Society today has the common misconception that women are no longer objectified through visual media as the were in the past, this is not true. The Gaze is a term that was originally used during the film industry during the 1970s that refers to how someone views any visual medium. How women are viewed within society has changed over the years but one can see through visual media used today, women are still portrayed in a certain manner in order to sell or promote products. One can see the changes and ways women are used by looking at magazine covers, and focusing on the “male” gaze. The “male” gaze refers to the voyeuristic way men look at women. “As Jonathan Schroeder notes, ‘Film has been called an instrument of the male gaze, producing representations
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Covers designed during the 1950 - 1970s represent women as objects, what men desire and how they should look according to men. Compared to magazine covers made during more modern times women are not portrayed as objects but they are still presented in a sexual light to attract customers, female and male. In terms of the “male” gaze, magazine committed this act of voyeurism through the cover designs. Voyeurism is a term that refers to the pleasure one takes when looking at a visual medium and not being seen looking by others. These magazine covers give the impression that their aim is to use women for sexual viewing pleasure to sell the magazine because it is an act that started years before and is still performed …show more content…
The denotative meaning behind the image is a woman being the main focus, she is dressed in lingerie in the setting of a bedroom, the phrase “BEST COMEDY, PHOTOS, JOKES!” is shown at the top right hand cover, and at the bottom right hand corner is an example of a comic photo piece that would be shown within the magazine. The connotative meaning behind the image is that the woman is used purposefully to sell the magazine to consumers. One can see that the woman and her setting have no relation to comic photos or jokes which is what the magazine is all about. The designers specifically used the woman as a way of attraction to their target audience. By presenting her in lingerie and high heels she is instantly seen in a erotic way, she is shown as what men consider ‘sexy’. Her gaze meets that of the spectator’s which makes the viewer engage with her more and because of how she is dressed and presented, it gives a sense of ‘sexual tension’. The jokes and comics within the magazine all have hints of sexual innuendoes and target mainly towards women and their relation to men. Therefore this magazine is aimed towards males and thats why a woman is used on the cover page because men will be attracted to the woman and will enjoy gazing at her.
During the 1950-1970s women were portrayed as objects, items that men could possess and control. This representation of women has changed throughout the years, women are no longer
Covers designed during the 1950 - 1970s represent women as objects, what men desire and how they should look according to men. Compared to magazine covers made during more modern times women are not portrayed as objects but they are still presented in a sexual light to attract customers, female and male. In terms of the “male” gaze, magazine committed this act of voyeurism through the cover designs. Voyeurism is a term that refers to the pleasure one takes when looking at a visual medium and not being seen looking by others. These magazine covers give the impression that their aim is to use women for sexual viewing pleasure to sell the magazine because it is an act that started years before and is still performed …show more content…
The denotative meaning behind the image is a woman being the main focus, she is dressed in lingerie in the setting of a bedroom, the phrase “BEST COMEDY, PHOTOS, JOKES!” is shown at the top right hand cover, and at the bottom right hand corner is an example of a comic photo piece that would be shown within the magazine. The connotative meaning behind the image is that the woman is used purposefully to sell the magazine to consumers. One can see that the woman and her setting have no relation to comic photos or jokes which is what the magazine is all about. The designers specifically used the woman as a way of attraction to their target audience. By presenting her in lingerie and high heels she is instantly seen in a erotic way, she is shown as what men consider ‘sexy’. Her gaze meets that of the spectator’s which makes the viewer engage with her more and because of how she is dressed and presented, it gives a sense of ‘sexual tension’. The jokes and comics within the magazine all have hints of sexual innuendoes and target mainly towards women and their relation to men. Therefore this magazine is aimed towards males and thats why a woman is used on the cover page because men will be attracted to the woman and will enjoy gazing at her.
During the 1950-1970s women were portrayed as objects, items that men could possess and control. This representation of women has changed throughout the years, women are no longer