Oh Comely - Language and Representation

1) What do the typefaces used on the front cover suggest to an audience?

It suggests that Oh Comely is not your typical magazine, showing the independent nature of the magazine


2) The words under the title introduce the content and topics addressed. What do these suggest about the potential audience of Oh Comely?

It suggests that the audience may be primarily focused on women, possibly middle class/educated women 


3) How do the cover lines use narrative to create enigma? What do the cover lines suggest about the magazine's content and audience?

The cover lines seem relatively nonsensical when seen like that, but that strangeness results in the reader being interested in seeing what it means; creating enigma 
4) Write an analysis of the central image.

Typography:

• Unconventional
• Elegant
• Seems somewhat feminine - plays into the idea it's targeted towards
• minimalist 

Main figure:

• Gender ambiguous 
• Modern themes of gender identity 
• Pride
• Female
• Unconventional pose, model, fashion etc

Colour scheme/design:

• Minimalist
• Colours used are very muted 
• Very spacious design, null space 

5) What representation of gender can be found on this front cover?

As mentioned in the analysis, the model seems to be very gender ambiguous
Feature: Speaking Out

1) What does the headline and standfirst suggest about Oh Comely's feminist perspective?

very pro-feminist and women empowerment 
2) What do the interviewees in this feature suggest about the values and ideologies that underpin this magazine?

Very creative, individualistic and empowering 
3) How conventional is the page design in this feature? Why?

Unconventional to commercial standards but quite conventional to independent standards e.g. Minimalism and spacious designs are common amoungst independent magazines

4) Pick out specific aspects of this feature that subvert the stereotypical representation of women in the media. Are they different to what we may find in conventional women's lifestyle magazines such as Glamour or Cosmopolitan? Why is the absence of men a key feature of Oh Comely?

The women are not overly sexualized at any part of the magazine 
5) How does the photography offer a fresh or unusual perspective on women?

Most of the photography is "artistic" with framing and colour grades not normally found in larger commercial magazines 

Feature: More than gender

1) How does this feature offer a fresh perspective on gender and identity?

It shows sides of gender that isn't always shown in mass media, such as transgender individuals 
2) What is the significance of the writer and photographer? How does this fit with the Oh Comelybrand?

The photographer and writer offer their own aesthetics that are different but similar in nature 
3) What style of photography is used in this feature?

Minimalistic and often scenic 
4) What representations of the transgender lifestyle can be found in this feature?

Very much open to transgender individuals and different gender identities 
5) Why is the biographical information at the end of the article significant? (Clue: the writer is also an editor of a niche, creative magazine called Entitle).

It adds to the minimalistic and independent feel of the magazine


Representation and identity

Work through the following questions on representation and Oh Comely:
1) How do representations in Oh Comely challenge stereotypes?:

Instead of being seen as just objects for the male gaze, women are being represented as figures that have their own ideas and beliefs and can bring their own critical thinking in a situation 

2) What representations of race, ethnicity and nationality can be found in the 'Speaking Out' feature?

There is a positive representation of multiple races, ethnicities and nationalities, these include Somalians, black, white and also Asian. 

3) What representation of women and femininity can be found in Oh Comely?

There is a strong representation of positivity and empowerment, feminity is seen to be broad and important. They are presented to be more than just a body to be objectified 

4) Why might Oh Comely deliberately under-represent men? (The absence of men in the magazine appears to be a largely deliberate move by the editors).

The deliberate abscence of men could have been done in order to promote women and make sure that female accomplishments are acknowledged and appreciated instead of having some spotlight taken by men.5) Does Oh Comely fit into the possible fourth wave of feminism? Or is it evidence of post-feminism - that feminism is no longer needed?

While I believe that Oh Comely does actively use social media and the internet to promote feminism and empower women, I don't believe that they believe that feminism is no longer needed, this is mainly due to the fact that the feminism is often brought up within their magazine and the importance of feminism is brought up too

6) How does the 'More than gender' feature challenge Levi-Strauss's structuralist theory of binary opposition?

The feature states that gender itself is not binary and that the idea of gender is always in constant motion of change, the feature also touches on the idea that our identities can change also.7) Judith Butler argues gender is a performance. How does Oh Comely challenge traditional gender roles? You should refer to both the cover and the selected CSP features. 

The model on the cover photo has a very dominant pose and look to her that is not overly feminine and flirtatious, this changes the typical ideology of women being purely their for sexual reasons; This is significant as the this means that Oh Comely is actively trying to subvert the typical ideology of what beauty is that large media corporations have managed to form over the years.

8) Angela McRobbie explored the empowering nature of women's lifestyle magazines in the 1990s. Oh Comely seeks female empowerment in a different way. What differences can you find between Oh Comely and more traditional women's lifestyle magazines such as Cosmopolitan orGlamour? 

Cosmopolitan or Glamour (and almost any other beauty or fashion related magazine) often focus on the look and body of their models; for Oh Comely although, they have managed to present women for their intellectual properties rather than their physicality.

9) David Gauntlett argues that identity is becoming more fluid, media representations change over time and that there are generational differences. Does Oh Comely support this viewpoint?

I do believe that Oh Comely does support this viewpoint, this is evident through their transgender feature that shows the fluidity of gender and how it can change over time. Along with that feature, Oh Comely further supports this viewpoint through their cover photo, the girl is androgynous, this also supports fluidity

10) It has been argued that Oh Comely is a far more open text (Stuart Hall - encoding and decoding) with more room for negotiation in interpretation. Do you agree with this view? Why?

When it comes to what Oh Comely represents and they promote I do believe that Oh Comely is far more open than other magazines. Throughout the magazine within the different features, a direct conclusion is never made, this lack of closure gives the audience the freedom to connect the pieces together to form their own beliefs and interpretations to what they have just read.