I have chosen to compare three magazines, all of which are
relatively similar. I have chosen Harpers Bazaar, Glamour and
Cosmopolitan. I decided that the covers I would chose would all
feature the same person, Kim Kardashian. I thought that using the
same person would be more interesting as I would be able to compare
and contrast the way each magazine portrayed Kim and in what
way.
The cover features Kim in a dress which compliments her figure
but doesnt reveal anything. This shows her off as a more lady of
more class rather than a sex symbol. This is more appropriate to be
seen on the shelves of a shop, such as a supermarket, as it isnt
revealing or degrading to women. Kim is smiling, rather than
pouting, making it seem that she is genuinely happy to be there. It
makes her seem more real-life and natural, rather than a model
being there for a photo shoot. Although, her stance is rather
posed, she looks more casual. The magazine cover features several
demanding words, such as now. This could imply that the target
audience is middle class women who to them, money isnt as big of an
object therefore they can buy new, more expensive clothes and shoes
more often. The colour scheme of the issue is black and white on
red which simple yet very effective. The more important the topic,
the bigger and bolder the subheading/title, such as the magazine
name and the caption Big Fashion Issue. Although the target
audience is middle class women, the magazine does feature a small
section for those whom are not of middle class. The caption reads
CHIC AT EVERY PRICE, this could give ideas for those who want to
look fashionable and wearing nice things but dont want to or cannot
afford to spend a lot of money and designer shoes, clothes,
handbags etc. The caption LOOK YOUNGER INSTANTLY shows how the
magazine is aiming at older women who are in a bid to look some
what younger. Again, the phrase UPDATE YOUR LOOK is an aim to
middle age women who feel as if they need to get with the fashion
or update their look, possibly to look younger.
The spread of the issue is titled CLEOPATRA WITH A K referring
to Kim as a queen, also saying how owns self-made kingdom.