The construction of women image in Artistic Magazines at Reform Era (1997-2005)

Women have been focused in different discourses after 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran. The media have played a pivotal role in discourse construction on the women. Written media including artistic-literary magazines can construct social realities which are influencing on the society. This paper by asking on the way of constructing women by these magazines at reform era (1997-2005) is to find how these magazines have represented the women and which discourse field they refer to. Thus Stuart Hall theory on the media representation by focusing on construction approach applied to study on selected 27 artistic-literary or artistic magazines were published at reform era. The selected artistic magazines have been analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings show that studied magazines which have represented the women are categorized in 3 categories; 1. The magazines which have ignored the women; they did not play a discursive constructing role on the women at the reform era 2. The magazines which have low representation of women; they put the women in side lines 3. The magazines which have constructed the women in a certain discourse. The constructed depiction of women in the 3rd category of studied artistic magazines have appealed to reform and popular-commercial discourses.