Oh Comely: Representation blog tasks

1) How do representations in Oh Comely challenge stereotypes?

The representations in Oh Comely challenge stereotypes because a typical women's lifestyle magazine would have more cover lines and famous celebrities but this magazine has minimal content. In terms of women in the magazine they are not being objectified which you would't expect because in typical women's lifestyle magazines most women are objectified. Also, some of the representations are very gender fluid which is a very niche topic. There is not that many men in the magazine which if you compare other women's health magazines they do have men in them.

2) What representations of race, ethnicity and nationality can be found in the 'Speaking Out' feature?

The representations of race, ethnicity and nationality that can be found is black, white and mixed raced. The nationalities that can be found in the "Speak out" feature are Somalian, British and other nationalities also are in the magazine.

3) What representation of women and femininity can be found in Oh Comely?

In the story about Megan Crabble who is a body positivist blogger the image in the feature is deliberately selected to binary opposite the representation of women. This is different to what we would find in typical women's lifestyle magazines. Also the story on Amali Alwis challenges stereo types and shows empowerment of women and a feminist message. There is strength and determination shown in the image and the quote is a feminist message. This is different to what we would find in typical women's lifestyle magazines such as Cosmopolitan.

4) Why might Oh Comely deliberately under-represent men? (The absence of men in the magazine appears to be a largely deliberate move by the editors).

Oh Comely might deliberately under- represent men in the magazine because they want women to have empowerment and having men in the magazine is not going to help Oh Comely to that objective. I think that the editors want to keep men absent in the magazine because they want women to be empowered by the stories that other women have.
5) Does Oh Comely fit into the possible fourth wave of feminism? Or is it evidence of post-feminism - that feminism is no longer needed?

I think that Oh Comely does fit into the possible fourth wave of feminism because there is a lot of references to technology in the magazine. Also, this culture is indicative of the continuing influence of the third wave, with its focus on challenging sexism and misogyny in advertising, film, television and the media. The internet has created a "call out".

6) How does the 'More than gender' feature challenge Levi-Strauss's structuralist theory of binary opposition?

The "More than gender" feature challenges Levi- Strauss theory of binary opposition because Levi Strauss's binary opposition theory was about how opposites can be understood and therefore every culture can be understood in these terms. Binary oppositions can be used to create stereotypes and promote certain ideologies or beliefs. In the "More than gender" feature there are stereotypes but they are not being promoted. People are accepting gender fluidity which means that the article is telling peoples achievements about gender transformation and how peoples lives have changed because of it and it is not a negative thing to be gender fluid like binary opposites or stereotypes.

7) Judith Butler argues gender is a performance. How does Oh Comely challenge traditional gender roles? You should refer to both the cover and the selected CSP features.

Judith Butler argues that gender is a performance. But the Oh Comely magazine challenges traditional gender roles because on the front cover the model is wearing a blazer to look like she is going to work and business but in those days men used to do the work in the office and used to be the breadwinners but now you can see that women are starting to get the jobs in the office. Also in terms of hair there is gender fluidity being shown. Also in the other CSP features the women are leading from the front and are doing great things and these are being celebrated by the magazine because of the stories that they have written.

8) Angela McRobbie explored the empowering nature of women's lifestyle magazines in the 1990s. Oh Comely seeks female empowerment in a different way. What differences can you find between Oh Comely and more traditional women's lifestyle magazines such as Cosmopolitan or Glamour?

In Oh Comely the way they want to empower women is by giving them stories and things that other women have done in the world which they can take inspiration from and then maybe do something like that in the future which will effect the world in a positive way. All the women in the magazine are not well known and are ordinary people. An example is the stories that are one of the features in the magazine which talks about some of the stories of different girls. The difference is that in Glamour and Cosmopolitan is that in these magazines they empower women by giving advice about looks, exercise, physic and relationships. This empowers women because the magazine gives advice about how to look better.


9) David Gauntlett argues that identity is becoming more fluid, media representations change over time and that there are generational differences. Does Oh Comely support this viewpoint?

Oh Comely supports this viewpoint that identity is becoming more fluid, media representations change over time and there are generational differences because of the front cover. The model on the front cover is gender fluid because the women has short hair and minimal make up and you can't tell if the figure is male or a female. The feature to do with gender in the Oh Comely magazine also supports this statement because there is talk about characters like Ash who are gender fluid.

10) It has been argued that Oh Comely is a far more open text (Stuart Hall - encoding and decoding) with more room for negotiation in interpretation. Do you agree with this view? Why?

I would agree that Oh Comely is a far more open text (Stuart Hall - encoding and decoding) with more room for negotiation in interpretation because I think that the magazine talks about very niche topics such as gender fluidity and the way they discuss these topics it is open to interpretation and a lot of people will have a different opinion on it. Stuart Hall's theory of decoding and encoding is all about different framework and infrastructure. The magazine is very open about different topics and really does want to promote and make gender fluidity and empowering women a positive thing.