Product impact and effect on the audience P5 (a)

Media products such as magazines have many influences on individuals and mass audiences including positive and negative effects.

Vogue magazine focuses their target audience on young women and teenage girls, many of whom are interested in the latest fashions, styles and beauty.

From this, you can see that Vogue is the highest viewing fashion magazine, meaning that there has been many positive influences on many people and one of the 'must know facts&figures' states that the average number of times each issue is re-visited is 6 and the average number of hours each issue is read for is 3. These are high figures, meaning that Vogue has many influences and positive effects which is why it is so popular. 

Positive Effects:

Vogue is very useful with informing their audience about new fashions and beauty, and it ensures their buyers that they know all the the latest styles. Many readers will enjoy learning about beauty and will think highly and positively of the Vogue magazine. Many individuals who read Vogue may also have a role model who occasionally features either on the cover or inside the magazine, and will enjoy knowing their latest styles and beauty preferences. 

This is an example of a page inside the Vogue magazine, in which is advertising and promoting beauty products which may be useful to many individuals who are regular readers of the magazine. 

Negative Effects

There are many negative effects to magazines, especially when regarding body image. On the cover and inside Vogue magazines, many models are seen to be idolised according to their appearance, including the perfect body weight, skin tone and complexion. 

For example:

Many women, after seeing images such as the models above will be made to feel insecure and are influenced by underweight models in magazines. Women may have a loss of self-esteem and overall mood. 

From fashion magazines such as Vogue, stereotypes are formed about particular body shapes, height, weight and appearance. And usually, the  most common stereotype shown in Vogue magazines seem to be thin, tall and beautiful women in which are air-brushed giving young women an inaccurate impression of the world and the people in it. 

Vogue can be accused of devaluing and undermining women with images of beauty that are impossible, unattainable and questionable terms of health. This use of beauty within such an influential magazine such as Vogue causes excessive spending by women on beauty products, constantly trying to maintain the image set forth as beautiful. 

Another negative influence of Vogue is that appearance can result of women losing sight of more important issues. With the distractions of trying to maintain a certain look, women devalue intelligence and education, which can lead to an overall weakened effort by women for complete equality. 

Meaning and Purpose:

The meaning of product impact and effect on the audience is that media products such as magazines have many influences on individuals and mass audiences including positive and negative effects. The purpose is that by understanding the positive and negative effects, Vogue can know what the mass audiences are interested in and how they are able to influence individuals in positive ways. But many mass audiences and individuals are being influenced in negative ways due to the size 0 models effect which is explained in my posting, headlined 'Roles of Regulatory bodies'