Magazine Analysis

InStyle Magazine
Denotation
Connotation
· Head is covering Title
· This emphasises her importance; she is more important than the magazine title.

· Hand on her hips & body twisted
· This presents Jennifer in a much more softer way, than if she was facing forwards.
· The fact that her hands are on her hips also shows her confidence.

· Hair tied back
· This shows her independence, maturity and professionalism as to if her hair was let down.

· “FALL FASHION” – bold and big
· This represents the purpose of her being on the front cover; fashion.

· Red Lipstick, black and white clothing - red text, black and white text. Black, red and white are the main colours used.
· The colour red implies sexiness and seduction. The other colours black and white represents maturity and professionalism as to if a colour like pink was used. The black and white text also matches with the clothes she’s wearing and makes her look bold.

· Looking directly at the camera
· This makes Jennifer engage with the audience, it almost communicates with the reader.

· Clothes
· She’s wearing a black and white dress which shows off her body shape. Her dress emphasises maturity and professionalism. It also represents her glamorous lifestyle and star status.

· Smile
· Her smile brings the audience close to her, even though Jennifer is smiling, her smile doesn’t give her off as too friendly or laid back. It has a sense of seriousness and confidence.





Cosmopolitan
Denotation
Connotation
· Head is covering title
· This emphasises her importance; she is more important than the magazine title.

· Hands relaxed on her thighs.
· This also shows that she’s relaxed and comfortable. It also shows how much confidence she has in her body.

· Body slightly tilted almost facing forwards.
· Even though she’s facing forwards, her body is slightly tilted which also presents Jennifer in a softer way than if she was fully facing forwards.

· Colour of clothes matches with text
· The colours used on her clothes are mainly red and orange, which almost looks like fire. The fact that the dress looks like fire could relate to the text “Jennifer answers your burning questions”. The red background and red dress relates to sexiness.

· Hair blowing back
· This shows links back to the idea of sexiness; this is presented in a good way than to if her hair was tied back.

· “SEXY” – bold and big
· This represents the purpose of her being on the front cover; sexiness.
· It also matches with the dress she’s wearing and associates with the theme of the magazine.

· Revealing Clothes
· This matches with the season this magazine was made. Even though the dress isn’t formal it shows a bit of elegance and glamour in her.

· Smile
· Her smile draws the reader closer, as it gives off a warm welcome and presents J-Lo to be friendly








FHM
Costume: Jennifer is wearing a pale blue swimsuit which reveals her body. I think the purpose of this is to satisfy the target audience of this magazine, being men. The costume she’s wearing shows of her body and presents Jennifer as sexy.

Facial Expression: Jennifer is looking directly at the camera, the effect of this is that she communicates with the audience and attracts them to the magazine. She is pouting her lips; this once again projects her as being sexy and meets her purpose for being on the magazine.

Body Language: Jennifer has one hand on her hips and one hand relaxed on the sand setting. This shows her confidence in her body and shows that even though she’s relaxed she is strong and dominant. She’s also sticking her chest out, to show off her body (breasts). This presents her to be sexier. She’s kneeling on the sand with her legs bent behind her, this is also another way to project sexiness; the whole theme of the mag.

Camera Shot: I would say a mid shot is used here, even though you can see her whole body, she is kneeling which makes the shot look almost normal.

Setting, Lighting & Colour: Jennifer is sitting on sand with a blue background as if she was at a beach; I think this was done to create the atmosphere of ‘summer sexiness’, it also projects the theme of summer. The blue background makes Jennifer look cool, relaxed and sexy.






People

Costume: Jennifer is wearing a cream coloured type clothing which blends in with the background and allows the audience to focus more on the babies, which is the main topic of the magazine. Jennifer’s costume presents her as a mother; this is quite unusual as she is usually presented as an “independent woman” or “sexy”. The colour of her clothing shows maturity and peace.

Facial Expression: Jennifer has a smile on her face which makes her look friendly and heart warming, it also connects with the audience and brings them closer to her. Her facial expression shows that she is happy at what she’s doing, which is being a mother. The babies are asleep and look “at peace”.

Body Language: Jennifer is cuddling her babies and smiling, this shows the connection she has with her children.

Camera Shot: A mid-shot is used here, to make the image look like a family type photo. I think a mid-shot is also used so we can focus on the main subject or topics being, Jennifer and the babies.

Setting, Lighting & Colour: Jennifer is sitting on a couch with her two babies; I think this is done to make the image look real and natural. The main colours used in this are cream, white, lilac and blue; these are all cool peaceful colours to represent peace and purity.