Gender in Magazines

Caldas-Coulthard (1996)

In her book Text and Practices (1996), Caldas-Coulthard discusses the idea that language can be used as a form of social control, specifically in the form of discourse (speech). This book includes examples from both genders, and features chapters such as Problems with the representation of face (pragmatics) and its manifestations in the discourse of the 'old-old' and Audience manipulation in police records of interviews with suspects.


Machin and Van Leeuwen (2004)

In their paper Global Media: Generic Homogeneity and Discursive Diversity, the idea that language has become homogenous due to the media is explored, and examined in detail from a variety of perspectives - genre and it's similarities, contents of magazines such as Cosmo in different locations etc.

Machin and Thornborrow (2006)

The paper Lifestyle and the depoliticisation of agency: Sex as power in women's magazines suggests that although women's magazines often aim to show the women featured in them in a powerful light, this is not done by showing political opinion or other opinions, but instead how 'they seduce men and behave sexually'. They also go on to state that this is because in modern society modern society we don't define ourselves by who we are (class etc), but rather by what we do.

Benwell

The Handbook of Language, Gender and Sexuality by Bethan Benwell look at masculinity in magazines. In particular, it looks at the discourse in mens lifestyle magazines - the use of gross out, a phenomena that attempts to shock the reader by showing graphic/violent content (both images and discourse).