Monday, October 8, 2018

Celebrity/ Model Representation



Related imageWinnie Harlow 

aka Chantelle Winnie – she’s tall, slender, drop-dead gorgeous but there’s something that sets her apart – she has vitiligo.

Vitiligo is a condition that causes depigmentation in sections of the skin. It occurs when melanocytes (the cells responsible for skin pigmentation) die or are unable to function.

She’s the first model with the disease and her story is truly inspirational. She admits growing up was very tough and the bullying felt endless but she learned to love herself and is now a vitiligo spokesperson.

Winnie appeared on America’s Next Top Model in which she stated, “a lot of people have a story, a background, but mine is painted on my body”.

She’s taking the world by storm and inspiring others with her natural beauty and positive outlook on life.


Representation

We can see that Magazines are not afraid anymore of presenting models that aren't traditionally "PERFECT", in this case, perfect refers to white, tall, skinny models.

By having Winnie Harlow on the front covers of the magazines changes the traditional conventions of a magazine because she is not only representing black women but also those that have Vitiligo and those that don't fit with the traditional beauty standards.
1. GRAZIA

The image of the GRAZIA magazine is different from what they usually have, they use paparazzi photographs on most of their front covers.
However, this Photograph of Winnie Harlow is a studio shot, we can see the clear blue background which gives a simplistic theme to the front cover. The color scheme is very simplistic as well, the Cover lines and heading are white mainly, but we can see the use of black and red that we can find on the model as she wears red lipstick and the black hair that matches with the picture at the top and some of the text on the cover lines. The makeup used is very simple, aimed to highlight her facial features that have depigmentation.
The pose of the model, in this case, Winnie Harlow, is focusing on the facial features. We can only see her face and hands(close shot) suggesting that the issue is pointing out the beauty side that the magazine is promoting rather than fashion, moreover, at the bottom of the front cover, there are some beauty products which are promoted supporting the concept of beauty.


2. ELLE

ELLE is usually having mid-long shots of models/celebrities on their front covers.
Similarly to GRAZIA, the model is wearing her hear down, but this time the hairstyle is different as it straight.
The background is neutral- nude color, which matches the model's clothes especially her top, the black bra matches with the hair and the masthead of the magazine. The red trousers give a nice touch of color, the laces on the trousers match the color of the features of the magazine which are white.
The pose of the model shows a lot of the garment that is promoted as she poses standing.
We can clearly see that the model in this issue is promoting clothing/fashion rather than makeup and beauty.

3.BAZAAR

Similarly to ELLE, BAZAAR magazine uses celebrities and models on their front covers and promote fashion.
In this front cover, the model is posing in a red dress and a red hat that covers her hair but reveals her back as she is positioned sideways from the camera(over the shoulder pose). We can see her skin and the fact that she has Vitiligo and how she is not afraid to show her skin features to everyone.
her makeup is very bizarre and dark which matches with the features of the magazine adding a bit of mystery and giving it a dramatic effect, the masthead is white, less visible perhaps to focus the attention on the model rather than the title.
The background is grey-neutral, which makes the model and her garment stand out.




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How do you intend to use the four areas of the media theoretical framework to communicate meaning and meet the requirements of your c...