Assessment Research - Magazines Online - not finished

Current Affairs Magazine
Current Affairs is an American bimonthly magazine that discusses political and cultural topics from a progressive perspective. It is published in print and online, and supplemented by a podcast. Current Affairs magazine describes it`s magazine as "showcasing some of the country`s best contemporary writers. Our magazine is informative, entertaining and beautiful, and loaded with everything from book reviews to fake advertisements. We bring a sharp critical eye to the absurdities of modern American life, and provide a fresh set of voices amid the desiccated wasteland of contemporary media." Current Affairs is not a magazine like any other, it`s got plenty of top-notch writing about news, film, books and ideas. But it`s also dazzlingly colourful, with satirical advertisements, subversive parodies of traditional media, puzzles, cut-outs, and an array of other unexpected amusements and surprises. 

Theory Research

Structuralism- Levi Strauss
Structuralism was developed by Levi Strauss, and is an approach used to analyse culture. The basic idea behind structuralism is that individual and collective behaviours emerge from some underlying structure. With Saussure and the linguists, the structure is an abstract system of interrelated concepts. An example of structuralism is describing an apple. An apple is crisp, sweet, juicy, round, and hard. Another example of structuralism is describing your experience at the ocean by saying it`s windy, salty, and cold. Levi Strauss's theory is `binary opposites` which entails that the majority of narratives in media forms such as books and film contain opposing main characters. These binary opposites help to thicken the plot and further the narrative; and introduce contrast. Structuralism is important because it is the first major school of thought in psychology. It helps in the approval of psychology as separate science. Structuralism has also influenced experimental psychology. It provides base for the study of mind under it`s elements.


Gender Performativity- Butler
Butler argues that gender is best perceived as preformative, which suggests that it has a social audience. It also suggests that performances of woman are compelled and enforced by historical social practice. And also believes that being born male or female does not determine behaviour, but people learn to behave in particular ways to fit in to society.
I personally believe in what she argues and that this is true as in society the male and female roles are usually shaped by society to act a certain way. Especially many years ago were women didn't work and would stay at home and be a house wife while the man would go off to work, this was seen as normal because society was saying that it was right and this is what women should do/ act like. Even  terms used today such as, "That`s not very lady like" which just highlights how women in society should have a way of acting and should almost be more politer and act more maturer then men. Which links to what Butler says that this is "what we commonly associate with femininity and masculinity," and how we view what women and men should act like. It also portrays this in movies, and especially Disney movies were the prince would save the princess which shows how women are almost seen as weak in society and that we need to be saved/ rescued by a man, which links to how people associate females as being feminine and males to be masculine who are not afraid of anything.

Old Spice- not finished

In source C, the Old Spice advertisement conveys values, attitudes and beliefs about lifestyle. One of the ways it shows this is that it highlights that you can smell better and fresher then anyone else, implying this by the fact hes bigger then anything else in the picture "like a mountain" which could then furthermore imply male dominants. The advertisement could also suggest that people are drawn to the smell with them climbing up him like people do on a mountain, and almost following the smell, with them also maybe trying to promote that everyone will want to smell like you. Also the setting links to the aftershave promoting to smell fresh, with the man acting as a mountain figure covered in more snow then the floor, which could suggest that their trying to say that the aftershave will make you smell fresher then anything else.

The advertisement could also suggest that the aftershave will make you feel as confident as the man on the poster. Also the advertisement could be highlighting towards working men who are outside a lot, by saying "Don`t Smell Like A Swamp, Or A Field, Or Some Dirt." almost trying to suggest that you can still work hard and smell good and keep up your male dominance figure.