Magazine Covers that Reinforce Dominant Ideologies or Challenge

with Counter Ideologies

In Marxist philosophy, the term dominant
ideology denotes the attitudes, beliefs, values,
and morals shared by the majority of the people in
a given society.
The Dominant ideology that this The Atlantic magazine
cover reinforces is that of being against the current state
of American politics. With the 2016 presidential election
campaign victory and the 2017 inauguration of President
Donald J Trump, the Republican Party has control of the
Whitehouse which is disliked by many of the population in
the United States as a majority of Americans prefer
Democrats. This cover is clearly against Trump and
Republicans because of the wording it has and the mode of
address it uses. Comically informing readers of their
opinions, the creators of this magazine attempt to make
people agree with their views by impressing them with
humour. Also, the covers design elements aid in getting its
agenda across to readers. The simple layout and colours
make it easy to see when compared to other magazines
that include big blocks of text on their fronts. The wording
states what are perceived to be facts rather than opinions
because of the small amount of words, the formal text
used and how direct it is in forcing readers to believe what
is written. Politics is a serious topic of discussion as it
effects the well being of individuals and societies. By using
the image it does and the vocabulary it does, this cover
has juxtaposition and could be considered a welcome
difference from all the information filled, politically correct
The dominant ideology that this Gentlemans Quarterly
magazine cover reinforces is that which men should all
aspire in the world today. Use of physically fit celebrities as
poster people on covers of magazines is very common as
they are an obvious feature in the technique of persuading
people to notice things and subscribe to them. Using this
photograph of David Beckham easily makes males want to
read what is inside this magazine and try out some of the
things it gives tips on. Men can aspire to the former football
player because he looks good, is rich, is famous, is
successful and is a celebrated personality. David Beckhams
neat suit, styled hair and charming smile are all noticed by
people that see this cover. The subconscious belief is that if
people use the tips from inside this magazine, they will be
more like David Beckham. The cover uses a subtle mode of
address because none of those points are actually referred
to. There is some text that tells people to do things such as
buy certain products and the image acts as a justification for
doing what the writing says. The unofficial suggestion is that
people have a chance to be more like Beckham. The makers
cleverly show the big photo in a central position as that is
what grabs the most attention. This design element is an
obvious advertising technique in marketing.
The counter ideology that this Elle magazine cover
challenges with, is the ideology that you can be considered
beautiful no matter your size, race or anything. There are
usually white, skinnier women on the cover of fashion
specific magazines. Using actress Gabourey Sidibe stands out
as it is an anomaly. She is not the typical kind of woman that
people would expect to witness on magazines which is why
this counter ideology is the counterpart to the GQ David
Beckham magazine issue as it shows the opposite
perspective. When looking to find if something influences a
counter ideology or not, it is a good idea to research about
any controversy surrounding the topic. This edition caused
controversy in 2010 because the colour of Gabby Sidibes
skin appears to be lighter in this picture as it is in real life.
Also, other covers from the same company released around
the same time show Megan Fox, Amanda Seyfried and Lauren
Conran have more of their bodies are in frame of the image
whereas only the head and shoulders of Sidibe are visible
here. Those three women are all white and slimmer. The
mode of address is loud as the photo dominates the page. It
is impossible to not notice the star on it. Design elements
such as the text boxes dont mention anything about the
counter ideology that is being influenced by having a large
lady on the magazines cover. She is shining, is smiling and is
wearing a nice dress. These all ignore the feature which
The counter ideology that this Time magazine cover
challenged with is that which suggests that anxiety is good
for you. Most people definitely disagree with this opinion.
That is so much so that people presume that anxiety being
bad for you is a fact. Anxiety is a feeling of stress and
worry which is common when sitting an exam or attending
a job interview. It is easy to see anxiety as a negative thing
so the big title on this cover is controversial and thus
makes people want to read inside to discover why it says
what it says. The mode of address is funny as there is a
drawing with unrealistic facial features and the strange
concept of some string being tied around a letter in the
title. Children are more likely to look inside because of the
silly looking cartoon character and the notable lack of text
on the cover. Similarly to the The Atlantic magazine cover
that reinforces a dominant ideology, this ones mode of
address is comical and comes across as factual. Wording
the title the way it has been worded rather than Anxiety
might be good for you is more effective in making people
believe what it is that the magazine has to say. It seems
like a fact rather than an opinion so makes people want to
study the magazine more. The design element of the bright
colours combined with the dull colours makes the
important parts of the art stand out. It is easier for younger