HOW HIGH FASHION MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENTS HAVE TRANSFORMED THE FEMALE IMAGE A Look at the Advertisements from Vogue and W Magazine September 2011 Issues

THESIS  The ways women are portrayed in high-fashion advertisements that appear in Vogue and W Magazine have developed a sense of female empowerment which acts as a catalyst for change in the social status of women through these three trends:  Women are depicted through masculine stance, attire, and behavior (superior)  Women are shown to have wealth and class (successful)  Women are pictured with stern yet powerful, non-smiling expressions on their faces (authoritative)  These advertisements showcase female power, authority, confidence, class, and changing societal role.

DEMOGRAPHICS  Vogue Magazine - Total Readership = 1,307, % of the Readers are Women - Average Age of Reader = 34  W Magazine - Total Readership = 465, % of the Readers are Women - Average Age of Reader = 48 Both of these magazines are targeted toward a sophisticated, upper middle class/ high class female audience.

FEMALE MODELS PORTRAYED THROUGH MASCULINE IDENTITY Both Vogue and W Magazine show a continuous trend of female “masculinity” in high-fashion advertisements. Women are shown with short or slicked back hairstyles, wearing rough leather, blazers, hats, suits, and ties, sitting with open legs, and driving cars and motorcycles.

CLASS SIGNIFIERS OF WEALTH  The majority of the advertisements use signifiers of class to express an abundance of wealth. This is done through location, such as photos taken from a penthouse in a city and room décor, including chandeliers, crown molding, expensive furniture, and gold accents.  The Louis Vuitton advertisement (upper left) shows a white female in a vintage town car and in the background we see her chauffeur carrying her small dogs.  The emphasis of White female wealth is seen throughout the magazines.

THE STERN FACES OF WOMEN  Female models have used powerful facial expressions to assert strength, authority, and fearlessness.  In these high-fashion magazines, we rarely see advertisements with smiling faces. -Eyes are focal points (forward glare) -Strong, angular bone structures -Lips closed or slightly parted -Eyebrows shaped and dark