Consumer Culture

There’s a huge number of media texts, especially in today’s society which exemplify consumer culture; but the particular media text I’ve chosen is Vogue Magazine.

The magazine was created in 1892 by Arthur Baldwin Turnure and was picked up by Conde Nast Publications shortly after his death. It’s published in 19 different countries and in my eyes epitomizes consumer culture.

The New York Times once described the magazine as;

‘Vogue is to our era what the idea of God was, in Voltaire’s famous parlance, to his: if it didn’t exist, we would have to invent it. Revered for its editorial excellence and its visual panache, the magazine has long functioned as a bible for anyone worshiping at the altar of luxury, celebrity and style. And while we perhaps take for granted the extent to which this trinity dominates consumer culture today, Vogue’s role in catalyzing its rise to pre-eminence cannot be underestimated.’

Vogue is famous for being the ‘fashion bible’ so it’s far to say the majority of its consumer culture comes from the fashion industry. For the elite fashionistas; if it’s in Vogue they have to own it. Vogue is the magazine responsible for enshrining the supermodel as a celebrity. Everything about the magazine oozes glamour and sophistication; so it’s no surprise that most budding fashion journalists see a job at Vogue as their dream job.

Another way in which the magazine has added to consumer culture is through works about the magazine itself. In 2009 The September Issue a documentary about behind the scenes at Vogue was released on DVD adding merchandise to the list of things the magazine endorses. The novel The Devil Wears Prada is also said to based on Vogue magazine and the events taking place in the offices of Vogue; as it was written by Anna Wintour’s one-time assistant Lauren Weisburger and the story details the struggle of an assistant working for a power-hungry magazine editor. The novel was made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway and once again added to the consumer culture of fashion magazines.

So, Vogue Magazine is everything consumer culture hopes to be: the magazine itself is subject to consumer culture through other media texts and inside the magazine’s pages, consumer culture is in operation as its readers feel the need to wear the latest fashion and be seen at the latest hotspots.