The Gentlewoman Magazine
Introduction
The Gentlewoman has been appealing to its target audience of “modern women of style and purpose” since its launch in 2010. With a distinctive editorial voice, engaging interviews, long-form profiles of inspirational women, and candid fashion photography, the magazine claims to be “consistently one of the best performing publications on newsstands today”.
Analysis of the Front Cover
The dominant signifier is a close up of the cover star, Scarlett Johansson. Her face fills the frame and her eyes, half-open and dreamy, gaze back at the viewer with a soft confidence.
Portrait photography is meant to reveal the essence of the subject, but there is a hyperreal quality to Johansson’s makeup with the use of thick eyeshadow, full lipstick, and the dark colour and shape of her eyebrows. This stylised representation alludes to her role as Black Widow, the high-kicking superhero from the Marvel cinematic universe. Perhaps the fashion photographers, Inez and Vinoodh, also wanted the pop art colours to emphasise a tension between the actor’s private life and her public identity.
The cover story includes a quotation from Noah Baumbach who directed Johansson in the film Marriage Story: “Her face says everything. It’s that thing when the internal becomes external. And a closeup can be the greatest shot imaginable”. This candid closeup on the cover of The Gentlewoman is a great photograph and will certainly grab the attention of the target audience.
Although the main image is a little more experimental than most of the magazine’s covers, the rest of the page follows The Gentlewoman’s house style with the masthead positioned at the top and the cover star’s name at the bottom. The message is clear – Johansson is “the gentlewoman” and this is her story.
The title uses a variation of the Futura typeface. The geometric letters and the distinctive “l” and “h” shapes create a feeling of modernity and progress. This ideology of function over form is appropriate for an independent magazine which aims to represent “real women” and “the way women actually look, think and dress”.
The Gentlewoman does not rely on impulse buyers, so there is no need for coverlines to compete for the reader’s attention at the newsstand. See our analysis of GQ magazine or Men’s Health for comparison. The minimalist approach keeps our focus on Scarlet Johansson’s narrative and celebrates her individuality.
Modern Punches and Representation
The first article we need to consider is the interview with Ramla Ali whose “lightning speed and exceptional footwork” in the boxing ring elevated her to “global athlete status”. She refused to “give in to the pain” and “worked harder” to represent Somalia at the 2020 Olympic Games and then compete as a professional in the sport. The Gentlewoman “showcases inspirational women” and Ramla is an incredible role model.
Liesbet van Zoonen (1996) suggested “competition, individualism, ruthlessness” were supposed to be masculine values, but Ramla’s physical and mental strength challenges that traditional ideology. The image of her standing tall and flexing her muscles in victory conveys her self-determination and power effectively to the audience. We might even argue the blue tracksuit plays with the colour codes of masculinity.
Ramla describes herself as “a total tomboy” who would “pick trainers over make-up any day”. She actually lied to her mother about boxing, telling her “I was just going to the gym for a swim or spin class” because that was more socially acceptable for a girl.
The tomboy stereotype is seen by some critics as a threat to society because it undermines the binary opposition between men and women. However, the tone of the article suggests Ramla is proud of this identity because of her strong sense of independence. Judith Butler (1990) argued gender is a social construct that is constantly being reinforced through our behaviour and interactions with others. Gender is performative in the sense that it is maintained through this “stylized repetition of acts”. Ramla is fully aware she is resisting the dominant ideology and she is eager to write her own script: “I just want to be perfect – is that too much to ask?”
The imbalance of power between men and women is still evident in the world of boxing. Although “everyone is equal” in the gym, Ramla mentions how she had to “grab every opportunity” because they were “few and far between” in female sport and “the pay gap between men and women” remains “so huge”. That is why she has to rely on sponsorships from the likes of Nike and Cartier whose products she is modelling on page 67.
Ramla also refers to the negative stereotype of the thuggish boxer, preferring to tell people she is an “athlete rather than a boxer just to be spared the judgement”. There is no doubt this inspirational woman will continue to shift expectations.
Finally, in terms of genre, the interview is a straightforward question and answer session, so Ramla’s voice is unmediated through a narrator. It’s her own words. This is an important choice for a magazine which aims to deliver “warm and personal… conversations with fascinating women of the moment”.
Isabella Tree
The next article we need to explore features Isabella Tree who embarked on the “first lowland rewilding project” in England. With “minimal human intervention” and leaving the animals “to their own devices”, many of her neighbouring farmers saw the conservation effort as an “immoral waste of land” and even “an assault in Britishness itself”. However, Tree’s Knepp Wildland has since become “a blueprint for other farmers keen to use their land to help regenerate nature” throughout the United Kingdom.
In contrast to the Ali interview, this article is written from the journalist’s perspective who describes her experience walking with Isabella Tree around the estate and getting an insight into the innovator’s thoughts and ambitions. This longer format enables the writer to delve into Tree’s history and provide the reader with the wider environmental and political context behind the success of the rewilding project.
Tree draws attention to the fact “there are more gardens acreage-wise than there are nature reserves in Britain” so everyone should “get messy” with their own little plots of land. The article asks the reader to critically assess their “manicured gardens” and connect with the natural world in a more meaningful way.
The photographs which accompany the story also position the reader to admire the beauty and strength of the landscape. The first subject is a tree “about 550 years old” which “should live for another 400”. Does the inclusion of the tips of the photographer’s shoes simply help the viewer imagine the scale of the Knepp oak or does it draw attention to the transience of our lives compared to the more permanent trees?
The rainbow in the second image encodes a sense of optimism towards the trees whose “roots” have been “damaged by intensive ploughing and chemical use”. Despite our misuse of the land in the past, we can follow Isabella Tree and work towards a brighter future.
The Gentlewoman is inspiring a new wave of environmentalism.
Values and Ideologies
The magazine is constructing representations of femininity which are not always evident in mainstream products aimed at women. In the interview with Stella McCartney, for example, the fashion designer says she has “an allergy for anything too cute and pretty” and “anything that is too hard and brash and masculine”. This is another rejection of traditional gender modes.
Immediately echoing the values expressed in the interview with Isabella Tree, McCartney also focuses on sustainability and respect for animals. Her eco-friendly credentials are epitomised by her million-selling “vegan handbag”.
There is also a similar mode of authenticity in the photographs taken at McCartney’s offices in London. The first image suggests the fashion designer took a quick moment to pose for the camera in between her other work commitments – the large piece of hardboard replacing the broken glass panels in door does not look particularly glamorous, and the electronic buttons are just distracting. Both the fashion designer and the magazine are subtly encoding the transparency and integrity demanded by their consumers.
Moving away from the narrow consciousness of glossy magazines, The Gentlewoman is part of a growing number of brands who are building trust with their conscious readers by promoting an open and ethical alternative to the profit-driven companies of the past.
However, the magazine does need to sell advertising space and deliver sophisticated forms of content marketing to brands who wish to target their affluent readers. Stella McCartney, for example, is promoting her own clothing range in exchange for the interview. The jacket, bodysuit, trousers, and sandals are all available to buy from her store. The Adley jacket originally retailed at just over £1,000.
Ramla Ali has sponsorship deals with Nike and Cartier, so it is no surprise to see her wearing these brands in the photoshoot. Scarlett Johansson is pictured wearing a fur-free coat from Stella McCartney, shoes by Jimmy Choo, Manolo Blahnik and Tabitha Simmons, and clothes from the likes of Miu Miu and Norma Kamali. None of these products are cheap either.
Although The Gentlewoman positions itself as modern and progressive, its values are still firmly focused on a culture of consumerism.
The Gentlewoman’s Primary Audience
If you are analysing a magazine or newspaper and want to know more about its primary audience, a great place to start your research is their media kit because it should contain key facts and statistics about their readers. Publishers provide these documents to advertising agencies and companies to demonstrate their ability to connect brands to consumers who will engage with their products and services.
The Gentlewoman is represented by Rock Media who have helped compile a detailed media kit to promote the magazine to companies in the European fashion and luxury market. It contains the editorial values, industry accolades, demographic and psychographic information, testimonials, and the important price list for advertising space.
The package describes the target audience as “modern women of style and purpose” who are “confident, independent and stylish”. They come from a “strikingly broad range of age groups” with a median age of 32 years.
Using the NRS social grades, 76% of The Gentlewoman’s readers are classified as ABC1 which means they are employed in junior to higher managerial or professional positions. They have a substantial average income of £87,255 – that is more than £50,000 compared to the average annual salary in the UK.
The publishers are drawing attention to the significant spending power of its readers who can afford to “enjoy the highest quality fashion, social pursuits and creative happenings”. Obviously, this will be very appealing to the high-end fashion houses.
The Magazine Industry
Despite the huge financial risks of publishing a print magazine when more and more readers are relying on digital media to learn about the world, there has been a quiet resurgence of independent titles in the UK. The Gentlewoman is produced by the owners who retain their creative control, so the content is imbued with a passion not really seen in mainstream magazines which often rely on ideas developed from extensive market research.
Rather than simply delivering commentaries and reviews on the fashion industry and inspirational women, the producers are participants in a cultural community shared by their readers. The mode of address is personal and warm.
This relationship with their audience is epitomised by The Gentlewoman Club – an international society of the magazine’s “sophisticated” and “fabulous” readers. The publishers deliver an “agenda of cultural happenings” to the “40,000 plus active members”, including walking tours, film screenings and card nights.
While other magazines aimed at this creative class of women struggled to survive, such as Oh Comely, The Gentlewoman’s innovative approach to creating an intimate connection between the editor and the reader has ensured it has remained a viable enterprise.
The Business Model
The print industry has always relied on advertising to remain profitable because the revenue from single copy sales and subscriptions is not enough to cover the costs of production and distribution of magazines and newspapers. If a brand wanted to engage their target audience of young(ish) women with money to spend on luxury fashion, they could occupy the outside back cover of The Gentlewoman for over £26,000, such as Dior and their Caravaggio inspired campaign which appeared on the back of Issue No. 23.
In fact, excluding the masthead and content pages, the Ramla Ali interview is the first piece of original material, and it begins on page 66! That is over sixty pages of advertising for the reader to enjoy
The Gentlewoman also offers digital packages to access advertising spaces on their website and they offer “creative collaborations” and “bespoke partnerships”, including previous work with brands such as Bottega Veneta and Chanel. Their newsletter contains a “classifieds section of bespoke advertisements” which is “a discerning platform for brands to reach astute consumers, direct to their inbox”.
Editorial content will never be free from commercial decisions, but the magazine makes it clear they are adding their opinion and expertise to endorse the designers, giving The Gentlewoman an authentic voice compared to the mainstream publishers. The publishers argue they are acting as curators of fashion rather than simply selling advertising space.
Uses and Gratifications
The magazine obviously appeals to the readers’ desire to learn about the latest trends and styles from the world of fashion. The audience could easily satisfy this surveillance motivation by flicking and scrolling through the internet, but The Gentlewoman offers a more tactile experience compared to the instantly disposable images flashing on the screen.
The producers are able to use the spatial relationship between the words and images to shape meaning – something that is lost on smaller viewports, such as mobile devices. Readers can also spend time enjoying the weight, texture, and warmth of the pages. The internet seems like an empty and unfulfilling experience in comparison.
Fashion is an important aspect of self-expression, but the focus on inspirational women can also help the reader construct their personal identity. There is also an appeal to our need for personal relationships in the magazine’s “unique” events and network of like-minded readers. By subscribing to The Gentlewoman Club and newsletter, we will feel a strong sense of belonging to the magazine’s community.
Essay Questions
- “Independent magazines need to subvert the conventions of mainstream products to appeal to their niche audience.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
- In his analysis of the cultural industries, David Hesmondhalgh argues companies prefer to control the production and distribution of their media texts to minimise the financial risks. With reference to The Gentlewoman, how valid do you find this argument?
- Hall’s theory of encoding and decoding argues producers and audiences needed to have a shared understanding of the signs used in the construction of media texts for the communication to be successful. How valid is Hall’s theory in explaining the relationship between the producer and user of independent magazines?
- To what extent do magazines construct narratives about character and lifestyle to attract their target audience?
- Evaluate the usefulness of Judith Butler’s theories about gender performativity in understanding the independent magazine The Gentlewoman.
- Explain how intersection of race, gender and class influences your interpretation of The Gentlewoman magazine.
- To what extent can structuralism help explain the success of The Gentlewoman magazine?
- Media products are shaped by the economic and political contexts in which they are created. To what extent does an analysis of The Gentlewoman support this view?
- Independent magazines often challenge the social and cultural contexts in which they are created. To what extent does an analysis The Gentlewoman support this view?
- Print magazines have little appeal to audiences who consume digital media. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
- To what extent do publishers target a global audience through the codes and conventions of magazines?
