Body Images in GQ and Vogue

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that magazine advertisements employ a wide array of methods to catch the easily distracted eye and send, within the brief period in which the reader actually looks at the ad, sophisticated messages about body images. The writer analyzes the implicit body image messages present in two very different magazines--one for a male audience, the other for female readers. The writer points out that the central argument is that male ads usually focus on the man's functional worth, as a worker, driver, or the like, while ads for women normally emphasize the woman's beauty and aesthetic value. The writer concludes that the message portrayed in the ads is that the worth of a man's body is relative to its utility and functioning power while a woman's body is measured by the tyrannical criteria of beauty.

Outline:
Introduction
GQ Ads
Versace suit ad
The designer shirt ads
Women's ads in Vogue Paris
A. Dining woman ad
B. The "Mountain Woman"
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"The top half of this specific ad (GQ 219) advertises an expensive designer shirt and, at first glance, the dinner table scenario seems fairly ordinary. However, this seemingly inoffensive ad reveals the same characteristics as the ad mentioned above. In it, a chiseled-faced male is dexterously carving and arranging the meal's meat course. His skilful performance with the instruments sparks the admiration of his attractive companion, who sits close to him and stares at his working hands with unqualified admiration. In the bottom half of the ad, this same couple is seated in a car (this ad, too, advertises the same garment) and it is not surprising to see that the man is operating the steering wheel while his companion looks on. These are not, obviously, incidental poses, and the proclivity to focus on the body's functioning abilities: driving, working, cutting, rather than on its aesthetic characteristics is clearly discernable in a large number of GQ's advertisements."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Today's Formatting T-Shirts." GQ June. 2007: 213-219.
• "Helmut Newton." Vogue Paris June-July. 2007:
• Kolbe, Richard H. and Paul J. Albanese. "The functional integration of sole-male images into magazine advertisements." Sex Roles: A Journal of Research (June 1997). 27 May 2007 <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_n11-12_v36/ai_20191591/pg_1>.
• "Souffle Nord." Vogue Paris June-July. 2007.

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