attention: being a lot of money also catches the reader’s attention. ‘Next’ is a women’s clothes shop, suitable for the target reader, and links in with women worrying about their body image.
On the far right-hand side of the page is a pink bar running from the top to the bottom of the magazine. At the very top it states ‘32 page special!’ This means that it is not normally in the magazine and is probably connected to the new look of the magazine. The word special implies a one off which will not be repeated so reader must buy it now.
Underneath this is a photograph of what presumably is the ‘special’, and it implies that it is a pull out feature, which can then be kept for future reference. The picture also presents the pages as if they are being flicked through, which lets the reader see a tiny glimpse of the pages inside to tease and leave the reader wanting to know more. The title of the pullout is ‘Fast and easy tips’ which again links to the notion that modern women require easy ways to live their lives. The correlates with the title ‘Essentials’ in that the magazine is providing information readers must have to organise their busy lives. The first picture and heading is a bowl of colourful, healthy food, with the words ’35 fresh, simple recipe ideas’ underneath. The word fresh implies that it is also healthy, and brings back the ideas that it makes the reader’s life easier, and with the rise in obesity, magazines need to make healthy food look more appetising, hence it is topical.
The second picture and heading is of a woman taking a photograph of the reader with the words ‘Take digital photos just like a pro’ beneath it. The words ‘pro’ and ‘photo’ are abbreviations and so informal language. Additionally, it reiterates the point that the magazine is friendly by giving the reader advice on taking photographs. This point is also demonstrated by the woman taking a photograph of the reader, and implies that the reader is a friend of the magazine. In my opinion, this is an unusual topic for a women’s magazine as photography is traditionally male dominated hence the magazine could be seen as breaking news ground.
The third picture is of a peaceful looking garden with a white bench, which stands out against the green plants. The heading with it states ‘Makeover your garden – no digging!’ This appeals to readers who want a perfect garden, but don’t like the mess or labour of digging. The picture also suggests that the reader’s garden will look like that if they follow what the magazine advocates. In my opinion, gardening is stereotypically associated with an older reader, suggesting a wide readership.
The last picture is of a woman in pink, but her head is not revealed. The heading below it states ‘Shop for your shape – online’. This contains alliteration and it appeals to women who want to look good, with the convenience of the Internet. Also, the head of the woman is not shown because it isn’t important, but the clothes are because that is what the story is about.
In this magazine, there are no famous people on the cover and all the stories are about how to improve the reader. However, this is the purpose of the magazine. ‘Your life made easy’ demonstrates that the magazine is all about the reader, and no-one else. In this, it is different to many other women’s magazines which celebrate the lives of the rich and famous who they offer as role models.
As a whole, the magazine uses a range of presentational devices to attract the reader. Unlike some magazines, ‘Essentials’ doesn’t use every space available. The colours also go well together and match the time of the year with warm, vibrant, feminine colours, such as pink. The content matches the time of the year with featured dresses and ‘no-streak tans’. In addition, there are many links between the stories with the ideas of weight loss and easy ways to live life being continued across the front cover.
In conclusion, I think that the target audience is women aged thirty to fifty, who want easy ways to live their lives and want to look good without hassle. The magazine attracts these readers well by presenting ‘real’ people on the cover, and delivering stories that will attract the attention of these people whilst maintaining a friendly informal presentation.
