Rites of beauty : are you in vogue ? A content analysis of the beauty myth in Vogue magazines

Abstract

Vogue as a publication is one genre of magazines aimed at women from any ethnic background, aged between approximately 18-35, who have money to spend on clothes and cosmetics, or at least have a sort of passion for fashion and beauty. British Vogue, Italian Vogue and American Vogue are all internationally recognised and as a publication Vogue is seen as the fashion and beauty bibles. However, it is important to remember that in most cases a magazine is not only read by the person who buys it but it is often read by various readers, passed down to friends or found in a waiting room. An important aspect of magazines as a mass media text is that messages found in them are rarely read in the same way by everybody who perceives them. The reason behind this study is the fact that women's magazines are said to only portray one stereotypical body shape of women. With this study I excavated Vogue depiction of the body image of three countries in 2009. With the help of content analysis I demonstrated that it is true that this cultural text only portray one type of body shape. The thin and young female fonn prevailed in the American, British and Italian publication of Vogue. It was also discovered that advertising content especially those on beauty were extensive compared to the less promoted practice of cosmetic surgery. Naomi Wolf's concept of the beauty myth still holds ground today on some of the practices done in the cult of femininity and on the argument that beauty still holds its power for those who attain physical perfection.