Evaluation Question 2

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

The target audience for my magazine is females ages 16-25, interested in chart music and all the gossip, fashion and scandals surrounding it. I wanted to incorporate all these elements into magazine but wasn’t quite sure how to do that, so I looked into a variety of different magazines such as Billboard, Rolling Stone and Q. In addition to this, I also researched non-music magazines that were aimed at a similar target audience as mine, but focused on things such as fashion, lifestyle and gossip, so I looked at Cosmopolitan, Sugar and Glamour. After looking at both types of magazines, I attempted to bring them all together to create one unique magazine that my target audience would love. I feel that I did this successfully, as I took inspiration from the non-music magazines for the house style and general ‘look’ of my magazine, as well as taking inspiration from the music magazines for the content of ‘#beat.’ The outcome is an exciting, upbeat appearance with all the essential musical related content that my target audience would be prepared to pay for.

The model included in the magazine is wearing trendy clothing which my target audience is likely to wear- the brand Boy London is a known favourite throughout young people at the moment. The fact that the model is wearing this popular brand makes her desirable as a role model. Her makeup also plays a big part in the final image, as it is very vibrant, glittery and unique- something which young females aspire to be. I also asked my model to pose in a way that connotes a fun, care-free personality, which I think she did very well. For example, the front cover image, in which she is posing with her hand partially covering her face is unusual, as in most magazines you would expect to be able to see the models whole face, but I quite like the way she is hiding behind her hand- it suggests that she has a secret, and if you read the magazine, you will find out what she is hiding. However, the image is still playful and quite innocent looking, therefore reinforcing the idea that she could be a potential role model for readers. The image used in the double page spread is very much the same, as she is posing with her tongue out- again, something you wouldn’t expect to see in a magazine. This emphasises the whole suggested personality of the model – carefree, excitable, and constantly seeking fun. This gives the magazine a slightly informal feel, which I like because my target audience of teenage females would prefer the idea of a casual, relaxed feel to a magazine.