Extract 1: “It’s not often ‘on-trend’ and ‘comfort’ are used
in the same sentence but here we give you the metallic
jogger. Modelled expertly by Stella McCartney, she proves
to us mere mortals that heels and joggers could actually
be a ‘thing’ - as long as accessories are kept to a minimum,
or none, if you’re as cool as Stella!”
seen
to
be
extraordinary
and are therefore idolised
by many. Their superiority
is represented in the article
through the large size and
centre placing of the image,
but also through the producer’s
use of language. In the extract
above, the producer explicitly
refers to the celebrity as
being
above
the
readers,
contrasting the celeb against
“us mere mortals”. However, by
using the inclusive pronoun
‘us’, the magazine cleverly puts
itself on the same level as the
reader, including themselves
in the magazine community.
Furthermore, phrases such as
“Avoid mixing leathers” and
“You’re going to need tights for
this one”, are both pieces of
advice which contradict their
corresponding celebrity picture
- in which leathers are mixed
and tights are not worn. This
may give the impression that
the reader and the celebrity
are to follow separate rules.
Portraying the celebrity as
someone who can break the rules,
or someone whose appearance
allows them to do things that
other people should not, will
possibly make them seem more of
an inspirational figure.
Marshall (1997) explains that
in crowd dominant groups,
cohesiveness is dependent on a
leader through suggestion and
imitation (p.33). In building a
female community, Cosmopolitan
magazine uses the celebrity
figure as a lifestyle leader. As
Tarde (1903) explains, the leader
is the ‘social self’; they are
representative of the ideals
and tastes of community.
Rather than fitting this
article on a double page, it
is possible that they have
chosen to set it out with the
second page overleaf, due to
the fact that people are now
more aware and often sceptical
of advertising (Van Reijmersdal
et al., 2013; Ellerbach, 2004).
The first page, without any
product
advertisement,
may
initially draw the reader in,
then once they turn the page
they are offered examples
of products that fit with the
advice on the previous page.
Wood and Quinn (2003) have also
found that if the audience are
aware that they are viewing
an advertisement they are more
likely to resist the persuasion.
However, the viewer may not
see this article as having an
explicitly persuasive manner,
due to the range of techniques
mentioned within this essay,
41