The Analysis Of Fashion Magazines' Ideology

The fashion magazines have sprung up from single spark to prairie fire since the 1980's. It's not only a kind of media phenomenon that Journalism and Mass Communication should be concerned with, but also a phenomenon Sociology should pay attention to.Because the information the magazines impress us includes a kind of ideology which is the value conception the magazines call for and the authority relation they incarnate. By displaying the idolum of white-collars' life , the magazines provide the audience a way to know themselves and the word , position themselves and others in social structure.Therefore, from the perspective of ideology, this paper is trying to analyze and explain the essence of fashion magazines and the social meaning which they bring us.This paper will analyze the causes of the emergence of fashion magazines' ideology under the social background. The coming of the mass consumption society and the loose political situation provide a sound environment for it's emergence. The emergence of fashion magazines is to satisfy the needs of a new class, namely, the new middle class (white-collar). This new class is in urge need to express their own special interests and values.Together with social and historical background, as the target audience, the white-collar influence the ideology of fashion magazines that center on consumerism. The ideology of fashion magazines is composed of three aspects as follows: firstly, through the ubiquitous advertisement and overstating the material life, the fashion magazines offer an unitary world, namely, a world taking the consumption as center, to convey values and views in a specific scope. Secondly, fashion magazines create an illusion for the white-collar. The idolum construct white-collar's self-identity of status and people confirm themselves and others' in social structure according to it.Thirdly, it seems that the leading role of the fashion magazines is the female white-collar, female image can be found everywhere. In fact, fashion magazines regard female as subordination under the guidance of patriarchal consciousness.There are positive and negative social meanings of ideology of fashion magazines. First of all, the focus of it is "consumerism". In a sense, the consumerism represents and even gives birth to the modernity. The fashion magazines carry out and blazon forth its ideology by showing the daily life of white-collar. They engage in advancing the taste of trivial matters in daily life, in some way, it is a kind of human concern towards individuals and a progress as well. On the other hand, its over-depiction of material and consumption misguide the white-collar into a wrong conception: the true happiness is the occupation of materials. The unilateral show of the white-collar leads the audience who take the white-collar as reference group to believe that happy life is what the fashion magzines display. Therefore, the negtive value conception of the white-collar overspread the whole society. The presence of female image and the absence of subject make the female sink into the confinement of the patriarchal society. So, the fashion magazines should do some redressal in order to reduce blight. Fashion is not always base on matter. A kind of fashion that has style and meaning will lead fashion culture to a more healthy way.Placing the white-collar espcially the female ones in a wider social field can cultivate their scence of social obligation and return white-collar a more un-feigned image.