How does your media product represent particular social groups?Katie Winn

Front Cover• My media product has a demographic of teenagers/young

adults aged 13-19, which is reflected in my front cover on my feature article photograph as the cover star is within this age range.

• My target audience is 80% females and therefore I chose to have a female cover star as she would be more relatable and the reader would be more inclined to idolise her. I also selected a feminine colours scheme of pink and purple as it would appeal to my demographic more as stereotypically these colours represent femininity.

• The cover star on my front cover represents new affluent workers as she is 17 and therefore still in education, but with a part time job.

• My demographic are predominantly a White British ethnicity as the regional identity of my magazine is the United Kingdom, this is represented in my magazine as my cover star is of this ethnicity.

Comparison to Competitor ProductMy magazine follows a similar colour scheme to this competitor magazine, and both are very feminine, appealing more to females. However, I think that ‘ELLE’ magazine has a slightly older demographic as it promotes things that would appeal more to people in their twenties and also promotes shopping and fashion, which may be more appropriate for technical middle class or established middle class members of society, who have a steady, full time job, and therefore more of a disposable income. Whereas my magazine offers posters and advice, which are a better representation of my teenage demographic. Both magazines have a female cover star, however, they are different ages, meaning that they appeal to different people. My magazine has a young teenage cover star, who would appeal to other teenagers as they can idolise her, whereas ‘ELLE’ magazine has a cover star in her twenties, appealing to people of a similar age.

Contents Page• The continuation of the pink and purple colour scheme on

the contents page, establishes a very girly house style, representing the 80% female demographic I have aimed my magazine at.

• I chose a very simplistic layout, that is very easy to navigate throughout in order to appeal to my young demographic, as they have a care-free relaxed attitude and therefore would not want to spend a long time trying to find different articles.

• I chose very short, colloquial phrases to promote the articles as they create a friendly, informal mode of address, and therefore would represent my young, laid-back demographic.

• Most the artists featured on the contents page are within the age range of my demographic, therefore representing that age group and making them more relatable to my audience.

• I added some males to my contents page as a small minority of my demographic is males, however, I made sure it also applied to females as well by making them look like a boy band. By including both genders it connotes equality and fairness.

Double Page Spread• I used a similar colour scheme on my double

page spread to the rest of my product which meant that femininity was still represented, however the addition of blue to the colour scheme meant that it also applied to males as well, as it is a stereotypically masculine colour.

• Similarly to the front cover, the artist on my double page spread is female which represents my predominantly female demographic.

• The interview style article, creates an informal, chatty mode of address which appeals to my young demographic of new, affluent workers who would prefer to read something light-hearted and friendly, than a serious, informative article.

• The heading “rising superstar” in exciting and intriguing and would appeal to my young, current demographic, as they are the type of social group who want to keep up-to-date with all the current trends and be the first to know about new upcoming artists.

SummaryThroughout my media product, the following social groups are represented:• New Affluent Workers- my magazine is aimed at this social group and represents them

using a friendly, chatty tone, as they are quite young and therefore would not want to read very serious, informative articles. I also used colloquial language, and made the article sound conversational to ensure that it is easy to read and understand.

• Females- my magazine appeals mainly to females as it follows a pink and purple colour scheme throughout, and also the main artist featured is a female.

• People who have a strong interest in pop music and culture and see it as a hobby, but not necessarily a career path or lifestyle, as the magazine is includes other topics such as fashion and advice, rather than solely on music.

• Young adults who have a carefree, relaxed lifestyle, as the articles are very informal and chatty, mirroring this kind of lifestyle.