WJEC/Eduqas GCSE Media Studies: Revision Guide

3 Component 1: Exploring the Media Analysing representation in lifestyle magazines Mainstream lifestyle magazines construct ‘idealised’ lifestyles that might be aspirational to readers. They often focus on a narrow range of representations, however, that do not reflect the ‘reality’ of the audiences’ lives. Grazia published a ‘Big Fashion Issue’ in September 2017 to coincide with London Fashion Week. Natasha Pearlman, the magazine’s editor at the time , stated that the magazine aimed to cover ‘more diverse fashion, more diverse body shapes and more diverse backgrounds to reflect the real lives and interests This task will enable you to revise the codes and conventions of media language and practise your analytical skills for the Component 1 exam. Codes of media language in magazines The pastel colour palette symbolises the lightness and brightness of the forthcoming spring season. What are the connotations of the use of different shades of pink on the cover? The cover model, Sasha Pivovarova, is placed centrally and adopts a direct mode of address. What messages are communicated through her gesture codes? What messages and values about women’s lifestyles are communicated? (The cover lines mostly relate to style, fashion, beauty and image.) The cover model is a white, blonde-haired European woman with a slender figure. How far does this reflect stereotypical ideas of feminine beauty that have traditionally been reinforced in mainstream lifestyle magazines? How does this cover line construct a point of view about British designers? How does the language in these cover lines anchor the meanings in the visual codes? Have a Go 3.7 Media language on a front cover of Vogue 51