1. How does your media product
represent particular social groups?
From first glance it’s obvious that
my magazine heavily features
young people, as Melissa Jarman
looks like she’s in her late teens.
There’s a particular stereotype
about teenagers and media aimed
at teenagers – a stereotype that
includes
drinking, partying, rebellion and
irresponsibility. My magazine
doesn’t show any of that at any
point.

2. Even from the front cover Melissa looks
youthful, fresh-faced and very approachable and
friendly. This is the reality for a large majority of
young people, but not what is expected in society.
Especially with the typical child-stars-turning-bad
that’s so common when it comes to fame at a
young age, it gives young people a bad reputation.
Melissa is slightly older than my target audience of
13-to-17 year-olds so could easily be seen as a role
model. She’s not too far older than them so isn’t
seen as out of reach, but also can be respected and
looked up to.

3. It also mentions in my article that she’s still in
education, which is another social misconception –
kids drop out of school at the age of 16 with no
qualifications and become teenage mothers. This is
especially prominent in Essex, where she is based. By
showing a young adult as still in education and doing
well to further her career we combat the stereotype of
laziness and lack of ambition. This is a stereotype that
is especially prominent among teenage girls.
It also helps that Melissa is attractive – young
teenagers automatically respect attractive people more
as it’s a time in their life when physical beauty matters.
If someone they look up to is also smart and talented
then that’s positive representation of young people that
can also work as inspiration for others.

4. Melissa is also a young adult female
on the front cover of a magazine.
Generally when we see a female in
their late teens/early twenties in a
popular magazine they are half
clothed, either advertising a certain
type of beauty or there for
pornography reasons. This casual
objectification of young, skinny
women in media is something that is
far too often aimed at young people
and can be particularly harmful to
young females looking at these
images. This is especially prominent
when the person is a role model for
other reasons – f0r example, plenty
of people want to look like Rihanna.
They don’t just enjoy her music, they
envy her physical appearance.