Evaluation Q1: In what ways does your

media product use, develop or

challenge forms and conventions of real
media products?
One of the primary reasons why mainstream
magazines look so similar is because they use the
same conventions to appeal to mainstream audiences. Magazines catering
for niche audiences need not follow the forms and
Two top
conventions of magazines as they will cater to the
magazines
needs of their audiences, constructing a magazine
are
aimed to please only few, loyal people rather than a
mainstream
large mainstream audience.
and have
Although my magazine appeals to a niche audience
as it is not a mainstream genre (Kpop) I have used
and followed the common forms and conventions as
they will still appeal to my audience ( girls between 13-20 years old)
My magazine front cover uses a stereotypically feminine colour
scheme purple, lilac and white. Purple and lilac both suggest
femininity and the colour white has obvious connotations of purity
and innocence which is reinforced by the expression on my models
face as she innocently looks away from the
camera in an obvious display of cantportraying my model in line with the male
gaze, yet again a recurring convention in
mainstream magazines. To reinforce
hegemonic values about women, all of my
images display a degree of hyper reality (a
theory suggested by Jean Baudrillard that
Example of hyper reality
images in the media have been altered to humanly unattainable
standards) as they have been photo shopped to my liking.

similar traits
which
contrasts
with the hole
and corner
independentl
y produced
magazine
which shares
less similar

I have included 2 banners at the top and bottom of my Magazine front

cover to make it more formulaic. Also, the typical form of double page
spread is to have one image on one side of the double page spread whist
the other side is dominated with the article (a convention my magazine
follows)
I have also used some genre specific terminology such as 'oppa' to adjust
my language register to one that would be suitable for a kpop fan girl (to
attract my audience.) By adding an additional incentive in my top banner
(free concert tickets), this promotes the sale of my magazine. Another

conventional form is having a banner on the bottom of the page, listing

the names of the artists to enable fans to quickly see if their favourite
artists will be featured in my magazine
Although some conventions can be broken, the masthead is always
constantly present on the front cover of the magazine, as it is the display
of your brand identity, which helps your magazine gain recognition from
new buyers, through social media sites.
The main image is also important when
constructing a magazine front cover, as to
gain more buyers, needs to be an
aspirational image, in which the model is
viewed as an icon. This would be particularly
helpful for a magazines popularity, because,
as Maslow's hierarchy of needs states, Self
fulfilment is more easily attained when a
person has a dream to be like someone they
respect and admire (in this case, my front
cover model)
To make my model a aspirational figure to my audience, I decided to
portray her in line with the male gaze to depict her as a successful female
that is also seen as desirable female to men. This is effective as we live in
a patriarchal society that has conditioned women to want to be objectified
by men, as they see that as a method of controlling and dominating
males.
The representation of my model on the contents page and double page
spread reinforce the notion that girls idolise female celebrities who look
serious and powerful as this demonstrates their control over males which
females want to have in patriarchal societies. This makes it seem to young
women that these iconic women are not conforming to the patriarchy,
when in actuality they are still being objectified by society.