Evaluation Activity 2 DRAFT COMPLETED

How does your media product represent particular social groups?

My artist Sydonie Spiers (Orla East) is similar to the artist Rita Ora. They both share the same fashion and make up tastes such as Topshop, River Island and MAC etc. The artists both produce the same music (popular music) and are in the charts regularly. The artists are both popular icons and appeal to a younger/middle audience. Both 'Rita Ora' and 'Orla East' sing rather than playing a musical instrument. The artists are both bubbly and outgoing and share a similar personality. The artists are both British. This is effective because they would apply to the same social groups. Lastly, the artists both have significant features. For example, Rita ora has large lips and strong eyes and Orla East has bright eyes. 

Although these artists have many similarities, they also have some differences. Firstly, the artists are different ages. Rita is 23 whereas Orla is between 17 and 19 years old. Although this is a difference, it is irrelevant because there is only a small gap in age therefore they would both still apply to the same target audience. Another difference would be a slight change in personality. Rita is quite outspoken and Orla is used to going with the flow. These personalities may change the target audience due to everyone having different personalities and one may not appeal to people who do not like outspoken people etc. 

The hair of my model is short and light, this links with the similar artist Rita Ora. She has short hair therefore it highlights the pop genre of the magazine and also it creates an edgy look for the artist. The hair of the model is light. This connotes that she is feminine and also presents her as more noticeable. The make up of the model is basic. This highlights the mainstream target audience. However, the use of a bright lipstick compliments my magazine colour scheme and adds personality and edge to the model. The lipstick is pink therefore connotes that she is feminine and perhaps has confidence as she is wearing such a bright colour. 
My model is wearing a stripy boatneck top. I was inspired by actress Jean Seberg. She was an icon as she played roles in many films therefore many found her fashion sense interesting. Coco Chanel first introduced the breton stripe to the fashion world in 1917 therefore I decided to use a striped top on my model because I wanted my magazine to be classy. As Chanel is seen to be quite expensive, I thought it complimented my magazine as I wanted it to be professional and classy not just a basic magazine. 
The model provides the Marjorie Ferguson theory of facial expression- the 'super smiler'. This is having a full face, a wide open yet toothy smile, head thrusted forward or looking back to the camera and hair often wind blown. This particular facial expression gives the artist a sense of attitude which makes readers want to look at her. The model looks bubbly and full of personality.

By using the website 'UK Tribes' i was able to identify who my social group were. Due to the popular genre of my magazine, I looked under the 'mainstream' category. This came up with a list of categories. The category which stood out to me most was the 'fan girl' category. 'Fan Girls are an entry level, heavily female-biased Tribe who are passionately devoted to pop icons and twitter.' I believed I reached this target effectively because my target audience is females and I have created pop icons for my magazine. I believe all these similarities highlight that my artist would be a successful star as she shares similarities with an already successful star.  Although the artists have some differences, they are not major enough to not represent some social groups. My artist was aimed at mainstream fan girls and I believe I achieved this as I was influenced by popular artists such as Rita Ora and by comparing them I can identify that my artist fits the mainstream fan girl group.