Evaluation Question 2

How does your media project represent particular social groups?

The above photo of my model Poppy Clarke was used on my contents page, the photo next to it is of Rihanna from 'Q magazine'. I chose these photos as they had quite a few subtle similarities.  Both photos are medium close ups although the photo of Poppy is slightly closer. Both Rihanna and Poppy have their shoulder at a slanted angle and their gazes are faced outwards, staring directly at the reader. Both have serious expressions on their faces though Rihanna's is slightly more aggressive and passionate. Despite the obvious difference in hair colour both have their hair parted to the side and it is fashioned into a natural wavy 'just got out of bed look'. Both of them have unique clothing on, Rihanna dressed in a loud sequined outfit that mirrors the attitude in her expression. She is also adorned with large pieces of jewellery and a speakerphone which also leads us to the conclusion that she is a very loud person. Her bright coloured hair, noticeabley unique outfit and props all tell us this. Poppy has this same attitude but in a more discrete and laidback fashion. Her eyes have a look of sullen passion, her hair is volumised but not overstated and her stance conveys attitude. Both pictures can be related to their genre because of the aspects featured above. The genre of 'Indie-rock' has a very unique and individualistic style which both Poppy and Rihanna present in different ways. Rihanna portrays the more extreme side of the style, wearing an outfit that is not often seen being worn around your average town. You can tell the photo is trying to make a statement which screams 'speak up!' to those who are used to just blending in. Today's society and media is constantly trying to promote individuality, whereas previous society's didn't often offer this oppurtunity. Poppy's outfit is far more understated and yet speaks the same message. Her passionate expression perhaps displaying a need to be unique. There are many different social groups in our developing society and I feel this best represents the 'indie' genre and style. I also feel these photos promote the message I want to send out to my target audience (15-19 year old females), these women are making a loud and clear message and I feel they provide as good role models to young women, in order to encourage them to be loud, dress as desired and to act out as they feel right. Though obviously I didn't want to exclude the male reading public, so obviously the models are attractive and many of the bands and singers featured appeal to a largely mixed audience.

 This picture is also featured on my contents page, here she displays a kind of 'cocky' attitude, which screams confidence. Her gaze is focused outwards towards the reader and lips are slighty parted and pouty. She's wearing a simple shirt, I used her understated indie clothes as I wanted my readers to view a look and style which they could achieve themselves, yet has a unique quality. Her head its tilted at an upwards angle. This can be compared to the two adjacent photos which share similar poses. One wearing much more embellished clothing, one wearing more casual 'rock' type clothing. I believe that all three appeal to their target audience and present their genre, as each has displayed their own personality through their clothing, stance and facial expressions. I found that my phots can closely be related to those of real music magazines, despite my photos being much more understated due to a much more limited price range for clothing. I feel that the poses and expressions I got Poppy to model show character and capture the essence of 'Indie'.