The image of Katy Perry taken from the double page spread in Rolling Stone magazine is almost solely designed to satisfy the male gaze. Firstly, she is placed in a kitchen, looking like she's preparing food. A stereotypical and arguably sexist view of women is that they should do all the cooking and they are associated with the kitchen. Perry is staring directly at the camera, a provocative, sexual construction which sees her meet the audience's view. This brings her to life and almost gives her an amount of control, a rare challenge to the representation. She is wearing red lipstick, red being a colour of passion, danger, love, war and blood, which heightens the sexuality but also relates to Katy Perry's much-publicised dangerous/quirky personality. Her eyes are also well made-up and add to the perception that she is designed to satisfy the reader. Possibly most significant is Perry's costume... Or lack of it. She is wearing a brallette-style top with the zip half-undone a strap hanging off. The top looks as if it could easily come off and it reveals a lot of cleavage, satisfying the male gaze and adding a heightened sense of sensuality. She is also wearing extremely short, very tight shorts, which have the top button undone, again suggesting they could come off easily, a sexually suggestive move. The lemons on the side in the kitchen suggest that Katy Perry has a sour side.
The text is set out in a similar sans serif font to that of the Rolling Stone logo, in a newspaper-style column format.
The quote central to the text tells us that Perry took "mushrooms" which is a reference to a slang term for drugs but also relates to the image of Perry in the kitchen. It says she "admits" this, which suggests the article is revealing of her and she admits to things she is embarrassed/ashamed by. She then goes on to say "I had to throw myself in the shower fully clothed afterward" which contrasts with the image and suggests that she is different to the image portrayed of her in the picture. It's ironic she poses for a picture with very few clothes on yet took a shower fully-clothed, when normally a shower is taken naked. It also suggests she was ashamed by what she had done, possibly because she does have a bad side as suggested by the lemons in the image but it is not one she is proud of, like in the image where the lemons are in the background as opposed to the foreground.
The image of Lily Allen in the double page spread taken from NME can be interpreted in various ways. You could argue she is dressed very much like a boy, a more masculine style that challenges the expectations of young women in magazines. The checkered shirt is loose and does little to show of her figure or shape, reducing the sexual quality of the image. However, the shirt is only half done up, which then brings back an amount of sensual, sexual feeling, perhaps a small attempt to make this very much rebellious, 'boy-ish' image acceptable and to help it comply with the male gaze. Allen's hair is short, messy and jet-black, again adding to the rebellious, alternative image that is being presented. Her hair could suggest she is playing the role of a challenging teen, perhaps a move from her record label to provoke interest and help young teens relate with her, increasing her fan base, record sales and thus profit. Lily Allen is posing in a sensual manner but this stance is almost completely ineffective as her shirt covers her shape and means she cannot emphasise certain parts of her body. The necklace around her neck could be a sign of wealth and success, which relates to her so far successful and profitable career.
The quotation that dominates the page opposite to Lily Allen is in a striking font style, with bold white letters on black squares, almost like a ransom letter or a piece of child's work. This adds to the rebellious, dangerous image painted of Allen and suggests, as a ransom letter does, bad things could happen, possibly signifying Allen's opposition to conformity. The quote contains the words "People think..." which is very typical of a teenagers, who often complains about the prejudice they suffer. She claims to be "honest" which is also a very teenage trait.
The text is much more organised and in a consistent sans serif font, with a bold "I" to signify the start of the article. This is almost the house style for NME, judging by their logo. Her name is highlighted in red in the blurb-like text underneath the quotation, emphasising that the article is about her. The red signifies danger, passion and perhaps love, emotions most teenagers would claim to have or are perceived to have.
The image of Jay-Z takes up one page of the double page spread and thus enforces his presence on the article. In the image we see Jay-Z's face and shoulders, yet his shoulders are cut off, he cannot fit on the page, possible due to his broad shoulders, demonstrative of the struggles in his life and the power he now holds. He is wearing black sunglasses along with a black t-shirt. This is consistent with his overall image, he is known for wearing 'all black everything'. The sunglasses completely conceal his eyes and give a feeling that there are many things that remain untold and that possibly he could tell them in this article. The sunglasses add emphasis to his trademark mouth and lips which have helped make his career and fortune. The t-shirt he wears is a v-neck, the could possibly suggest victory. The necklace around his neck is a symbol of his wealth. The image is cast with a red wash-like effect on one side. Red is the colour of the Q magazine logo and also a colour of passion, love and blood. The other side is white, a colour of purity and cleanliness, perhaps suggesting Jay-Z is now tainted and his purity is dissapearing, he is now soiled. This could well apply as he is known to have had an unsavoury past. The picture is almost in the Shepard Fairey style made so famous by Barack Obama's successful election campaign of 2007. This relates to Jay-Z trying to achieve equality, power and wealth as a black American.
Red is used again as a quote from the interview is placed on Jay-Z's shoulder. He is talking about the adversity he met from Noel Gallagher when he headlined at Glastonbury and the colour red demonstrates the power he showed to overcome it. The quote also relates to him breaking down cultural and social stereotypes.
The RapRadar logo stands out and does not follow the house style. The font and colours used are unique to the double page. For those who do not know what RapRadar is, they could be forgiven for thinking RapRadar is a radar for rap, and that Jay-Z is under this radar, he has been found. RapRadar is a rap news and blog website and therefore you could say the appearance of the logo is a plug.
The large red J behind the text in a serif font is a mirror image of the Q magazine logo, yet it is a J, because the interview is about 'Jay-Z'. The whole text is in a sans serif font which holds with the classy, upper-end look of Q magazine. All over the double page, Jay-Z and other key words are highlighted in red, the colour of power, passion and Q magazine.
The title of 'NME' is in a pink font, a change from the old red, all encompassing title that is normally used, as this edition is a special edition cover. The pink shows a movement towards a more feminine feel, which relates to the cover star, Rihanna. The title is dominant and surprisingly is in front of the image instead of behind, which may just be due to the change in colour affecting its brand and the ability for the standard reader to recognise the title if it were behind the image.
Next to the title is a hook. The hook says "Introducing the new NME" and the underneath "4 of 10 Special Edition Covers". The use of the buzzwords "new" and "Special Edition" help attract the reader and create excitement or more interest in the magazine. The use of the statistic "4 of 10" demonstrates to the reader that there is more that just this edition and could propel the reader towards collecting all 10 editions.
The lead story or cover line of "Rihanna" is also in bright pink, in the same font as the NME title. This is again relating to the femininity of the cover. The other cover line is also in the same bold, pink font and I think this emphasises the uniqueness and speciality of the edition. It shows that this edition is a striking change from the normal cover's look.
The placement of Rihanna's name on here chest, over a rather restrained top shows a surprising lack of sexuality in the image, something often tied with Rihanna's image. She stills satisfies the male gaze and is in a rather provocative pose but it is fair to say the whole image is very safe for a character like Rihanna. Her top is very masculine in its fit and the shoulders and cut of it give her a much more male-like shape to the top half of her body which challenges the perceptions of not only her but the magazine's special edition which is filled with pink and feminine statements. The bird on her shoulder and the skirt she is wearing are both blue, as is her eye make-up, the colour contrasting, stereotypically, to that of the opposite sex, pink. This again challenges perceptions. The skirt she wears is mostly cut out of the shot which again reduces the sexuality of the shot. Rihanna is however wearing a pink lipstick and nailvarnish that matches the other pink on the page. You could suggest that the cover is one that shows how women can be powerful, dominant and have other stereotypically masculine qualities and yet still be sexy and satisfy the male gaze. The bird creature on her shoulder is also in blue and this suggests it is masculine, as most bird tamers, as such, are men and therefore this further challenges the stereotypes of sex and suggests that Rihanna can tame a bird and have control over it. The bird is however shiny, like it is encrusted with diamonds, giving a feminine touch too.
Underneath the lead cover line is a quote from Rihanna's interview which says "You need people who aren't afraid to tell you when you're f**king up". The text is in a contrasting serif font, which is white on black, standing out to the reader. The use of the word "you" addresses the reader and helps place the reader in Rihanna's shoes and make them want to know more about her situation. The use of the swear word, "f**king", with the middle two letters starred out creates drama and suspicion, and gives a rebellious, almost nonconforming view of her. However most of us do swear and therefore we can relate to her. Going back to the challenging of the sexes, swearing is a slightly more masculine trait and therefore she is again challenging her sex.
The menu strip to the left names many different artists from different genres and this opens up the broadness of the NME audience and shows there is something for everyone.
The title of the magazine, Rolling Stone, is in a serif font, in red and has a black outline/shadow, bringing the image of the title to life. The Rolling Stone logo is one that is world-renowned and distinctly recognisable. The use of red suggests, much-like NME, that the magazine has many different connotations. The red could suggest the love and passion for music of the magazine yet it could suggest the magazine is dangerous and/or edgy.
The image of Rick Ross dominates the cover of the magazine, so much so he covers the title/name of the magazine. It is almost like he is pushing the sides of the magazine out, forcing more space with his arms. He is almost holding the title up with his little fingers, emphasizing strength and power. You could even argue he is making an ironic attempt at tensing his muscles, which you cannot actually see for his fat. He is topless and this shows his rebellion and care-free attitude. He has many, many tattoos, again reinforcing the bad-boy image he holds. Around his stomach/belly button area has a skull tattoo which is looking directly at the audience, possibly initiating a slight fear in the reader. This relates to the coverline of "Global Melting", which underneath says "Scary News". His jeans are worn extremely low and show the majority of his undergarments. This is representative of his gangster image and the origins of wearing jeans so low comes from American prisons, which relates to his time spent as a prison guard. His underwear is white and pristine, demonstrating he has a wealthy lifestyle and wears fresh clothes. The white fits with the white background and adds to the sharp clean cover's feel. The excessive jewellery on his wrists and around his neck show his incredible wealth. This is further demonstrated by the fact he wears two watches, one on each wrist. The yellow buckle on his belt follows the theme along with the other yellow words on the cover, "Rick Ross" and "Global Melting". The "Global Melting" cover line could perhaps relate to Rick Ross' large, rotund, world-like body and the fact it is shiny, sweaty, melting? The other cover line says "The Pot Princess" which relates to Rick Ross' highly publicized drug lifestyle, represented by one of the chains around his neck. It could also be interpreted as a reference to Ross' 'pot belly'.
The main story or cover line names Rick Ross as a "Gangster of Love" which could be interpreted in two ways. One way could be that he isn't looked upon as a loveable character and you could assume he isn't particularly desirable to women. The other interpretation is that Rick Ross is full of love, which is not too far from the truth when you understand that he has looked after many of his friends from his earlier, 'darker' days and helped keep them out of trouble. He has also put together a powerful, wealthy music team named 'Maybach Music Group' which shows us he wants to share his success and is far from greedy and selfish as many people in his position would be. He has taken chances on up and coming rappers such as Meek Mill and helped give them a career in rap that they otherwise would not have had. You could also look in to the fact he has worked with many, many other artists across the industry, and therefore he is the "Gangster of Love".
The menu strip at the top helps to hook the reader as it names the edition as "Fall Music Special", with the use of the buzz word 'special' significant in attracting the reader. The use of naming other artists in the menu strip also helps in bringing the buyer in and showing there is something for everyone.
