How Cosmopolitan Affect Ladies' Self-Identity - Case Study Example

How magazines change the way females shape their self-identity s Submitted by s: How do Cosmopolitan’s articles and photos affect women and their self-identity? A content analysis Introduction Women have always been objectified and this occurrence has a long sorted history which critics consider an exaggeration and dismiss together with the feminist criticisms of society. Woodward argues that the concept of identity has developed significance in the contemporary times as well as in academic debates in regard to social and political concerns, making identity a conceptually critical factor in explaining social and cultural evolution (1997, p.1). In the present times, the idea of identity and creation of identity cannot be separated from language and homily as academics in linguistics as well as social sciences acknowledge that identities are developed within debates, in particular within discursive practices that take place in the society and in institutions (de Carvalho Figueiredo, n.d., p. 255). This paper will focus of a specific topic, how magazines change the way females shape their self-identity, and will make an assessment of the cosmopolitan magazine and the stories it carries about women along with the manner in which it report it stories to the people who read it. Cosmopolitan magazine is an example of an infamously suggestive and best-selling magazine that targets the women readers. In a media setting that is flooded by sources by men meant for women, this magazine has the prospect of breaking free from the predictable portrayals of sexuality and objectification of women that is all over today. With its infamously racy front pages and utterly sexualized contents, Cosmo has been the best-selling magazine for women since the 70s. As the number one magazine in bookstores, the magazine demonstrates and tells its young readers what it entails to be gorgeous, desirable and popular through its pages and its website. Method The use of any research method to examine an occurrence can be perceived as involving three stages which include; conceptualization of the occurrence, research design as well as data collection along with analysis. These three can be compared to the stages a property owner goes through when building a structure. The owner will first have to visualize how the structure will appear and its functions which are parallel to the conceptualization stage, in regard to whether the building will be an office or a home and so on. After this, a more comprehensive planning process takes place, and this is equivalent to the research design, where the architect employed by the owner of the structure comes up with a blueprint of the building to be developed. After the architect has made all the necessary adjustments and planning, the builder will prepare to implement the plan that has been developed (Riffe, Fico and Lacy, 1998, p. 34). The comprehensive operational plans and blueprints developed by the client will then assist the contractors, and other people who will work in the building including masons and plumbers in carrying out the project until it is complete. In this regard, content analysis is a research approach for the impartial, methodical and measurable description of the marked contents that exist in communications (Krippendorff, 2004, p. 19). In regard to social sciences along with humanities, content analysis deals with assessment of text of different forms such as writings, as well as footages among others. It entails qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and is used for various purposes such as attributing texts to authors, testing of hypothesis, development of theories as well as assessment of researches. As far as social sciences are concerned, content analysis studies the contents of written text as well as artifacts, and can be defined as the study of recorded communications such as websites and books associated with humans. The humanities consider it as an educated technique that is employed to study the writing and significance of text. Content analysis is the technique that is employed in developing references through impartiality and logical identification of attributes that are associated with particular messages. Neuendorf develops a six-phase definition of content analysis that involves developing summaries, quantitative assessment of messages that depends on scientific methods and is not restricted to the forms of variables can be measured or the set-up in which the messages have been developed (Neuendorf, 2002, p. 10). The content analysis of the Cosmo is critical in determining the manner in which it affects the self-identities of women; therefore, it develops femininity while at the same time carrying several ideologies. According to McLoughlin, what appears in magazines is not selected at random and the market researchers have refined methods that are employed in evaluation of consumers. This information is the passed to the editors who are then responsible for provision of what the public has demonstrated to desire (2000, p. 101). Results This section will analyze the editorial contents and images that are found on the Cosmopolitan magazine. Social constructionism has played a critical role in the restructuring of grounded theory; therefore knowledge in the social world is constructed rather than created. There has been a lot of research that has demonstrated a connection between magazines meant for female audiences and disturbances in body image, eating disorders, determination to lose weight as well as obsession with appearances and other terrifying occurrences. These occurrences are associated with the images and contents that depend on Photoshop, regularly stress thinness and the achievement of what the magazines denote as the idyllic attractiveness in order to be healthy, happy and successful in relationships. According to social constructionism, objective reality exists, therefore it comes as no surprise that all the photos analyzed in the Cosmopolitan featured full-body portrayals of thin white women who had conspicuously big breasts, seemed flawless and were dressed in low cut revealing clothing while spotting long smooth hair. In a direct example of creating artificial attractiveness pass as normal, the cover photo that was featured in April 2008 featured Marisa Miller who became famous as a result of a notoriously famous topless debut when she modeled for the cover of SI Swimsuit in 2008. The blonde with big breasts posed with her back curved and chest outwards and the photo was accompanied by the words “Flatten your belly! Marisa’s tips make it easy.” In the same month, a fitness special was included that featured the same model posing on a bed, with an arched back and pushed-forward chest wearing a top and a suggestive look on her face. The readers are then told more than once that the woman in the picture has the kind of body that women dream of and desire together with a conspicuously featured statement from the woman. It states how she has always wished to symbolize the natural healthy woman, and she does not care if it is cool or trendy for a person to appear as if she has not had any food in two weeks. The statements that accompanied the photo were: “I always wanted to represent the natural, healthy girl, and I didn’t care if it was cool or trendy to look like you hadn’t eaten in two weeks.” There are also other featured photos of the same model dressed in scanty clothing and in different workout positions and additional reminders of how simple her method of staying slim is. In this regard, the readers are provided with another increasingly sexualized and regularized perception of thinness as being fit. Interestingly, when Lindsay Lohan was featured in the same magazine in April 2006 at the age of nineteen, she was at the center of media lashing in regard to her abrupt and extreme loss in weight. In 2005, Vanity Fair had made reports that Lohan had self-confessed to making herself sick so that she could lose weight, but she denied this in the interview she did with the Cosmopolitan magazine. In the featured story, Lohan implied that she lost her weight because she was not eating appropriately and she wished to continue with her weight loss as she preferred her appearance after she had become thinner. She considered herself healthy even though she did not diet and ate what she wanted whenever she wanted. However, she confessed to being under a considerable amount of stress when working and attributed her weight loss to this. Along with the images of thin women who are portrayed in sexualized poses, the messages that depict easy fitness plans from Marisa and Lohan’s assertions of rapid and extreme weight loss without any form of effort contribute towards the normalization of impractical standards associated with fanciful attractiveness that is regularly depicted as being attainable naturally. In the Cosmopolitan’s workout and health segment, the person who reads get the communication that weight loss is equivalent to both fitness and sex appeal, and the stress on appearance instead of health is strengthened further by a regular fitness and health section in the magazine. For instance, this section provides works outs that are meant to assist women to kick their bodies into shape prior to the skinny jean season, presents forty-five ways that assist women to feel sexy and healthy instantly as well as how getting fit can increase the chances of getting a date for women. In regard to social constructionism, this portrayal of weight loss as sex appeal and fitness is likely to make the woman readers want to achieve the same kind of body as the models. This is because the way people present themselves is influenced by the interaction they have with other people. Every one of these is an example of how the magazine blends health-related phrases with repressive and objectified phrases which neglect actual fitness to favor a male perspective that has been sexualized. However, it goes past Cosmopolitan’s content that is included in the health and fitness section. There is also content that deals with attitude adjustment, trendy orange accessories and various other attributes of the life of a woman which are supposed to be adjusted to enhance her sex appeal and have a higher chance of pleasing the men who are in her life. Cosmopolitan magazine describes this as the new attitude that makes men go wild in its May 2008 issue which demonstrates how women can achieve a powerful form of female charm that will make man become attracted. Apparently, Madonna utilized this form of confidence to get the attention of professional basketball star Alex Rodriguez away from his spouse. This desirable power to entice unsuspecting male members of the society was defined as a form of self-gratification and self-confidence, however at the end of the article; readers were warned of the negative impacts of possessing a high amount of these qualities. The readers were given the warning that when men chase after a woman, thy will consequently demand a reward for their endeavors, and if women maintain their hardliner characteristics, then the men that were after them might decide to look elsewhere. Even though this article may be thought to encourage confidence and independence in women, it cunningly prioritizes the pleasures of men above all other things. In the same manner, readers of the Cosmopolitan were given tips on how to “blow his mind up” in April 2006. The readers were advised that confidence in their bodies could elicit sexual desires from men and increase their anticipation. In this article, confidence was not demonstrated as being critical in the liberation of women, but as an aspect that is desired by men. It was considered a source of pleasure for a different person and not a source of self-confidence and personal empowerment for the woman. In September 2009, the Cosmopolitan carried an advertisement of a hairstyle that was meant to demonstrate the fun tricks that are appreciated by men, which implied that women should use their thong undergarments to fasten their hair back. In this case, social constructionism defines what is real as that which is socially acceptable with most of the social interactions involving a degree of acceptance of what if prevailing. This means that if a great number of women consider wearing thongs on their heads as permissible, them the rest will follow suit. In October 2010, a section that claims to provide women with seven tricks that they need to be aware of begins by making a point that does not objectify women. Is states the discovery buy scientists of how being involved in various activities changes the perception of a person towards life. From this statement, it can be assumed that women are being encouraged to take part in activities for their own good and not to for the glorification of other people. However, the article quickly turns to providing the women with shrewd moves that are supposed to be fun to demonstrate to others. The persistent male perspective re-emerges and focuses on showing women how they can remain in the spotlight throughout. Regardless of whether the journalistic content did not encourage sexual symbolization of women, the photos that accompanied them did. A story concerning how to deal with PMS would be beneficial and not demeaning if the picture that accompanied it was not totally unconnected and seemed to be taken straight out of the Playboy magazine. In the photo was a very thin young woman with a lot of make up on and dressed skimpily. The woman’s pose was seductive as she lay across a couch. In the same manner, an article addressing relationship issues and how women can stay in and catch a game with their spouses without being bored featured the photo of a skinny but busty young woman in skimpy attire, seated next to a man who was fully dressed as they watched a game on television. These examples assist in refuting the common conviction that exists among women that they have to attain impractical thinness so that they can be considered beautiful by men. In fact, these artificial ideals are advantageous to companies and not the personal relationships of the women. Numerous industries benefit from the beliefs women have concerning being imperfect and fixing their flaws through losing weight, getting tans and lightening skin among other things so that they can achieve happiness, success and be worthy of love. These are lies that are driven by profits to benefit the companies that come up with them. Acknowledging these risky messages in the Cosmopolitan and numerous other sources that purport to provide women with instruments that will assist them become more attractive is a huge step in the direction of putting them aside. Rejecting destructive advice that tells women their contentment, wellbeing and sexuality depends on whether they are fit impractical standards will greatly assist the women in embracing who they are and appreciating their natural beauty. Discussion Based on the social constructionist theory, reality is defined as a product of an individual’s own doing, however, it becomes clear from the preceding analysis that the Cosmopolitan magazine objectifies women in the articles it publishes as well as the photos that accompany these articles. The photos and articles that objectify women act as an example of the numerous magazines and other forms of media that make unnatural beauty seem permissible in the Australian society. Various scholars have dealt with the issue of objectification of women as well as how magazines and other forms of media have influenced the self-identity of women. The part played by mass media in social construction in regard to reality is critical in communication research (Adoni and Mane, 1984, p. 323). People have always learnt basic lessons concerning their social lives from mass media and the need of the society for stability and transfer of dominant values may be especially acute in the periods characterized by rapid social changes (Tuchman, Daniels and Benét, 1978, p. 3). The average person spends about five hours of their day engaging with mass media regardless of the form, which is almost equal to the hours that people spend at their jobs. Eighty percent of the five hours that are spent engaging with mass media is occupied by radio and television while the rest is shared between readings from the print media. By 1976, a single weekly event on television could be watched by more than a hundred million people who accounted to almost a half of the population of the United States. Each year television audiences spend numerous hours watching television which has exposed them to various portrayals of women (Tuchman, Daniels and Benét, 1978, p. 10). In most of the shows that are broadcasted, the women are not considered to be very significant and television shows are dominated by men whereby, there are two men for every one woman. Television has been regarded as a dominant force as far as shaping of the modern society is concerned with power that comes from emblematic content of drama that is shown throughout. It is perceived as the institutional storyteller of the society and the stories associated with the society provide a comprehensible scenario of what exists, what is vital and what is permissible (Griffin, 2006, p. 385). The media has always provided the definition of perfection for women from all over the world. Social trends underscore how the media and the idyllic images associated with it have affected women in unprecedented ways (Donnelly, 2008, p. 37). The female species has at all times been the subject of objectification in advertisement as well as showbiz and news, and such misuse has escalated in the contemporary times. The representation of women in the media continues to reduce women to mere objects to won and toys that are supposed to be used inappropriately. It consequently developed a description of attractiveness which women make comparison to (Berberick, 2010, p. 2). Men also try to equate the women in their lives with the ones that are portrayed in magazines and on television and this expresses the extent to which the society has been affected as a result of the sexism and exploitation of women. The magazines that target female audiences construct gender through literally instructing women to walk, dress and act in a particular manner. These magazines such as the Cosmopolitan present women as sexual objects determined to catch the right man. Through consuming the advertised products and behaviors in the magazines, women expect to become powerful and romantic while remaining sensuous and sexy. The perfect woman who is portrayed in the magazines is thin and wears attractive makeup and skimpy outfits. Regardless of the fact that people argue that no one supposes to fit the example of this perfect woman who is portrayed in the magazines, studies have proved otherwise, showing that women go to extreme extents to look like the examples the see in the magazines. Conclusion The popular media has considerable but not wholly up-front connection with the sense of gender and identity that is evident in the society. The messages that are developed by the media are varied, longwinded and inconsistent, and instead of being propagated in a straight into the minds of the people, ideas concerning lifestyle and identity that are seen in the media are resources which people are required to utilize in thinking through their self-identity and means of expression. Apart from this use of the media, a lot of other messages may impact the knowledge that people have each day. Moreover, people keep changing and coming up with new identities that based on the convictions of the past but structured around the contemporary mode of living, where gender meanings and sexuality are progressively open. The people who read the Cosmopolitan and other women’s magazines should make sure they understand the difference between natural and artificial beauty so that they do not get themselves in the trap of being objectified and to be confident with their own self-identity. 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