'Woman' magazine- article analysis 'Woman's Royal army corps'

Advert: Women’s Army Corps analysis

Layout and design:

• The advert contains mostly text which makes it appear as though it is an article. This can intrigue the audience as they are interested in the article, usually people skip/avoid adverts.
• This is further shown by the headline which doesn’t show that it is an advert. The headline “These are things girls worry about…” intrigues the reader into wanting to know the answer rather than thinking they are being advertised to.
• The advert only uses one image next to the headline of the advert. The image is of a woman wearing a formal coat and she isn’t sexualised which is typical for the magazine but atypical with modern magazines.

Media language:

• Alliteration- “sun’s shining”, “complete change” and “frankly fed-up”.
  The use of alliteration makes the advert appear more memorable and recognisable. The alliteration is used to highlight the most important aspects of the Women’s Army Corps. The use of the sibilance alliteration in “sun’s shining” emphasises that the programme includes travelling which would appeal to a lot of people. The word “sun” creates a positive outlook on the programme as it has cheerful connotations. This links to the Roland Barthes semantic theory. The fricative alliteration in “frankly fed-up” is used to stand out to the audience so they can consider if they also feel “fed-up” with their job, it encourages them to question their own life.
• Rhetorical question- “What’s the answer?”, “Any ideas?” and “What about you?”
  The use of rhetorical questions creates a more intimate connection between the advert and the reader. The audience feel as though they have been personally asked which encourages them to answer the questions and consider what the advert is offering.
• Metaphor- “Are you wondering how to be more than just a cog in a machine?”
  The metaphor implies that the women reading the magazine aren’t being used to their full potential and would be if they joined the W.R.A.C. The metaphor conveys that women feel as though they have little power compared to men who are fully utilised in their jobs. This would have been influenced by the Women’s Rights Movement which was taking place at the time where women were fighting for equal pay and equality between men and women.
• Listing- “Careers, travel, independence, friendship”.
  The use of a list also emphasises the main aspects the advert is trying to convey to the audience, this links to the alliteration also used. These are printed clearly in bold at the top of the advert to make them stand out to the reader, so they can clearly see the positives of the Army Corps, which can draw them in to read the advert and encourage them to join.
• Imperatives- “Write today for further information”.
  The use of imperatives makes the reader feel as though they have been personally asked to do something which further encourages them to do it. The use of an imperative in this sentence is telling the audience to contact the head office for more information further encouraging them to apply.
• Anecdotes- Margaret, Brenda and Beryl’s stories.
  Gives the reader someone to relate their problems to. It gives the advert a chance to describe the feelings women might be experiencing and if they are that they should join the W.R.A.C. The advert is set out in an ‘agony aunt’ style as it gives the anecdotes answers for their problems and how to improve their life, the answer always being to join the Army Corps. The anecdotes are used to reinforce the main elements of the W.R.A.C (Margaret-friendship, Brenda- careers and Beryl- travel) and show how they can relate to everyday life.
  Representation:

• Liesbet Van Zoonen- The idea that women are objectified in the media.
  This cannot be applied here as the women in the advert are presented as powerful and not vulnerable and incapable like in some of the other adverts/ articles in the magazine. In the only image the woman is wearing suitable clothing and is not presented sexually and there is no chance for scopophilia.
• bell hooks- The idea that within society’s hierarchy there is also a hierarchy in the group of women.
  The theory can be applied slightly to the advert. The advert doesn’t show any prejudice or discrimination towards any ethnicity or class however the advert does reach out mostly to British women, this is arguably because the magazine is British. Moreover, the image used features a white woman and no other ethnicities however there is only one image used and therefore only one opportunity to present a class so there is no lack of variety.
• Laura Mulvey 1975 male gaze- The idea that women are presented in the media for male pleasure.
  This can also not be applied as the women in the advert are presented as though they are capable and strong and not sexually. The advert is also reaching out to women in a women’s magazine and isn’t being presented to men. This could relate to the target audience for the advert as if they presented women as weak and inept, less women would sign up.
• Judith Butler- The idea that gender is created by society.
  This theory cannot be applied to the advert as the advert is asking Women to join the Army which goes against the typical conventions for a woman, especially in the 1960s where women were expected to be house wives and care for their husband and children.

Audience:

• The clear audience for the advert is women who are unhappy or feel as though they are not being fully utilised in their current job.
• The advert clearly portrays the words “careers, travel, independence and friendship” when describing the Army Corps. This conveys to the reader that if they are interested in any of these aspects that they will be interested in the advert. Therefore, the target audience are people who are looking for a new career where they have independence, make new friends and get to travel.
• The Gerbner cultivation theory can be slightly applied here. The main streaming element of the theory discusses how the more we see something the more we believe it, especially if we lack first-hand experience. This can be applied to the advert as the more readers view it the more they will become to be influenced by the advert and feel more encouraged to join. The advert can also link to the resonance concept of the theory which discusses how everything we see is intensified. This applies as the advert will portray the Army Corps as better than it really is in order to recruit more members.
• The Stuart Hall reception theory can be applied here as the advert could be taken multiple ways. Some women may interpret the advert as suggesting they are powerful and strong like men. However, another interpretation is that the advert is portraying that women who want to be housewives are living a boring life. This could be interpreted through the anecdotes used which discuss women feeling bored with their current life and quotes like “Are you wondering how to be more than just a cog in a machine?” However, the advert does try to combat this through the use of phrases like “In cases like hers” and “Do you feel like these girls?”