I decided to use magazine covers and ads for my explanation. Magazines use what Sarah mentioned with using celebrities in ads as well as what Karen said about sexuality in advertisements. They bombard you with many different things all at once. The main thing was looking for on the covers were who was on it and what the surrounding titles said. The main commonality between
these ads is the topic of weight loss.A brief overview of my first magazine would be that it is targeting body image. Women's Health is a credible source, and surrounds the cover with how you can be sexy, happy, and slimmer. And they relate these statements and claims to the girl on the cover, Brooklyn Decker, who happens to be a supermodel.
The second magazine is OK !
weekly magazine, which is a widely popular magazine in society. It features Kim Kardashian who is well known for her body. It mentions her meal plan and work out schedule so you can be just like her.
The next three feature one of America's most influential people, Oprah. One cover is directly from her own O magazine, and the others are from Woman's World. All mention great weight loss plans, being happier, living longer, feeling better, saving money, and everything else people are looking to improve.
And the last is Men's Health magazine, featuring Taylor Lautner. Much like the women's magazines this one features a major idol for teenagers and young adults. It tells you how to improve your body, how to make you attractive, how to eat better, and just how to be better.
What strikes me most about magazine covers like this is, along with the pictures, the text. There's just so much text and it's very explicit as to ways of managing one's body. There's no sense of leaving the cultural effects of the images unsaid. It would also be interesting to find out the kinds of audiences that each of these magazines target.
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