NME - Beth Ditto

NME is a music magazine based in the United Kingdom. It is distributed weekly and the first ever issue was published in 1952. The cover on the left was published in 2007 and features Beth Ditto.

When you first see this image, it isn’t very pleasant. In fashion magazines, most people expect to see size zero girls on the front exposing their ribs, but on music magazines it is more about the image of an artist or band. Beth Ditto’s approach to this is that she believes that “Big is Beautiful”. Although she is putting across her feminine side, the tattoo on her arm and aggressive look give her male characteristics too. When people see Beth Ditto, she is normally associated with the band Kiss. This is the reason for the lipstick mark on her backside – it connotes a sexual statement. Beth gives a contrast to the blonde hair, blue eye image normally associated with females.

The text for her name is up and down and this could connote the ups and downs in her career. It is also quite a ‘funky’ font and it could mean she is a fun person. The magazine has a three colour code scheme, consisting of yellow, red and black. The yellow background would also connote that as it generally means bright and excited. Like the other analysis, the contrasting colour is red, which generally means danger. The black bold text stands out most and ‘matches’ Beth’s hair colour. 

In the rule of thirds, Beth’s body is in the centre of the page, with her face in the top third; although, not the smallest of stars, Beth’s figure is centred to exenterate her view on ‘larger ladies’.  I believe the editors of this magazine have still airbrushed parts of Beth, to make her seem more ‘magazine glossy’.

In the top right hand corner, there is a circle which offers a free poster inside the edition. Below that the “Plus...” encourages people to read. When bands and artists are listed, their fans see that they are featured and generally buy the edition.