Magazine Research: Gender Representation

Men in Beauty:
Men is barely involved with the world of beauty because it has been stereotyped as feminine. Men are suppose to be viewed as masculine and overall just not care about their appearance to a certain extent. In fashion, the typical male models are seen as toned and muscular, and like women, have lighter skin tones. In magazines, they are also supposed to come out as masculine. The standard representation in the media for men are not inclusive with all types of male. In today's present, men have been in touch, with which is considered feminine, with self-care by using facial products to keep skin clean or even using make-up like women do. Of course, make-up is not just for women.
When it comes to research, it is actually quite difficult to find magazine covers with a man who isn't fit. This just goes to show that in a men's standard of beauty, you must be built and muscular.
However, it should be more accepting to the body types of men. It should be more inclusive just like women magazines are starting to become. Men magazines are all about fitness and fast cars, but men should have a magazine that shows them self-love and whatever other aspects they show to women to men.

All Genders in Beauty:
In the 21st century, society has broaden in their gender representation. There is no longer just two genders. There is non-binary and gender fluid people in the world that are outcasted for being different. Magazines as well as other beauty companies have yet to fully involve these people into their products and make things more unisex. Social media has taken a major role in this as well. They are created a body positivity platform that has members of the LGTBQ+ community speak out on being yourself.

Magazine Research: Gender Representation

When it comes to beauty and body imaging, it becomes the world of women. Its a bit outdated and should be a subject that includes all genders.

Women in Beauty:
Women in beauty magazines or fashion magazines, have characteristics that aren't inclusive of all body types or skin color. The stereotype that is usually put out in the media are thin, white women, sometimes with blonde hair and blue eyes. This ends up being a standard of beauty that no one can reach and causes women to do anything possible to make them look as close as possible to those standards, which may cause women to buy all types of beauty products to make them become beautiful, have low self-esteem, or cause harm to them mentally or physically.
The beauty standard of being tall and thin, as well as white, has been an unreachable for decades but as of now, the standards are finally evolving. The standards of beauty are becoming more inclusive and having a far more broad spectrum. The new generation as well has played a major role in this evolution. By using social media, they have spread positive body awareness and usually call out beauty, fashion, and modelling companies about how they are not inclusive with all types of women.

Model Photographer Research

Jessica Kobeissi

Jessica Kobeissi is a portrait and fashion model photographer based in Detroit, Michigan. Most of her work is located outside on the streets. She captures the aesthetic that I would like to capture for my own magazine. Using a variety of models based on ethnicity rather than body type though.

Kobeissi is not a very famous photographer but, her work should not be underestimated.

This image was taken by Kobeissi outside rather than inside a studio. She used natural lighting to her advantage. The sunlight better exposes the models feature as well as give it a more natural vibe. The photo is taken as a head and shoulder shot and is at a point-of-view angle. The clothing of the model, such as the green-yellow like sweater also helps the photograph execute a autumn like feel. The other characteristics of the model such as the hair and the fact that she has light make up gives the type of content for a magazine based on natural body imaging.

For this photo, it is also taken outside and not in a studio. She uses natural lighting giving it a sense of originality and not based on editing. For this image the model is in shade rather than any sunlight, plus it seem to be taken around the time of a sunset. The framing is a three-quarter shot and the fashion of the model does not exactly fall under the autumn season. The models presentation isn't as natural as the first image but the aesthetic is quite similar.

Magazine: Color Scheme

The color scheme of a magazine is essential because specific colors can catch the attention of potential consumers. Color schemes may also vary because of the season and the edition. For my magazine, I am doing an autumn edition.

 When it comes to autumn, the common color is burgundy and a mustard yellow. These magazines give a seasonal feel with the use of its colors.

For my magazine, I would like to try colors that will blend with my masthead color. Instead of using a background color like the image on the right, I would prefer to use a photo that already has a blue background like the sky, much like the image at the bottom. The use of nature with a blue background would considering the the masthead color scheme has a light blue background which allows the title to stand out more,

Planning: Costumes/ Props

Costumes and Props for Males:
Costumes and props for males is very similar to females. The use of costumes, or outfits, could grab the attentions of a male audience but it can also capture the attention of females who prefer to wear a masculine outfit. Costumes and props can vary for male models. Typically they use props such as cars, motorcycles, or anything that is expensive to show off wealth. They may also use expensive watches or sunglasses to continue to show off. But for my magazine, I would rather focus on using things that can be more relatable, simply outfits that they can put together on their own and inexpensive DIY food snacks and fitness tips. Although, all content in my magazine can be used for anyone one and isn't made for one specific gender.

Make-Up and Hair:
The stereotype usually is that only women can wear make-up but in today's modern society, men have been becoming a part of the beauty industry too by either using make-up for fun, using beauty products to take care of their skin, and using other products that are typically seen just for women. In my magazine male models may wear light make-up to hide any facial impurities or to enhance a feature, but only if they feel comfortable. My magazine will emphasize that men or teenage boys can use whatever products they want as long as they feel comfortable and happy.
For hair, it depends because men usually keep their hair short. Nonetheless, just like female models, I want to keep the hair natural as possible, keeping curly hair curly or straight hair straight. Male audience can learn about hair care from the magazine, because health care can be for everyone.

Planning: Costumes/Props

The use of costumes and props in magazines are important due to the fact that they help enhance the visionary aspect of the magazine. It is even more essential when it comes to magazines about body imaging because of the different types of fashion that is trying to be sold to the consumers. It brings in an audience because they may like a certain outfit that is being represented on the cover and want to try out it out, causing them to look into the magazine  to see what other outfits they have as well as develop an interest of the other content the magazine contains, especially if it is a beauty magazine. 

Costume and Props for Females:

For females, they don't use as many props unless its jewelry or it can vary depending on what the magazine is focusing on. For instance if they are trying to sell DIY beauty products, they may have the model with a bowl and a brush, applying it onto their face, but most of the time its simply a model wearing an outfit that may catch the attention of an audience.

The outfits, or costumes, usually follow along the theme of the magazine which can change depending on the season. For my own magazine, I will be doing a autumn edition so my models costumes, props, and other content will be autumn related.
Considering this is a beauty magazine that wants to enhance body diversity and boost self-esteem, I have to ensure to use models that have different characteristics and use a color scheme on their clothing that will enhance their individual beauty. Outfits will follow along with the body type and prove to the audience that they can wear what makes them feel beautiful.

Make-Up and Hair:

When it comes to hair and make up, it will differentiate due to the theme. If the magazine wants to give a natural aesthetic, the make up will be kept light and the hair will be natural. This means when the hair type varies depending on race and ethnicity, such as a curly or straight, I would like it to be kept as natural as possible to show that the magazine is all about keeping beauty natural.

Final Magazine Title

After using Photoshop and editing how my title should look like, I have come up with a few different ideas and have narrowed it down to two of them. These are the following designs:

I really like this style because its simple as well as legible and anyone can get an idea of what type of magazine it is. The pink and white compliments each other as well as contrast against the background so the title and tagline stand out more. 

For this design, I like the font better because it goes with the aesthetic I am trying to use. The white stands out a lot more so it really pops out at potential readers.  

Even though I like the second font better, the first font is easier to read, plus, the white on the second design may stand out too much, not giving the magazine cover a lot of color or feel. And since I am trying to attract teens of all gender, I feel if the cover image will be the main eye-catcher with a male and female model plus side lines that describe the content of the magazine.

Masthead Analysis

Like most magazine mastheads the lettering is typically bold and pops out to catch a readers attention. They stand out from the background color is usually has a lot of influence of what type of audience you will gather. Usually fonts establish a type of aesthetic that brings in particular audiences.

These are a few example of font and font color that are in popular magazines.

The font is legible and is a semi-formal font. This may attract readers, majority of them being women, usually who seek for fashion and beauty related content in the magazine in a more sophisticated manner..

This font is legible as well but it is with a different color font. The color seems to pop out more and give a feminine feel. This indicated the content in the magazine is usually for women in the fashion and entertainment topics as well as beauty.

Rather than the first two mastheads, the kerning, the space between characters,  is obviously greater which is making the letters far apart. This could be because the title does not have many letter within it so to make it more noticeable that widening of space grabs the attention of potential readers.

Planning and Visionary

With the results from my survey, I now have a better understanding of what my target audience would like to see.

For my cover, I will have a main cover image of a male and female, that way the audience would see that this product is towards all genders.

This is a concept that I could follow for my magazine cover. I would like my models to wear outfits for the season, which for my magazine edition will be autumn. I also want to make sure that the couples give off a comfortable but professional feel.

 My magazine's title will be Aphrodite, after the Greek goddess of beauty. The name will better express what type of magazine it will be, especially if the audience has background knowledge on Greek mythology. The font is still undecided, but since the color scheme, blue and white, has been decided due to the majority vote. This color scheme will also give a comforting feel and a young, vibrant aesthetic that catches the eyes of potential readers.

Audience Profile

My magazine product is about beauty and positive body imaging. I want it to be inclusive of all genders, ethnicities, and body types. The magazine content will be directed mainly towards teenagers in the age range of 14-18 but can be read by those older who are interested in beauty and fashion, as well as the main theme body positivity. The issue with producing magazines with this type of content is that fashion tips and beauty hacks can be found through the Internet and for the most part, it is completely free to obtain the information. There are also online "influencers" that try to spread the message of body positivity with the help of promoting product.

What would make my magazine different is that the it would have more relatable content to readers who would suffer from low self-esteem or just want to read on fashion or beauty trends and rather than trying to sell products, it would help readers make their own products, using natural ingredients and save their money. The magazine will hold a story of an individual who has overcome self hate and learned to love themselves which could potentially inspire the audience and motivate themselves. I would also like to have a section that would be advice and/or compliments of that issue, which could boost the self-esteem of readers

Survey Responses

After at least two leeks of my survey being posted, I received 11 responses from my peers.
Here are the results:

Planning and Visionary : Content

For my content, I also had my peers answer survey questions so I can see what they would like to see.
Of course, my content must revolve around body-imaging and self-esteem, so I would like to incorporate beauty hacks, such as methods of beauty trends or a step-by-step Do-It-Yourself products related to beauty. I would also like to input promotion of healthy behavior, like eating a balanced diet, fitness tips, and maintaining a good mental health. Another content material I could use are stories by my peers who are willing to share their stories of their journey to finding self love or have a section dedicated to advice from other teens.

To obtain information, I would like to mostly get my research done by students around me. For instance, learn about a Do-It-Yourself beauty product from a student who uses it themselves, find out the results, and what is used to make it. I will also do extra research to ensure the safety of other individuals who plan to use it and make sure to leave warnings on the DIY before use.
If I cannot find a interesting, affordable and easy DIY's whether its beauty or food snacks, I will research via online and put the references/credit to the original creator.

Other content, such as fitness tips, "how to", etc. will mostly be from internet research in order to give unreliable information.

Stories will be inputted with the consent of the student and will follow certain requirements, such as being inspirational and appropriate for school.