The Gentlewoman: Language and Representation blog tasks

Gentlewoman front cover 

1) What do the typefaces used on the front cover suggest to an audience?

the serif font of Scarlett's Johansson's name gives a connotation that she is important as the Headline of the magazine is sont serif don’t which matches the value of the magazine. This contrast suggest that they are drawing attention to her name as she is important.

2) How does the cover subvert conventional magazine cover design?

Normally A magazine cover would be a median shot with cover lines surrounding however there is a close up shot with no cover lines. The picture is in a box which again breaks the typical conventional magazine cover.

3) Write an analysis of the central image.

There is a a monochrome image covers in QW typical which is different to there house style especially the dramatic colourful makeup.

4) What representations of gender and celebrity can be found on this front cover?

there is a reputation of women having power. This is because of the low angled shot, it shows power within the women as she is almost looking down on us. She is seen to be looking confident 

5) What gender and representation theories can we apply to this cover of the Gentlewoman? 

Butlers theory that gender is just a performance as seen through the excessive make up.

Feature: Modern Punches

1) How does the feature on Ramla Ali use narrative to engage the audience? Apply narrative theories here.

she has seen express in herself about her life, where she struggles, and how she’s grown up and how she ended up where she is now. This links with Todrov equilibrium, theory 

2) What representations can you find in this feature - both interview and image?

the cartier watch shows how how far she’s made it in her career and how boxing has changed her life.

3) What representation theories can we apply to the Modern Punches feature? 
they try and give her reputation that subverts stereotypical women. By showing how far Romola ali came with her boxing career. It’s about the typical view that boxing is just for males and only males can be successful in it.

Feature: Isabella Tree interview

1) Why is this feature unconventional for a women's lifestyle and fashion magazine? Comment on the use media language in these pages. 

As it doesn’t show the imagine of the woman it shows the name and her that has been done which is not typical 

2) How does the Isabella Tree feature reflect the social and cultural contexts of contemporary Britain? Think about AQA's discussion of lifestyle, environmental issues and ethical movements.

 her landmark ecological book Wilding, Isabella Tree writes that “we have been persuaded by our own absorption" that the nature we see in Britain today has been here forever. That the hills have always been void of trees, and the flora and fauna is as it should be. “We believe the countryside around us, or something very similar to it, has persisted for centuries and the wildlife within it, if not exactly the same, is at least a fair representation of what has been here for centuries,” she writes. “We are blinded by the immediacy of the present.”

3) What representations of nature can be found in this feature?
The success of the self-sufficient land at Knepp has captured the imagination of many, but hurdles remain, says Tree, not least the set up of current conservation funding models. Central to rewilding is a hands-off approach, allowing nature to take the reins. This clashes with tick-box funding models.

Feature: Stella McCartney and vegan fashion

1) How does this feature reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts?

Stella McCartney was founded in 2001 as a conscious luxury lifestyle brand with a goal of bringing a conscience to the fashion industry. We are committed to being an ethical, modern and honest company without compromising on luxury or quality. We believe that collaboration and innovation are key to achieving a more sustainable future. A lifelong vegetarian, Stella has never used any leather, fur, skins or feathers in her collections – setting the standard for the use of alternative cruelty-free materials. We, at Stella McCartney, take a responsibility for the resources that we use and the impact we have on people, animals and the planet. Especially being part of the fashion industry – one of the world’s typically most polluting industries. Now, the industry must look to extend this responsibility past simply our sourcing and production, and across the lifespan of our materials. 

2) Comment on the typography and page design in this feature.

The bold text which has parts which a Large size and shown the emphasis what her message is to the audience. The smaller text gives abit more detail into what she is talking about.

3) What representations can be found in the image accompanying this feature? 

Stella, McCartney’s fashion career, showed to many people that she did it by herself without her dads help, which links to zoonen new journey woman and how we can influence people.

Representations
 

1) What type of magazine did Penny Martin, Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom want to create? 

“At that time, we felt there was a dearth of intelligent perspectives on fashion and there wasn't really a fashion magazine for actual readers. I guess you could say that there are a few more magazines like us now. But when we started, many magazines had the visual right, or had the text right, but very few managed to reconcile the two. I think that’s very difficult — to produce long-form journalism and a personality-centred magazine that has equally eloquent imagery and graphic design.”

2) What representations of modern women did they try to construct for the magazine?

This practical and modern approach is reflected in The Gentlewoman's overall editorial point of view, which, according to Martin, begins with the woman and not the product. "I'm interested in what [The Gentlewoman] tells you about how modern women live, from the way they drink, dance, drive and speak to the way they sign their letters or conduct their divorces. We make sure that the magazine is not just a pornography of product that is supposedly interesting to women. It's about putting those women at the centre of the material world around them. That balance is important to us."

3) What examples of cover stars reflect the diversity in the magazine's content? 

over stars have ranged from 88-year-old actor Angela Lansbury, shot in a peach silk blouse and Terry Richardson's black frame glasses, to popstar Beyoncé, looking calm, strong and composed in Dior with a face free of make-up. Meanwhile, on the inside, The Gentlewoman has profiled a wide range of women at the top of their game, including gardeners, entrepreneurs, novelists, artists and news anchors.

4) What is Penny Martin's view on feminism and whether the magazine is feminist?

Like many editors of women's magazines, Martin is often asked about her publication's stance on feminism. "When people ask me about politics or feminism, I say that it isn't a magazine about those things, it's a magazine informed by those things — among others. Is it a feminist magazine? Well, it's made by feminist people, so what do you think?! But I don't want to make those values and principles fashionable, because I don't want to undermine them by turning them into an aesthetic and I don't want them to pass into the realm of the unfashionable. Let's just assume that we all agree there should be equal pay and childcare and get on with it, eh?"

5) Look at the end of the article. How does the Gentlewoman help readers construct or reflect their identity by engaging with events and spaces beyond the magazine? 

"Other things" includes the recently formed Gentlewoman Club which extends the magazine's brand into physical events where readers can interact and chat with editors. "We're starting to develop our website as a kind of portal for real things to happen rather than a bogus virtual community with likes and message boards. I am so not interested in that. I think that's over." “For me, the future is going to be about in-person transactions and real conversations, skills and sharing in real spaces, rather than the cabaret of the nameless we’ve witnessed over the past decade.”