Magazines: The Gentlewoman - Language and Representations

The first part of our case study on The Gentlewoman will focus on media language and representations.

The Gentlewoman deliberately offers an alternative version of the women's fashion magazine genre and we need to explore how page design, content and conventions are used or subverted to create this effect. We also need to consider the different representations that can be found in these features.

You need to really get to know the selected CSP pages for this edition of The Gentlewoman featuring Scarlett Johansson on the cover. You can download the Gentlewoman selected CSP pages as a PDF here - you'll need to log in to your Greenford Google account to download them.

Notes from the lesson

The Gentlewoman: an introduction

The Gentlewoman is an alternative independent women’s fashion magazine aimed at a niche audience.

It was launched in 2010 and is published just twice a year with around 100,000 copies distributed worldwide. 

Social and cultural contexts

The Gentlewoman is part of a development in lifestyle and environmental movements of the early 21st century which rebrand consumerism as an ethical movement. 

Its representation of femininity reflects an aspect of the feminist movement which celebrates authenticity and empowerment. As part of the design-led, independent magazine sector, The Gentlewoman can also be seen as part of a movement responding to the idea of ‘Internet fatigue’.

The Gentlewoman editor: Penny Martin

Penny Martin has edited the magazine since its launch. "I'm interested in how modern women live, from the way they drink, dance, drive and speak to the way they sign their letters or conduct their divorces. It's about putting those women at the centre of the material world around them. That balance is important to us." 

Cover stars have ranged from 88-year-old actor Angela Lansbury to popstar Beyoncé, looking calm, strong and composed in Dior with a face free of make-up. 

What is a gentlewoman?

In the first issue – called ‘Modernist’ – Penny Martin defined the term:

The magazine’s subjects would be “stylish, intrepid, and often hilarious” contemporary women, and they would be depicted in journalism and portraits that reflected “women as they actually look, sound and dress.” 

In contrast to “the passive and cynical cool of recent decades,” Martin wrote, “The Gentlewoman champions the optimism, sincerity, and ingenuity that actually get things done.”

The Gentlewoman: Language and Representation blog tasks

Close-textual analysis

Work through the following tasks to complete your close-textual analysis of the Gentlewoman CSP pages:

Gentlewoman front cover 

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

2) How does the cover subvert conventional magazine cover design?

3) Write an analysis of the central image.

4) What representations of gender and celebrity can be found on this front cover?

5) What gender and representation theories can we apply to this cover of the Gentlewoman? 

Feature: Modern Punches

1) How does the feature on Ramla Ali use narrative to engage the audience? Apply narrative theories here.

2) What representations can you find in this feature - both interview and image?

3) What representation theories can we apply to the Modern Punches feature? 


Feature: Isabella Tree interview

1) Why is this feature unconventional for a women's lifestyle and fashion magazine? Comment on the use media language in these pages. 

2) How does the Isabella Tree feature reflect the social and cultural contexts of contemporary Britain? Think about AQA's discussion of lifestyle, environmental issues and ethical movements.

3) What representations of nature can be found in this feature?

Feature: Stella McCartney and vegan fashion

1) How does this feature reflect contemporary social and cultural contexts?

2) Comment on the typography and page design in this feature.

3) What representations can be found in the image accompanying this feature? 

Representations

Read this Business of Fashion interview with The Gentlewoman editor Penny Martin. If you don't want to sign up to the website (free) then you can access the text of the article on Google Drive here (you'll need your Greenford Google login). Answer the following questions: 

1) What type of magazine did Penny Martin, Gert Jonkers and Jop van Bennekom want to create? 

2) What representations of modern women did they try to construct for the magazine?

3) What examples of cover stars reflect the diversity in the magazine's content? 

4) What is Penny Martin's view on feminism and whether the magazine is feminist?

5) Look at the end of the article. How does the Gentlewoman help readers construct or reflect their identity by engaging with events and spaces beyond the magazine? 

A/A* extension tasks

Read this extended profile of editor Penny Martin in The Cut. What does it suggest about the representations in the magazine and how they might appeal to an audience?

Similarly, this Stack interview with Penny Martin has some really interesting points on pop feminism and how women are represented and addressed by the magazine.

Due date on Google Classroom