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| Glamour Magazine 1939 |
Glamour Magazine was founded in April 1939 originally called Glamour of Hollywood. Published by Condè Nast Publication's.1 This company is a really important name in the industry because they are responsible for publishing some of the most well know high end magazines such as Vogue, Mademoiselle, Allure and Vanity fair the list go's on!
Glamour magazine recognised the profound effect that the need for Glamour and a Hollywood lifestyle could have on women. 'By revealing how the movie stars achieve there particle appeal the new magazine will satisfy a demand for beauty'.2
In the beginning the magazine then called Glamour of Hollywood was gave readers fashion inspiration fresh from Holly Wood as well as key trends on beauty and 'womanly charm'.3 The magazine was a cheaper alternative to the already established Vogue magazine which at the time was very exclusive and expensive.
By the end of 1939 Glamour of Hollywood had a achieved a circulation of 200,000 readers.4
The name was shortened to Glamour as we know it today. After all Glamour now is associated with Hollywood without even having to mention it!
Quite quickly the magazine shifted away from film stars and featured young unknown models for fashion spreads and beauty editorials.
The Glamour we read now features a combination of celebrities and unknown models. Its clear that they have moved away from there original intentions of sharing Holly Wood Glamour and have created there own identity as a fashion and beauty destination for readers.
Glamour magazine state that they are there for the women 'Who set the direction for their own life'.4 When I read the magazine I get the feel that they want to help readers create a lifestyle for women that involves a dream job, a great relationship and of course the perfect looks with beauty must haves and key styles and great fashion advice.
If I was to define the magazine to an age range I would say the magazine is appeasable for any women from the age of 18 to around the age of 40.
For the younger readers the magazine provides a lot of fashion and beauty inspiration but does contain a lot that may be unaffordable.The aim of the magazine has not changed very much from its first days it is a small pocket sized style guide with all the latest on make up, clothing and all round Glamour. I find some of the best buys they share with us are not in the most reasonable of prices and there for are not great for absolutely everyone.
For example were Cosmopolitan magazine shared cheaper alternatives of make up from the likes of Marks and Spencer's Autograph range for under a tenner, on one of the beauty pages in Glamour magazine the cheapest make up item I was able to find was a Burberry Eye Shadow priced at 35 pounds! Although I personally may not spend this much on an eye shadow it still provides me with inspiration for ways of wearing make up which is of course a big benefit and a good enough reason to read the magazine.
A majority of the advertising is very high fashion with items from Mark Jacobs and Mulbery reaching no less then £100 But I do find on some of the advertising there are some very reasonable skin care buys from brands such as Nivea and Loreal. I think this really helps to reach to a wider audience because with out these types of advertisements this magazine could become a much more restricted to an exclusive minority of people.
The Articles in the magazine are very inspiring for a young independent women looking for the ultimate career. Rather then the dramatic sex and relationship stories in many magazines on the shelf the articles are far more serious and educating. For example I have just finished reading about a range of different people and the ins and outs of there Jobs including how they got were they are. Such as a BBC news presenter, a Scientist and a chef who are all women. These types of articles are solely aimed at women and are very empowering.
The overall fashion influence from the magazine is for me leaning towards the high end side of things. I would go as far to say there are many similarities with Vogue magazine. This is because of the high end fashion that is on offer that is out of a lot of peoples reach. Despite this the magazine provides some really great inspiration for make up, hair and fashion straight from the catwalk. The fashion appeals to a very sassy sexy business women. The make up and hair is on the sophisticated side and is less of the very playful but most importantly is very on trend.
Bibliography
1.2.Willis-Tropea, L. (2008). Hollywood glamour: sex, power, and photography, 1925-1939. Los Angeles, California: University of Southern California.
3. http://www.articleworld.org/index.php/Glamour_(magazine)
4.http://www.condenast.com/brands/glamour
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