Understanding Pop Music and Sterotypes

With a newly set specification of what my target audience wants; I have come to a stage of planning and development in this project. I researched the genre, to help make sure my magazine fitted the conventions and appropriate styling of pop music.

Pop music was the most favored type of music genre for a magazine, so I did some quick research, so I could understand more about this style of music. Pop music is defined as the genre of 'popular music', that originated in the form we see today in the United States and United Kingdom back in the 1960s. Pop songs are generally short- medium in length, and use a verse- chorus structure (basic format). Other identifying factors are the common use of repeated choruses, melodic tunes and hooks; making the song catchy. 

With this in mind I created a collage of music magazines; to see how the styling and colour options are used on magazines featuring a pop artist.

I noticed a lot of the female pop artists fit societies' beauty ideals: slim, use of makeup, and the outfits worn were either feminine or revealing. This links to Laura Mulvey's theory of the 'male gaze', where women in the visual arts are depicted from a masculine viewpoint, in an objectifying manner. The theory is heavily linked to society's beauty ideals; for the pleasure of hetrosexual men. Interestingly enough women critique themselves using this theory. This is evident from subliminal messages in media,to improve on your attractiveness to get more attention from men. This is relevant to pop culture as nearly all the stars featured on these magazines, are evidence of this theory and reinforce these beauty ideals. My magazine is aimed primarily at older teen girls / young adult women. I would like to fit conventions in showing stars have a glamorous and successful life, whilst still challenging the lack of diversity and set beauty ideals.