Vogue - Representation Flashcards
(15 cards)
What is the significance of having Sophia Loren as the front cover of the magazine?
+What would Stuart Hall say
She was known in the 60s as quite an exotic actor, her grand jewellery and outfit presents her as a Turkish dancer. Her exotic representation of a Turkish dancer may be seen as ‘other’, surrounding Stuart Hall’s ideas of Middle Eastern identities being seen as other.
Why was the finance article unusual for its time?
It was written by a woman (Sheila Black) who worked for the Financial Times. It was seen as unusual for women to handle their own finance and think about investing. Especially women that were in the A,B,C1 bracket who typically relied on their husbands assets.
How is the finance article counter typical in terms of gender?
While the second wave of feminism was starting to arise, women still didn’t have much legal power and as husbands had more power they would control their assets. However, as Vogue is targeted for a A,B,C1 background, these women may have had investments or assets to their name by inheritance.
How could the article be interpreted as derogatory towards women?
The article uses very limited and basic economic terminology which alludes to the fact that women didn’t know anything about money and relied on their husbands to manage their finances (as the stereotype goes). This may reflect the small amount of independence that women had from their husbands in the 60s.
Were the majority of representations conventional or unconventional, and what would Van Zoonen describe as conventional?
The majority of them were conventional, and Van Zoonen would describe this as women either being sexualised or shown within the domestic sphere.
How does the Cutex advert sexualise women?
The bare shoulders make it looks as if the woman is naked, there are also the quotes of ‘barely decent’ and ‘bare necessities’ which further connote nudity or being sexualised. The rhetorical question ‘Are you woman enough?’ suggests that women had to be seen as sexually attractive or showing off their body to be perceived as feminine or as ‘woman’ which correlates with how women were often sexualised or victims in media in the 60s, also aligning with Van Zoonen’s statement saying that women are either domestic or sexualised.
How does the Imperial Leather advert show women as maternal?
There is an image of a woman holding her son with a smile on her face, showing that she enjoys her role as a mother. The text also uses words like ‘soft’ and ‘smooth’, which is meant to sell the product but also sells the lifestyle of being a gentle mother who is caring and loving, embracing her life as a mother and selling it. This follows what Van Zoonen said about women being either sexualised or shown as domestic or as a mother.
How does the picnic article show women as passive?
Women are shown lounging and tending to their children, nurturing and feeding them, fulfilling their stereotypical roles as mothers, and not really engaging with anything else. They are passive in their roles as mothers and they are happy doing so.
How does Vogue fail to show the female rights movement within the 60s.
Higher class women didn’t need to work as they were very wealthy and either had their husbands fully provide for them or had assets and inheritance from their family, meaning they didn’t have to work and this is the representation we see in Vogue as it is targeted towards a high society A,B,C1 audience. Lower class women were still mainly mothers but if their family struggled for money they often worked part time jobs to fill the gaps in income. This isn’t shown in Vogue due to the rich audience, working class women weren’t able to afford the magazine anyway.
How does the image of young mothers reflect norms in the 60s?
It follows the stereotype that women (especially rich ones) were expected to marry young and start families instead of having a career.
Why do modern magazines aimed at the 18-35 bracket not feature womanhood?
They tend to not feature womanhood as it is now normalised for a woman to be able to study and earn a living independently through a career before settling down and starting a family. This is not evident in Vogue as these higher class women didn’t have to earn a living due to their riches, and were expected to marry young and start families, so Vogue still represented motherhood even if it is targeted towards younger women.
How are the white people in the magazine shown to be of a high status?
The white women are seen wearing very expensive clothing and jewellery, showing that they are of a very high status and are able to afford luxury goods.
How are the upper class represented more than the lower class?
The picnic article mentions Queen Victoria, people are referred to as Lords and Ladies, the dress is very formal and expensive, all connoting an expensive lifestyle and mindset.
How is the white ethnic appearance normalised in the magazine?
White models wear expensive clothes and jewellery, the ‘nude’ lipstick shades on the Cutex advert only shows really pale colours which would only be nude for a white woman, which shows the less inclusive Britain of the 1960s.
How are the workers shown as lesser to Sophia Loren?
They are shown working in the background as she poses and dances, they wear traditional ‘ethnic’ clothing for an Egyptian or Middle Eastern man, almost showing them as servants to her. This shows that they are lesser, they are not seen as professional due to the westernised standard of a professional man wearing a suit and tie, not ethnic clothing like they are wearing.
