The Imaginary and Social Representations Generated by Fashion Images in Women’s Magazines

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to clarify the impact of fashion images produced by the media on the imaginary and on social representations, and to analyse the relationships between these two entities. This work therefore focuses on two specific theories and concepts: the "social imaginary" and "social representations". In more specific terms, our aim is to show how fashion images in women’s magazines form part of an established social imaginary, generate social representations that give structure to this imaginary, and create fantasies and utopias including the so-called "ideal woman".