Magazines!

The first magazine that I chose was Martha Stewart Weddings. This magazine practically jumped off the shelf and landed in my hands. The sea foam green/light turquoise background made the white cake with pink, orange, and yellow flowers stand out so fantastically that my eyes were admittedly drawn to it. This was Martha’s annual “do it yourself” issue so there were a lot of creative ways to plan a wedding on a moderate budget. There were ideas for everything starting with invitations and ending with party favors. The one article that I found very helpful was called “how to conceal anything”. It was telling woman what cover up and foundation to use on their wedding day to not only to cover blemishes on their face but also tattoos anywhere on their body.  As I flipped through the magazine there was no shortage of advertisements. Designers such as Vera Wang, Lazaro, Melissa Sweet and Lord and Taylor all took out ads in Martha’s magazine. I found myself lost in my own world, gazing at the luxurious dresses.  Also in the magazine were coupons for craft stores and online wedding favors distributions. You can really tell that this book was appealing to brides on a budget but the articles that they wrote. However, the expensive designers through me off; I suppose that if a woman was going to splurge on anything for a wedding it would be the dress, so that was a smart move by the designers.

The second magazine that I chose was VOGUE. The woman on the cover was Michelle Williams dressed as Marilyn Monroe. The reason that I picked up this magazine was because at a first glance I thought it was Monroe and I was intrigued. As I started to read the cover I found that it was Williams dressed like her because she played Monroe in a movie. Williams also discusses motherhood and other life topics in her article. Also on the cover was a list of actors, actresses, and movies featured in the magazine, the list included the very handsome, Ryan Gosling and the fantastic movie, X-men. I always like reading what the readers have to say so when I came to the section “letters from readers” I stopped flipping to read. There was one in particular like I liked, it was called Beauty and the Beast. I didn’t like this because it was about the beloved Disney classic, I liked it because of what the reader had to say about a picture Tina Brown. They describe how they like the picture because it portrays what an inspiring woman she is. The reader says that photographer was able to show what a strong woman she is because she lives such a demanding life of being a wife and a mother. The reader “applauds VOGUE for including such an admirable woman in their magazine and is thrilled to say that Brown is one of her role models.” Also in the magazine were a plethora of advertisements. However they were very different from the ones found in Martha’s Wedding. The advertisements were targeting a higher class of woman showcasing clothes and shoes by Banana Republic, Loft, UGG, DSW Shoes, Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, and Guess. They also were advertizing makeup from Lancome, Laura Mercier, and Clinque. The one advertisement that would seem out of place but made sense to me was for cologne by Giorgio Armani. The reason that this ad fit in this magazine is because women see it and they smell the sample and they go and buy it for their husband or boyfriend. You never really see men buying themselves cologne except from the grocery store. Men wouldn’t want to spend $100+ just to smell good, woman however would buy that for their man because it is all about “the brand.”

The third and final magazine that I chose was O Magazine, Operas magazine! On the cover was not only Opera but also Rosie O’Donnell. The dark color scheme of fall was warm and welcoming so I picked the magazine up. In big bold letters on the cover was “9 ways to change old patterns and spark new breakthroughs” also “Opera’s big AHA moments yet—and how it could lead to yours” this attracted a reader looking to better their life. The articles in this magazine were very different from the other two that I flipped through. For example, there was an article on how to cover an ottoman and another one called what’s your diet IQ. There was also one very inspirational article called In Search of Sisterhood, a story about mother Teresa. The advertisements were also targeting a different audience than the previous two magazines. There were ads for Intel, hair dye, Truvia, Kohls, Scrubbing Bubble, Lipton tea, and Glade air fresheners. This magazine is targeting an older more mature audience than the other two. These ads appeal to mothers and older “stay at home woman” who are looking to do home improvement and find new products for when they go grocery shopping.