Problems made invisible in fashion magazines: a view from Responsible Corporate Communication and Public Relations

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century, some fashion magazines started to include fewer commercial photographs and gave more social meaning to their covers and content. Images that break social silence in editorial proposals, especially on the cover, help raise awareness of hidden issues. In this context, the role of media organizations and the function of public relations (PR) become relevant in establishing an inclusive view of these situations among target audiences. The research aimed to identify the social issues related to women that have been underexposed in magazines, specially fashion magazines, to analyze the non-verbal codes and signs to determine whether the message conveyed is responsible. With the support of visual semiotics (Eco, 1968), color semiotics (Costa, 2003), and Responsible Communication (RC) (Hernández-Flores, 2019), the study examines to what extent these cover photographs denounce such issues and create -or do not create- a responsible graphic message for audiences.The methodology is qualitative, descriptive, and non-experimental, using content analysis to identify graphic non-verbal codes and signs, thus determining the presence or absence of Responsible Communication. Vogue was selected as the fashion magazine for the study, being the best positioned in the market. The covers were chosen based on the following criteria: they had to address topics related to femininity and social issues, generate significant interaction on social media and fashion blogs, and respond to the categories established by the research concerning hidden issues: a) violence against women, b) body positivity, c) mental illness, and d) women's empowerment. The sample considers the cover photographs of the following editions: Vogue Poland's "Love & Intimacy" (May and June 2020), Vogue Portugal's "The Madness Issue" (July 2020), and Vogue Greece's "Every Body" (March 2022). The most representative results reveal moderately responsible messages regarding the visibility of social issues. For instance, in the cover photograph of Vogue Portugal (2020), "The Madness Issue," which seeks to represent a type of mental illness, public discontent is observed through social media comments, especially from those suffering from such disorders as the image conveyed is not empathetic. Similarly, the cover of Vogue Greece (2022), "Every Body," presents various themes of the female body without stigmas related to size and skin color. Moreover, there is openness in transmitting topics that some consider "controversial," such as the cover of Vogue Poland (2020), "Love & Intimacy," which shows a woman breastfeeding. This cover was applauded in some cases and criticized in others for being considered vulgar. The conclusions highlight that, although the main objective of the photographs is not to generate social awareness about women but to dress the cover with social issues to help the magazine's positioning, their contribution undoubtedly helps to expose hidden problems among their audiences, as they open a space for reflection on cultural and social content. A graphic message, seen as a whole, can foster greater awareness and reflection among readers. However, there is still a long way to go in editorial products and their proposals, especially in ensuring a better relationship with their audiences through the responsible representation of hidden issues and their social impact.