Target audience for Assassin's Creed III: Liberation

What messages about female identity are encoded into woman magazine?
Women need to rely on men to complete tasks like building things.
They belong in the kitchen and should be raising children this is shown in the picture of the woman in the kitchen with her child.

What impact could this have on the target audience (and who is the target audience)?
These ideologies will cultivate the idea that women have to wear make up otherwise they'd look unattractive.
Cultivates the idea that their job is to clean the house and raise the children.
It constructs a target audience (middle aged heterosexual females).
It reflects the society in which it was made.

What functions does the women's magazine serve?
Constructs the idea that if you can control women then you can control society (this is an example of patriarchal hegemony).


Key theory 9- Feminist theory, bell hooks (name spelt without capital letters).

• She believes feminism is a struggle to end patriarchal hegemony and the domination of women.
• Feminism is not a lifestyle choice, it is a political commitment. 
• Race, class and gender all determine the extent to which individuals are exploited and oppressed.
• "Feminism is for everyone."

Female Stereotypes in the 1960's:

• They cry a lot (emotional).
• Useless (they can't cook).
• Cry on their husband's shoulder.
• Well dressed even at home (dresses, make up etc).
• Women are objectified, beer is better than women in the eyes of men.
• Expectation that women drink less beer than men. 
• Women should be in the kitchen.
• Passive.
• Nurturing/ maternal (motherly).
• Dependant on men.
• Domestic housewife role.
• Romantic.
• Seductive.
• Vulnerable.

Advertising in magazines

• Magazines generate revenue primarily through sales of copies (print and digital) and through advertising.
• Advertising accounts for approximately one third of total revenues across the industry.
• High audience engagement.
• Less distraction from other activities.
• The ability to target niche audiences.
• High production values.
• Potential placement in highly relevant editorial environment. 
• Non-intrusive (readers can just turn the page).
• Magazines have a long shelf life.

Representation- Advertising in Woman magazine

• Direct adress. Constant repetition of the word "you".
• "You're a woman." This might cultivate the idea that women need to look like the model in the picture.
• Hair and make up- implies that all women should look like that while bathing.
• The model is seen as attractive.
• She's being sexualised in the image.
• Nudity- might appeal to a heterosexual male audience or might make women believe they should have a figure like the model's in order to gain attention from males.
• "To be sure you're all over feminine," this might imply that if women don't buy the soap then they aren't "feminine" enough and won't be seen as attractive to men.
• Personal as text refers to the audience as "darling."
• The word "darling," might be seen as flattering to women in the 1960's- Could remind women of their husbands or the men in their lives.
• The model is hiding her private areas, this could suggest innocence but may be frustrating to males.
• Mise-en-scene: the woman isn't in a bath/ shower, this could be done on purpose because if she was in a bath then the audience wouldn't be able to see the model's figure.
• Heterosexual women might like the image because it is aspirational to them (they inspire to look like her).
• There is something romantic about the soap. It is replacing men- "you need a soap that will show you kindness."
• Could be empowering women to be themselves.
• Theres no man in the picture and no mention of men- could have something to do with women taking back their bodies, becoming independent without the use of men.
• There is a binary opposition between cleanliness and destruction.

• Women are more interested in the make up than in the male. The mid shot emphasises that she's interested in the make up because of how she's directly looking at the make up. Theres an assumption that she is only putting on make up to look good for the man. 
• There is a hegemonic norm enforced by males that women have to wear make up in order to look attractive.
• Theres a direct correlation between the woman putting on make up and the man being attracted to her. Might show that the woman in the advert needs a man in her life.
• He is looking at her the same way she is looking at her make up. 
• The woman isn't looking at the man, subverting the stereotypical hegemonic views of woman. 
• Mid shot is used so the audience can get a good view of the man and woman's expressions.
• It looks like they are in a train station, implying that this woman is independent and possibly works, unlike most stereotypical women in the 1960. 
• Men are only interested in the way women look.
• There are only men in the background meaning that she's the only woman in the shot. This could mean that she's meeting someone for a date or she is looking for men. 
• Female is passive- putting on make up.
• Male is active- dressed professionally, moving towards her.
• Woman is dependant on men for acceptance (she feels like she has to wear make up otherwise she won't look beautiful).

Are there any positive aspects to stereotyping? What benefits might there be to society, to culture and to women?

• Makes life easier (e.g: men proposing to women).
• Gives us rules to live by.
• May make us more polite as a society (e.g: people opening doors for each other).