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Blinded by the light, Ghost Town, Letter to the Free, Magazines, Maybelline, Mens Health, Metroid, Newspapers, Oh!, Radio, Revision, Score, Tomb Raider

CSP REVISION

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Tomb Raider & Metroid

TOMB RAIDER:

Language:

  • Lara Croft is the dominant signifier on the front cover
  • Paradigm of signifiers relating to action, adventure and violence
  • Iconic signs such as a gun, rope, gloves and a backpack create connotations of a more masculine woman which counteracts the stereotype of women and femininity. – the gun also implies the basic stock types of ‘Good guy vs Bad guy’
  • Use of the colour gold could be a symbolic sign linking towards treasure and wealth whilst also implying theft
  • The coding engraved into the stone on the back cover could be representing a different language – typically a non-English speaking country This also creates the sense of ‘the other’ without specifically othering a specific country
  • The age rating is a denotation as it warns customers the game may be inappropriate for ages younger

Language links to Roland Barthes, C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure

Representation:

The dominant signifier is a reactionary representation of women as the lack of clothing worn represents the over-sexualisation of women and women in all media platforms. Her features are also exaggerated and accentuated through the use of tightly fitted clothing which creates unrealistic standards and ideologies of women for both genders to look up to. This can increase anxieties around body image and be damaging for young girls growing up. This also teaches girls and women to base their worth off the validation they receive from their body appearance, as both genders will learn that is socially acceptable to objectify women and to compare women to others. Furthermore, this will create and even bigger gender divide as it creates a lack of understanding for other connections other than physical. Camera positioning also contributes to the way in which women are perceived, women within video games are often seen with their features in shot at all angles whilst men are not. The characteristics also vary as women are seen to ‘saunter’ with some sassy walk and men are seen to walk ‘normally’ which shows that even within a video game woman are ‘seductive’. (Feminist frequency videos) However, Tomb Raider also provides a contrasting representation of women as the dominant signifier is female rather than male. Which countertypes to the usual ‘damsel-in-distress’ stereotype of women in video games- or even sometimes they are the ‘trophy’.

Representation links to Laura Mulvey (Male Gaze) and John Berger (Ways of Seeing) + (Feminist critical thinking)

Genre:

Tomb raider’s genre consists of action and adventure. Steve Neale talks about the repetition and differences within genre and weather they follow the typical conventions. Whilst Tomb Raider does follow the typical genre conventions featuring themes of violence however it does challenge the stereotypical male lead by utilising a main character as female, which serves to maintain interest in an evolving genre. The game utilises a third-person perspective which allows the audience to look around the character without her moving.

Narrative:

Perhaps the most poignant action code is the fatal battle between Lara and Larson. In this quick time event, the player takes limited control of the character and follows the on-screen prompts to shoot Larson. Each button press seems more intimate than the last. It’s clear from the softer music and Lara’s facial expressions that she regrets having to kill the henchman.

While these hermeneutic and proairetic codes provide the internal chronology of the narrative, the representation of the hero and villain is the most obvious example of Barthes’ definition of a symbolic code. Of course, Natla is dressed in a black suit – the colour code connoting her evil intent – and Lara is in her blue top. This simple binary opposition is also established by their different hair colour and accents.

When the player takes control of the avatar we are already in the disequilibrium stage. The player must overcome obstacles, puzzle and fight beasts in order to repair the disequilibrium and create a new equilibrium linking to Todorov’s narratology theory.

Audience:

Albert Bandura’s investigations demonstrated a link between young people watching violence on television and then expressing deviant behaviour in real life. The psychologist called this process symbolic modelling “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is an action-adventure game which rewards violence because the players use their weapons to overcome the obstacles and save the planet. That final conflict with Larson is quite direct and emotional because it is performed as a quick time event where you make a clear and conscious decision to kill the character.

We can also link this to George Gerbner and his cultivation theory and mean world index as Tomb Raider exposes players to a series of violence. Where children may be at risk of perceiving the world as more violent then reality.

Industry:

[The original “Tomb Raider” was the first game developed by Core Design. The independent company was acquired by Eidos Interactive 1996 who helped finance their projects. After further mergers and acquisitions, Eidos Interactive is now a British subsidiary of Square Enix – a Japanese entertainment conglomerate.

This level of consolidation is typical of the concentration of media ownership identified by David Hesmondhalgh who was eager to highlight how the cultural industries were dominated by a very small number of firms. Although this gives the conglomerates incredible power, some critics would also argue this business model enables the creation of increasingly complex and financially risky games. For example, Core Design needed substantial funding to complete “Tomb Raider” or the game would never have left the design board.

It is also worth noting Eidos and Sony worked together to make “Tomb Raider” exclusive to the new PlayStation console rather than developing the game for the Nintendo or Sega platforms. This marketing strategy, which Hesmondhalgh called artificial scarcity, certainly helped the PlayStation brand to dominate the industry.

The computer game industry is one of the largest sectors in the entertainment business. It might be bigger than Holywood, but there are still lots of financial and legal pressures. “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is a good illustration of the three formatting techniques used by companies to improve their chances of success.

First, it uses the iconography of action-adventure which will appeal to audiences who are already familiar with the genre. Third-person shooters are also incredibly popular with players. Lara Croft has developed into a cultural icon with her own fanbase, so the game can rely on her star power. Finally, franchises are easier to promote because the intellectual property is firmly established and there will an audience eager for the next instalment.

Square Enix reported the game sold 1.3 million copies worldwide, falling short of the return from the previous Tomb Raider games. It’s a risky business.]

^ NOT MINE!

Tomb Raider: Anniversary

METROID:

Language:

  • Title of the game suggests themes of space and/or science fiction – Pun for ‘meteoroid’
  • The iconic sign of a gun, like Tomb Raider, also implies violence
  • The dominant signifier is a girl (Samus Aran); however, this isn’t obvious as on the main cover she is disguised in an over-sized space suit.
  • Indexical signifiers such as mathematics related coding, numbers and diagrams and shapes, create a myth that displays links to action, suspense and a quest.
  • The symbolic sign of the white-like highlight that contours the dominant signifier, could symbolise innocence or power and goodness. – connotating to the fact that she is the ‘Good guy’

Language links to Roland Barthes, C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure

Representation:

 This character counteracts the stereotypical representation, demonstrating a radical presentation of women and video games. The character’s appearance is not revealed until the last part of the game which helps to enhance a sense of freedom from the player as they can imagine/perceive the character to fit themselves. It is also implied the relationship between fictional characters and our factual lives are to do with the influence of media from a young age. Alike Tomb Raider, the dominant signifier is female which is a radical representation of women as it shows women in a more masculine dominated area. It helps to break the stereotype of women being the weaker gender or at least less capable in comparison to men. However, at the end of the game, Samus Aran is revealed wearing a blue body suit, in which, her body is majorly exaggerated and enhanced. Presenting an idealistic and non-realistic body type. This refreshing presentation is snatched away and the game, like so many others, fall into the archaic ways of appealing to the Male Gaze as a sales strategy.

Representation links to Laura Mulvey (Male Gaze) and John Berger (Ways of Seeing) + (Feminist critical thinking)

Genre:

Metroid is a hybrid genre due to its feature of action and adventure, horror and sci-fi. Steve Neale says there’s an ‘interplay of codes’ which refers to all the features connoting to a genre which help to convey attitudes and beliefs on an ideological world. An example in Metroid is ‘If you weren’t afraid of the dark before, you will be.’ which was a tagline used in marketing the game. It is reassuring for the audience to be able to recognise these codes within the game, such as violence, fictional worlds, powers, and parallel universes are all genre conventions of sci-fi and action. However the differences within this game also helps to entice/engage audiences.

Narrative:

The main character, Samus Aran, serves as the stock character of the hero as she goes on a rescue mission to find her missing troops. Here we can see Todorov’s narratology theory containing the structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, resolution and new equilibrium. The threat posed by the bad guys is the disequilibrium, she then flies across three planets to collect a light and return it to it’s rightful place which serves as the repair that will create peace and a new equilibrium. The game also shows Levi Strauss’ binary oppositions between the characters. As in order to have Samus Aran as the hero that foreshadows there must be a villan which interweaves with Propp’s stock characters.

Audience:

Scanning through the game, most people would assume the target audience is mainly male because of the stereotypical representations of male and female games and the symbolic link between colours such as blue and pink that are associated with gender. An advert that was used to market the game also only featured two young boys playing the game, this also connotes that the primary target audience is male. Nintendo also called their controller the ‘Game Boy’ which would also suggest a gender bias. However, an industry historical review reported that more females were becoming “video game fans” and that 27 per cent of NES players in 1988 were female. The video game is regulated by PEGI and rated a 12 due to the features of violence.

Although we are exploring a virtual world full of ridiculous signifiers, audiences are still learning values and behaviours from a game which celebrates violence. In the development of his cultivation theory, George Gerbner included cartoon depictions of violence in his research because they resonated with the audience. He says the more someone is exposed to something the more they start to recognise it and believe the world is a far more dangerous place then it really is which links to his second theory of mean world index. Aether is a fictional planet. There was no catastrophic meteor. But the violence in the game feels real to a player immersed in that experience especially as it is played through first person which still creates the same tension and adrenaline as someone living in that experience. Here we can see the links to hyperreality and simulation that connotes to Baudrillard’s theory. Albert Bandura also drew attention to television as a socialising agent. Through a process of symbolic modelling, we copy the behaviour we see on the screen, especially if there is positive reinforcement. “Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” rewards players for their skill, gaining power ups and bonus content to defeat the bosses.

Industry:

As a Nintendo game Metroid is the product of one of a handful of conglomerates which dominate
the video games industry, a context which means that the study of the industry raises issues
which are central to contemporary media studies:
• The structure of Nintendo as a company and its control of production, distribution and
circulation
• The use of digital platforms to expand the output and reach of the games demonstrates how
institutions have responded to the impact of new technology.
• Regulation of games through PEGI
• Cultural industries including Hesmondhalgh

Social and Cultural contexts:

Metroid is a Japanese, sci-fi, action adventure video game developed by Nintendo. It is one of
Nintendo’s most successful franchises with 11 games available across all of the company’s
platforms. Metroid is a culturally significant game in the gaming universe due to its mix of style
and tone which combines Super Mario Bros style platforming with darker content, but also due to
the representation of the central character, Samus Aran. Aran is a bounty hunter whose gender
identity has been the subject of controversy and debate, leading some commentators to identify the character as transgender reflecting contemporary social and cultural contexts.

Article: Why Diversity Matters – Links as to why media should include more diversity in their representations. These quotes are referring to the gaming industry.

  • ‘ The industry traditionally projects an image that is young, white, straight and male’
  • ‘Most games feature white protagonists’
  • ‘A scene in Pakistan displays shop signs written in Arabic, even though Pakistani people speak English and Urdu, not Arabic’
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Exam Prep, Oh!

oh comely

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Iceberg Press: an independent publisher

Iceberg Press is completely different to Hearst UK – the publisher of Men’s Health and subsidiary of global conglomerate Hearst. It publishes just two magazines: Oh Comely and The Simple Things

patrick tembo – C.E.O. – Iceberg Media

Read it with a cup of tea or a toddy. It inspires people to be creative, talk to their neighbours and explore new things

1 Oh Comely is a magazine that makes people smile, full of quiet moments and stories

2 it makes people feel better about themselves the way they are

3 launched in 2010

4 publishes 6 issues a year

5 laust issue was September 2021 due to the pandemic

6 owned by ice berg press

7 CEO if iceberg press is Patrick Tembo

Representation of women

Judith Butlers idea of the male gaze isn’t shown in oh comely due to women being fully clothed and photography shots being medium close up therefore you cannot see their figure.

The women wear barely any make up to show and suggest natural beauty.

Social Media Reach: 100,000 
Readers Per Issue: 25,000 
Average Age of reader: 27 
Sold through independents, WHSmith and international outlets

More people see oh comely digitally

What audience pleasures are offered by Oh Comely?

  • Surveillance- Knowledge of many new topics and awareness of amazing people who have accomplished great things.
  • Diversion- The style of the magazine and the thought gone into the photography and presentation of the magazine makes it one that can be enjoyable just by looking at it.

pages 14-15

Fahma mohammed at age 14 figured out she had the female genital malutation. she commited to ending FGM and has now got a campaign todo so.

the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons

Megan Jayne Crabbe promoted self love and body positivity.

Plus sized model

Stuart hall applied

dominant – agree with what she says and does

negotiated – may understand her point of view but not agree

oppositional- don’t like or agree with her actions or point of view

Exam Prep, Oh!

Oh Comely Essay Prep

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Institution

Owned by Iceberg press (small company) – Went bankrupt during COVID- didn’t make digital copies of the magazine because of their intense views towards print dying – goes against Hesmondhalgh.

Radical magazine – goes with Curran and Seaton saying massive companies make repetitive products to make money. They don’t appeal to a large audience, as demonstrated by a study which revealed 98% of their readers were female and the average age of their readers was 27. This means that they have to secure that audience with repetitive ideas in order to sell their products.

Language

Barthes – Enigma code on front cover as the dominant signifier is posing for the camera, however is not sexualised or appeals to “Male Gaze” by Mulvey as the model is wearing natural makeup and has short hair. Could confuse the reader and build a sense of anticipation so the people buy it and read on.

Oh Comely features wildly varying design choices, with many photographs heavily deferring from traditional magazine designs. Neale depicts genre as a “corpus” or repertoire of both innovative and predictable elements. When I apply these ideas to Oh Comely I see a plethora of innovative elements which do not follow common conventions of magazines, such as small text with big gaps and indexical images of women portrayed in a very humble and self-aware manner.

Levi-Strauss’ theory of binary opposition can be linked to the CSP in that a clear distinction between the magazine’s view on women and men – males are not even mentioned or shown in any way which shows the nature of their product and makes it abundantly clear that men have no place intervening in the ideas given from Oh Comely.

Representation

Refers to women in a positive, powerful and independent fashion with words like “strong”, “wisdom” which heavily links to the idea of gender performance by Butler and the work of Van Zoonen, who both say that gender is not a matter of biology and can be played out and negotiated, with Butler creating the idea of gender performance. This links heavily to the extract containing a body positivity blogger, who is dressed in revealing clothes however is not using this portrayal to appeal to men, but to empower women, suggesting that their bodies are their own. This heavily contrasts Men’s Health in that it strongly suggests that if you are a man, you need to follow the conventions laid out in the magazine.

Audience

Gerbner – Cultivation theory – Accepting media – fuelled viewpoints as the norm – allows opinion leaders and powerful people who control the media to spread their agenda, often about cultural minorities. Not in this magazine – as there is a page which gives a positive representation of African/Middle Eastern women campaigning about FGM that is not to do with poverty, terrorism, war.

Stuart Hall’s theory of preferred reading goes against Oh Comely in my opinion, as the messages conveyed in the magazine are so wildly different when compared with the vast amount of magazines out there, to the point that I don’t even think there is a definite dominant reading for people to accept or reject. This heavily contrasts Men’s Health in that in the other CSP a dominant reading is incredibly easy to establish and compare your own views to.

Exam Prep, Oh!

Oh Comely

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‘Oh is a reimagination of Oh Comely magazine and is still a place to meet new people, hear their stories and hopefully leave you looking at life a little differently. And every issue will still have beautiful photography and illustration at its heart’, from the magazine’s website.

  • An alternative magazine, niche target audience
  • A part of a development in lifestyle and environmental movements

The editor is Lisa Sykes, who used to work at Hearst UK.

She says “We didn’t like the fact that print dying was becoming a self fulfilling prophecy”.

It is a feminist magazine with a niche audience. The women who feature in it are not sexualised, and so it is an unconventional print product.

The first issue was created in 2010, with the final one published in September 2021. The company (Iceberg Press) went bankrupt due to COVID-19.

Makes 6 copies a year – every 2 months

The average age of its audience is 27, and 98% of its readers are female.

Exam Prep, Feminist Critical Thinking, Oh!, Research

OH! COMELY

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Owner: Iceberg Press, an independent publisher, bought Oh Comely (which pivoted from the women’s lifestyle sector to the growing mindfulness sector and renamed Oh)

 ‘Oh is a reimagination of Oh Comely magazine and is still a place to meet new people, hear their stories and hopefully leave you looking at life a little differently.’

Lisa Sykes is the editor, used to work at Hearst UK.

Sykes recalls. “We didn’t like the fact that print dying was becoming a self fulfilling prophecy”

  • First issue 2010
  • Final issue was published September 2021
  • Feminist magazine
  • Niche target market
  • Made 6 copies a year, one every 2 months
  • Average reader age of 27
  1. Institution – who owns it
  2. Examples of specific pages
  3. Language, how it’s laid up, representation
  4. Audiences – who reads it, who it’s for

Lazarsfeld

Ideas of the two-step flow of communication, supplied by Lazarsfeld, says that ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them, to a wider population.

In Oh Comely, there is a radical and apposed representation of women, following ideas of Stuart Hall’s theory on the 3 categories of media representation, it empowers them and not sexualising them like most mass media products such as Men’s Health. But in modern times there is an active conversation on feminism and fighting against the patriarchy, so the two-step model can still be applied here. Modern mass media ideas on feminism is being represented and promoted widely throughout the world and being supported by opinion leaders such as Ariana Grande who support ideas on feminism, which in turn allows this product to be relevant, granted, to a niche market with an average reader age of 27, but it still circles back to the same concept, although these ideas can be considered radical, overall, nothing is really radical as the ideas always flow from someone in power, someone who’s opinion is more relevant to someone else’s, and in evaluation, the magazine only exists to generate a profit. A flow of communication used only to profit off the wider population.

More on this:

Use of empowering and active words such as ‘power’, ‘wisdom’, ‘strong’ is used in a feminist manner to empower their readers.

There is a conventional representation of the dominant signifier on the front cover in the fact that she is being posed for the camera and wearing makeup — but on the other hand, it could be considered unconventional as she is wearing light, more natural makeup, nothing that changes her looks much and has a more radical style; short hair and clothes that do not show any skin or show off her body, tackling usual focus on sexualisation on most magazines.

On pages 14-15 it demonstrates a woman who is wearing an ethnic turban which is radical in terms of repressing and going against mainstream, common representations within magazines. This magazine tries to go against control and leaning into repressing the common ideologies in which represent women negatively, this magazine does not represent women in a sexualised way and strays away from Laura Mulvey’s theory on the ‘male gaze’ in which this magazine does not appeal to. It works against the mainstream representations of women who are usually used as tools for promotion and greater sales with the over-sexualisation of women. Further proven on page on all other pages where no sexualisation is featured.

Also the word ‘comely’, an old fashioned word means pretty, but is used as a more modest and subtle way to compliment a woman, in a way that doesn’t sexualise them but rather positively represents them.

This magazine follows an active form of Lasswell’s model of communication and supply’s its readers with a magazine every 2 months, so just 6 a year. Also supporting a self confidence and self-esteem almost escapism feature of one’s personal and and social needs following of the Uses and Gratifications theory of Katz, Hass and Gerevitch.

Magazines, Oh!

Oh! Comley

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Facts about Oh!

  • Oh Comely is part of a development in lifestyle and environmental movements of the early twenty first century which rebrand consumerism as an ethical movement.
  • Oh! was launched in 2010.
  • Last magazine was September 2021.
  • Company went bankrupt due to COVID-19.
  • Comely means attractive and pretty meaning women are not sexualised, making the magazine unconventional.
  • The magazine is very simplistic, artistic and has an aesthetic appearance to it.
  • Men’s Health is what you can become where as Oh! is what you are.
  • The magazine is very feminine and aimed towards women to start to get to know themselves rather than wanting to be someone else.
Journalism, Magazines, Oh!

CSP – OH!

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Radical representation of women in the media as on the front cover she is not over-sexualised. She is not wearing revealing/tight fitted clothing. Her make-up is light and very natural looking helping to create a humanising picture of a woman. her posture is slumped back and wide as she takes up space in the environment showing her confidence. Her hair is short which is counter typical for the stereotype of femininity. Links to Butler’s theory of gender as performance. She is not the stereotypical representation of women but rather shows some masculine features.

Encountering more diversity. Inclusion of women from different cultures and not shown in the stereotypical way. (poverty/terrorism) She is a campaigner fighting against FGM showing her as a strong independent woman. Capitalisation of the word “Sister” showing emphasis of how she wishes to unite women. Focusing on real world problems instead of common conversational topics such as fashion, cooking, cleaning, and weight gain/loss. Focusing of empowering women rather than gossiping.

Promoting body positivity and acceptance of all bodies. Counter typical to the common passive aggressive remarks which are often made towards women and their body changes. Creating emphasis around this as an inclusive magazine.

Industries:

  • Owned by Iceberg Press- Iceberg press set up Oh Comely in order to bridge the gap between the more mainstream magazines and the vibrant and innovative content of independent magazines. They are strictly print.
    • Independent media organisation
    • Only a few members of staff
  • The EDITOR, Lisa Skyes, spent further stints at Hearst Magazines UK, working as a deputy editor of coast magazine

Print Language: Her eyeline is directly at the audience, the picture is poised however it still has the quality of being candid. close up shot to draw audience to look at her face. Language used is unconventional for women and words normally associated with masculinity, e.g strong, mischief, revolution. Creating a sense of empowerment – linking with feminism. The Headline is “Oh comely” which is an old fashioned word meaning “attractive” this links into the classiness/elegance of women without sexualising them.

Representation:

Audience:

  • Social Media Reach: 100,000 
  • Readers Per Issue: 25,000 
  • Average Age of reader: 27 
  • Sold through independents, WHSmith and international outlets
  • Target Market is young women
  • Aimed at a niche audience

Magazines, Oh!

CSP – OH!

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 ‘Oh is a reimagination of Oh Comely magazine and is still a place to meet new people, hear their stories and hopefully leave you looking at life a little differently. And every issue will still have beautiful photography and illustration at its heart’.

  • Female lifestyle magazine through the lens of a ‘strong feminist perspective’. On their instagram page, Oh Comely is described as an “indie mindful living mag with a fresh perspective”
  • Minimalist and simplistic style through publications.

Language

  • The adjective ‘comely’ means to be pretty/ attractive.
  • “admire, follow, and inspire your own reflection”
  • Diversity through representations of women. Moving away from stereotypes associated with certain ethnicities (Hall) and providing positive representations that are hardly focused on.
  • “Sister” – David Gauntlett, collective identity (sisterhood)
  • ‘Speaking Out’ article – Follows the same structure for each story it focuses in on, perhaps this could singify the magazines importance on representation of equality and diversity throughout their issues.

Representation

  • A-typical representation of femininity. Often, women are objectified/ sexualised in print products. Through the anchorage (“power and poise” “hard-won” “strong”), the magazine challenges societal representations of females that present women as weak or passive. Radical representations which challenge mainstream media forms
  • Front Cover: Mid shot, muted colour palette, connection with nature? Even though she is wearing makeup, this is natural (juxtaposes the typical conventions of a front cover). Even though she is posing for the camera, she is not conforming to the male gaze because the image is not sexualised.
  • Masthead – Synthetic personalisation through the font which looks like cursive handwriting, implying that this magazine is handmade rather than a overly glossy, perfect production. Oh Comely is a place where many diverse voices are given a platform to share opinions.
  • Time of writing, during the 4th wave of feminism. This is when women were starting to hold the patriarchy accountable for misogyny and over-sexualised representation of femininity in the media.

Audience

  • Clearly, through their content, the magazine is trying to connect with a niche, feminist audience. The average demographic was females aged 27.
  • Perhaps, trying to project to such a narrow demographic, the magazine was not able to generate enough engagement, leading to it’s end.
  • Psychographics –

Industries

  • Oh Comely was founded in 2014 following the establishment of ‘Iceberg Press’ (a independent company created by 3 friends who left roles at “big media companies” to pursue a “better way” of creating magazines.
  • The last issue was produced in September 2021 before the company went out of business.
  • Each issue £5 each or a subscription (3 issues) for £14.
  • Iceberg Press produces The Simple Thing and Oh Comely
  • In an interview, editor Lisa Sykes said that “we (Iceberg press) didn’t like the fact that print dying was becoming a self fulfilling prophecy”
  • Clearly, Oh! magazine was for the continuation of print production, opposing the development of an “online world”
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Oh!

Oh Comley

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KNOWLEDGE

‘Oh is a reimagination of Oh Comely magazine and is still a place to meet new people, hear their stories and hopefully leave you looking at life a little differently. And every issue will still have beautiful photography and illustration at its heart’.

Pages: 1 2 3 4
Oh!, Uncategorized

OH! comely

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  1. “published without the financial support of a large corporation or institution in which the makers control publication and distribution…“independent”
  2. Iceberg Press: an independent publisher – Oh Comely and The Simple Things
  3. Iceberg press set up Oh Comely in order to bridge the gap between the more mainstream magazines and the vibrant and innovative content of independent magazines
  4. Iceberg Press (they are strictly print)
  5. Average age of readers is 27, 98% young female readers
  6. A high social class because the magazine is £5 which is quite expensive for a magazine
  7. Sold through independents, WHSmith and international outlets
  8. Oh Comely claims that their magazine ” is a breath of fresh air for a creative audience desperate to find something that speaks to them directly in an accessible, intelligent and interesting voice.”
  9. Oh Comely is the work of Liz, Dani, Rosanna, Gemma and Beth
  10. Launched 2010, September 10th

Social and Cultural implications

Oh Comely is part of a development in lifestyle and environmental movements of the early twenty first century which rebrand consumerism as an ethical movement. Its representation of femininity reflects an aspect of the feminist movement which celebrates authenticity and empowerment.

Media language

Semiotics – The dominant signifier in this image is very clear as we can see the female presented in the centre of the image in a medium shot suggesting that they are not sexualising her as she is wearing light make up and unrevealing clothes. This could suggest how the ideology of the world should function and women should be seen as powerful and be seen as leadership that would influence our behaviours and actions. The pose of the dominant signifier explains how the anchorage in this cover is the text based feature such as the header ‘oh comely’ which annotates the meaning of an attractive person.

Narrative and Genre

Steve Neal – He argues that genre is labelled and create a narrative image for a media product, as genre is presented to show pleasure to their audience. Steve Neal says that genre is crafted to create an appeal for specific audience segments. As we can see in ‘oh comely’ there is an iconography that refers to mise en scene expectations as well as camera and editing styles that convey their audience to worlds that are escapist. Audience’s gain enjoyment from identifying moments that de4epart from those expectations. Neale argues, provide moments of audience pleasure or deliver products that have unique selling points such as on page 57 there is a quote by ‘Amali De Alwis’ that says “why aren’t there more women in tech? It shouldn’t just be a boy’s club”, that suggests representational effects where genre might be recognisable through the application of gender specific representations.

Structuralism

Levi-Strauss – He suggests that humans naturally explain the world in terms of oppositions is a structuralist argument. He proposes how humans encode and decode the world using universally shared principles. He also says that genres and forms are popular within the contemporary media landscape explain how oh comely is targeting specific individuals by creating genre based oppositions that could lead to more profit.

Narratology 

Todorov – He explains how narratives are significations even though the construction of that reality is symbolic – offering us a version of the world that is ordered by the ethical, moral or ideological viewpoints of text’s author. In ‘oh comely’ we can see many different ideological viewpoints of a varies of different women that have been portrayed to suggest the reality of narrative lies in the way that characters or the worlds inhabit are transformed at the end of a story.

Media Representation

Looking at the construction of being male and female. It is about civil rights and focused on issues of equality and discrimination.

Stuart Hall – Stereotypes are mostly found where there are huge social inequalities. They exclude and demonise groups in a manner that both reflects and reinforces social hierarchies. ‘Oh comely’ can be linked to this theorist as media representation focuses on power and they are trying to portray our views of the wider world where women can be given the opportunity to do many things rather than in the second wave feminism where civil rights where focused on issues on equality and discrimination.

Bell Hooks – His theory is to give a voice to invisible social groups where he wants to outline economic oppression that draws attention to the huge wealth gap that exists between privileged white groups and the rest of society as well as drawing attention to the privileges that economic power generates for those groups. This refers to ‘oh comely’ as they are seeking out audiences to construct positive as well as critical effects. They are creating social diversity and giving voice to the social groups that have been marginalised by white male power.

Judith Butler – Butler talks about how gender is not stable but is constructed through repeated actions that reinforce our identities. For example in ‘oh comely’ the act of wearing makeup is an illusion that we have a seamless and permanent male or female identity. Thinks leads on to the fact that behaviours work as learned micro performances and signal our identity to ourselves and to others.

Media Industries

Oh comely is an independent magazine published by Iceberg Press, a small London publisher which publishes only one other title. It is an independent media company, that suggests new technology that small companies can also use the internet to communicate and target audiences. Iceberg’s branding includes a commitment a print over other media forms.