Magazine Covers that Reinforce Dominant Ideologies or Challenge

with Counter Ideologies

In Marxist philosophy, the term dominant
ideology denotes the attitudes, beliefs, values,
and morals shared by the majority of the people in
a given society.
The Dominant ideology that this The Atlantic magazine cover
reinforces is that of being against the current state of American
politics. With the 2016 presidential election campaign victory and
the 2017 inauguration of President Donald J Trump, the Republican
Party has control of the Whitehouse which is disliked by many of
the population in the United States as a majority of Americans
prefer Democrats. This cover is clearly against Trump and
Republicans because of the wording it has and the mode of
address it uses. Comically informing readers of their opinions, the
creators of this magazine attempt to make people agree with their
views by impressing them with humour. Also, the covers design
elements aid in getting its agenda across to readers. The simple
layout and colours make it easy to see when compared to other
magazines that include big blocks of text on their fronts. The
wording states what are perceived to be facts rather than opinions
because of the small amount of words, the formal text used and
how direct it is in forcing readers to believe what is written. Politics
is a serious topic of discussion as it effects the well being of
individuals and societies. By using the image it does and the
vocabulary it does, this cover has juxtaposition and could be
considered a welcome difference from all the information filled,
politically correct magazines.
The dominant ideology that this Gentlemans Quarterly magazine
cover reinforces is that which men should all aspire in the world
today. Use of physically fit celebrities as poster people on covers of
magazines is very common as they are an obvious feature in the
technique of persuading people to notice things and subscribe to
them. Using this photograph of David Beckham easily makes males
want to read what is inside this magazine and try out some of the
things it gives tips on. Men can aspire to the former football player
because he looks good, is rich, is famous, is successful and is a
celebrated personality. David Beckhams neat suit, styled hair and
charming smile are all noticed by people that see this cover. The
subconscious belief is that if people use the tips from inside this
magazine, they will be more like David Beckham. The cover uses a
subtle mode of address because none of those points are actually
referred to. There is some text that tells people to do things such as
buy certain products and the image acts as a justification for doing
what the writing says. The unofficial suggestion is that people have a
chance to be more like Beckham. The makers cleverly show the big
photo in a central position as that is what grabs the most attention.
This design element is an obvious advertising technique in
marketing.
The counter ideology that this Elle magazine cover challenges with,
is the ideology that you can be considered beautiful no matter your
size, race or anything. There are usually white, skinnier women on the
cover of fashion specific magazines. Using actress Gabourey Sidibe
stands out as it is an anomaly. She is not the typical kind of woman
that people would expect to witness on magazines which is why this
counter ideology is the counterpart to the GQ David Beckham
magazine issue as it shows the opposite perspective. When looking to
find if something influences a counter ideology or not, it is a good
idea to research about any controversy surrounding the topic. This
edition caused controversy in 2010 because the colour of Gabby
Sidibes skin appears to be lighter in this picture as it is in real life.
Also, other covers from the same company released around the same
time show Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried and Lauren Conran have
more of their bodies are in frame of the image whereas only the head
and shoulders of Sidibe are visible here. Those three women are all
white and slimmer. The mode of address is loud as the photo
dominates the page. It is impossible to not notice the star on it.
Design elements such as the text boxes dont mention anything about
the counter ideology that is being influenced by having a large lady
on the magazines cover. She is shining, is smiling and is wearing a
nice dress. These all ignore the feature which challenges the norm to
try to make it seem normal.
The counter ideology that this Time magazine cover challenged
with is that which suggests that anxiety is good for you. Most
people definitely disagree with this opinion. That is so much so that
people presume that anxiety being bad for you is a fact. Anxiety is
a feeling of stress and worry which is common when sitting an
exam or attending a job interview. It is easy to see anxiety as a
negative thing so the big title on this cover is controversial and
thus makes people want to read inside to discover why it says what
it says. The mode of address is funny as there is a drawing with
unrealistic facial features and the strange concept of some string
being tied around a letter in the title. Children are more likely to
look inside because of the silly looking cartoon character and the
notable lack of text on the cover. Similarly to the The Atlantic
magazine cover that reinforces a dominant ideology, this ones
mode of address is comical and comes across as factual. Wording
the title the way it has been worded rather than Anxiety might be
good for you is more effective in making people believe what it is
that the magazine has to say. It seems like a fact rather than an
opinion so makes people want to study the magazine more. The
design element of the bright colours combined with the dull colours
makes the important parts of the art stand out. It is easier for
younger people to see like this.