ElLe MaGaZiNe

The pop culture text I chose to write about is the June 2005 edition of the fashionable Elle magazine. This magazine is very popular with young women, fashion editors, and designer names. Along with photo spreads, advertisements, and articles, this magazine also includes diet plans, beauty advice, and surveys. It is easy to see why this magazine would appeal to so many women, and it is a seemingly healthy way for women to appreciate high class style, and escape from the mundane “real world” that they are accustomed to.

It’s interesting to look at why Elle gains support from readers who are mostly women. The men’s magazines often show sexy women on the covers of their magazines because sex sells. Could it be the same for women? Women would rather buy a fashion magazine with a beautiful model on the cover wearing designer clothing than one with an average Jane wearing JC Penny. Sex sells to both men and women, but for different reasons. Personally, I read these magazines to gain insight on hair, make-up, and fashion, but mostly to daydream about being able to afford the expensive clothing and high class lifestyles that these models and celebrities are able to experience.

The advertisements in Elle are centered on outrageously priced jewelry, expensive make-up and perfumes, hair care products, elegant clothing, and various products to make one look younger. The latter includes wrinkle reducing lotion, eye cream to eliminate dark circles, firming lotion for cellulite prone legs and buttocks, advanced razors to get a closer shave, and exfoliating lotions and scrubs to remove dead skin. These ads subtly introduce to women readers the idea that we must resort to numerous, pricey products in order to look and feel sexy. In other words, we, as women, are not good enough or sexy enough without extensive work on our external beauty. This idea is exemplified with the realization that every single page including an article on beauty, or a beautiful woman, is accompanied by an advertisement or brand name.

Although these ideas of commercial beauty may cause a controversial twist to the magazine, it is important to recognize the positive elements as well. A specific ad in the magazine, for a right hand diamond ring, states that “Your left hand sees red and thinks roses. Your right hand sees red and thinks wine. Your left hand says, “I love you.” Your right hand says, “I love me, too.”” This page of the magazine, although an advertisement, suggests the importance of being an independent, strong woman in today’s world. The right hand ring is representing the idea that a women does not need to wait and find a man to make her happy, although the idea of diamonds alone having the power to satisfy a woman’s needs is another popular, controversial stereotype.

I believe that Elle magazine, along with many fashion and pop culture magazines, are both demeaning and empowering to women. Readers must remember to take nearly everything with a grain of salt, and use the text more as an entertainment source than anything else.