Oh Comely Language and Representation: blog tasks

Language: close-textual analysis

Front cover

Oh Comely front cover uses a handwritten font for its masthead. This gives the magazine a more personal feel.

The words under the title introduce the content and topics addressed. These words suggest that Oh Comely readers are creative and artistic, it also portrays their intelligence and their reluctance to conform to social standards.

Cover-lines use narrative to create enigma. This is seen in Oh Comely's cover-line 'Power and poise. Words of hard-won wisdom. Surprisingly strong things'. This slightly encrypted cover-line allows it to be open for interpretation. The mention of strength suggests that readers are strong-minded.  

The central image features a stunning woman who is seen with little to no makeup and her hair pulled out of her face. Her posture is relaxed yet asserts a sense of dominance. Her earrings and patterns on her jacket are bold and adventurous. This could represent the characteristic of their consumers and their tendency of not being fearful to stand out.

The female gender is being presented as bold and powerful.

Feature: Speaking Out

The headline and stand-first suggest that Oh Comely has a strong opinion on women's thoughts and their experiences. Making the headline 'Speaking Out' the only thing featured on the page portrays Oh Comely's willingness to Prioritise women's voices as this may not be commonly done in society

Interviewees in this feature come from different ethnic backgrounds. They are also all different ages and religions. This exemplifies how diverse the magazine is.

The page design is unconventional compared to other magazines. Each page features a central image that takes up the majority of the page with text underneath. Making these women the focal point represents how significant these women are.

This feature includes many aspects that subvert the stereotypical representation of women in the media. The women in this feature are seen in their natural states without airbrushing or Photoshop. The pictures featured are not of those that are produced at high-quality photo shoots with studio-quality lighting, the pictures used are of these women doing the things that they love. Certain religions and cultures are not always represented in the media, however, Oh Comely featured women from all backgrounds. 

The photography offers a fresh/unusual perspective on women as they are seen to be in their natural and relaxed state. This is showing the real side to women rather than photo-shopping or editing them.

Feature: More than gender

The feature offers a fresh perspective on gender and identity as they share the story of a man who has transitioned into a woman.

The writer and the photographer are the sisters featured in the article. This is significant because it is a magazine that is quite personalised and the writer is talking from a personalised view. 

The style of photography used is more personal. We see the two siblings engaging in conversation at the start and toward the end, they are seen in a photo booth having fun.

The transgender lifestyle is represented as difficult as many aspects of society make it very difficult to be a transgender man or woman freely. However, it also portrays how rewarding it is and how happy they are now that they are in the body that they feel comfortable in.

The biographical information at the end of the article is significant because it makes the experience of reading a particular article seem more real and personalised. 

Representation and Identity

The representations in Oh Comely challenges stereotypes commonly seen in society. Women are not sexualised and they are seen in their natural state, rather than being edited.

The 'Speaking Out' feature showcases women from different ethnic backgrounds and nationalities. This is not commonly seen in mainstream magazines as they usually include women from a particular ethnicity and race.

Women and femininity are uplifted and praised in Oh Comely. All women are exalted no matter what age, ethnicity or size they are.

Oh Comely chooses to under-represent men. This is because it is a magazine made by women for women. Men have many platforms dedicated to them and Oh Comely provides women with that same chance to have a platform dedicated to them.

 

Oh Comely shows evidence of being a part of the fourth wave of feminism. They use social media and online platforms to express their beliefs to their readers. Oh Comely features stories about people who have managed to fight and overcome the problems they have come across as women. This shows that feminism is still needed in society.

 

The 'more than gender' feature challenges Levi-Strauss's structuralist theory of binary opposition as it illustrates we are in control of our own identities and gender is now considered to be more fluid.

Judith Butler argues gender is a performance. Oh Comely challenges traditional gender roles as it subverts stereotypes placed on women. 

Liesbet van Zoonen has suggested women's bodies are objectified and artificially constructed to present women as passive and restricted to secondary roles. Oh Comely challenges this ideology placed on women and allows them to dress how they want to. Women are no longer featured as an attempt to satisfy the male gaze and they are now portrayed as strong and independent. 

David Gauntlett argues that identity is becoming more fluid and media representations change over time and there are generational differences. Oh Comely supports this viewpoint and this is seen through the feature of 'More than gender' in Oh Comely.

I agree with the point that Oh Comely is a far more open text with more room for negotiation in interpretation. This is because Oh Comely does not conform their readers to think one specific way about certain topics.