magazine titled ‘Your Teen for Parents’
The first selected media is an adult magazine titled ‘Your Teen for Parents’, with a small side note underneath the big title written ‘for parents’. A glance at the title and hone immediately presumes that the magazine is for parents who look to understand better their children who are in their teenage years. The cover has text in different font and color from the rest of the page simply written ‘Bigger Kids. Bigger Fun’. The front cover’s main picture is ahead to knee size picture of a teenage girl holding two heavy books in her right hand, one of which is a chemistry textbook; this image is an ad for ‘Lake Erie College.'(“Your Teenager for Parents”, 2019, p. 2) The cover also includes text on the side, each in a different color describing some of the topics the magazine tackles such as ‘My kids won’t follow simple rules’, ‘Why teens fall in love fast’ and ‘Back to school’.
The pages of the magazine include a fair amount of pictures, a fair amount of which are of teenage girls who are portrayed in some instances to be dedicated to academic success or afraid of being shunned while using social media. The magazine overall communicates the importance of having a close-knit family with happy teenage children and a caring mother. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
The standout concept from the magazine immediately from the cover is school achievement. The cover, which is a college ad, depicts a girl holding books, and the magazine continues to display other images of different girls in a study position(“Your Teenager for Parents”, 2019, p. 2). The magazine is trying to convey to the parents that academic success is important for teenage development and also very possible, especially for adolescent girls. The recurring theme acts to reinforce the parents’ psyche of the capabilities of their teenage daughters; this is indirectly advocating for fair representation of girls in college.
Social norm is also another emphasized concept. The depiction of women caring for the family with no representation of fathers doing the same. The magazine emphasizes the social roles expected of women who, in turn, condition their daughters to follow the social norms as depicted by the magazine photo in the feature story ‘Good Habits, Good Life'(“Your Teenager for Parents”, 2019, p. 32). The magazine continues to echo the expected social norms between men and women.
Gender differentiationappears in the form of treating teenage boys and girls differently, as well as expecting different behaviors from the opposite sexes. Harnessing rebellion depicts teenage boys as being rebellious while the girls expected to learn from their mother accepted social behaviors(“Your Teenager for Parents”, 2019, p. 14). The magazine encourages parents to use the rebellious nature of boys to their advantage to get the best out of their development.
The magazine, in general, assures parents that it is not difficult to gain an understanding of their teenage children, emphasizing the importance of development through academic success,good behavior, and consistent parenting.
The Teenager Today is a magazine that is made exclusively for teenagers. The main star is the Indian cricket player ShafaliVerma with her picture on the vibrant and colorful first page wearing her sporting jersey and cricket protection gear while on the field striking a ball with her bat. The title is in red font, and the rest of the side topics covered in the magazine in white, some of which include ‘who will I be’ and ‘getting over gaming addiction’. The magazine has a good sum of images of women; each one is portraying a different topic of coverage.
Gender and work concept is in the form of the main focus of the magazine, which is the cricket player ShafaliVerma. The magazine defies the traditional expectations of what kind of work a lady should be engaged in, and by engaging a female professional cricket player, they inspire teenage readers. The magazine instills on the teenage reader that women are capable of hard work and commitment to become what they desire the most.
Gender equalityemerges as a constant theme as the magazine strike a balance between its portray of men and women. Images of women outnumber those of men as the magazine emphasizes to teens that academic and social struggles could happen to anyone regardless of their gender and then offers advice on how best to handle these challenges without grouping of the sexes. A segment on career choice offers insight into different career paths without restrictions based on gender.
Gender and emotion present itself in the form of dealing with exam stress and an overall negative feeling. ‘Dealing with exam stress, which is in the student segment portrays a picture of two girls and a boy, all of whom are overwhelmed by studying the books in front of them(“Teenager Today”, 2020, p. 14). Clear distinctions are not made about how female students of male students should deal with the stress; a holistic approach is taken to offer avenues on how to better prepare for examinations. The magazine is neutral and does not make any attempt to explain or state the difference in gender emotions.
The third form of media is the song ‘Intentions‘ by the popular Canadian pop artist Justin Bieber. The song consists of a pop tune with a base sound identical to that of contemporary hip-hop. The main premise of the song is the confessions of being attracted to a lover. The lyrics of the song are mainly the physical description of the beauty of the main subject. The starting chorus, which stands out as the song begins,is with the lyrics ‘Picture perfect, you don’t need no filter’.
Objectification emerges as a major theme from the song’s main chorus lyrics. The song describes flawless beauty and, as such, places it as the ultimate value of a sexual partner. The lyrics of the song describe rewards that a partner might receive simply from being considered beautiful. The song objectifies women and, in so doing, places value on their perceived attractiveness without regard for their personality or interests.
Gender and non-verbal communication present itself in the lyric ‘That kind of smile that makes the news’. The lyric signifies the non-verbal communication that is, at times, expected of women to signify a nurturing and attractive nature(Else-Quest & Hyde, 2018). The song instills the importance of non-verbal cues that women present to be parallel with what men would expect for them to be considered attractive.
The lyric in the chorus ‘Stay in the kitchen cooking up, got your own bread’ is popular slang translated into being financially independent. The lyric places importance on the quality of ladies being financially independent. The value placed on independence works to recognize that modern women are not simply dependent on seeking a partner to support them actively. The song, in general, is a love song that describes the physical features that appeal the most to the singer.
In conclusion, all the forms of media described represent the modern shift towards a more inclusive society with gender equality being the main standout feature, especially in print media. Print media has strived to be inclusive of both gender, but at the same time, other forms of media such as music have lagged behind and still sexually objectifies women and emphasizes male dominance over females.