Rhetoric Visual Analysis: Amy Winehouse

The year was 1967. It was the year that the world was introduced to a magazine known as the Rolling Stone. The Rolling Stone was given birth by Jann Wenner, a 21-year-old music lover from San Francisco, California. The magazine was named after a band, a song and the idea that change and movement could keep people young. The magazine was created on a borrowed $7,500 to address the interests of a younger generation that viewed rock and roll as more than just music, but as a lifestyle. The Rolling Stone is successful in understanding and exploiting the views of the most devout followers of rock and roll and has grown to become a Fifth Avenue enterprise worth over $250 million dollars.
On June 14th 2007, British singer/song writer the late Amy Winehouse was featured on the cover of the Rolling Stone. Most commonly known for her out of control behavior, the magazine is trying to contradict her reputation by making her look timid shy and quiet. From the way her head is down and tilted and from her arms being down by her sides this pose represents one of a little girl that feels guilty for doing something wrong. Amy's puppy dog eyes look straight into the camera as if to say I have changed and am now a different person.
On the cover, Amy is basically taking over with a surprisingly timid look and a huge beehive hairstyle. The magazine name is barely seen behind her figure yet everyone can still tell it’s the Rolling Stone from the design they have developed and used in each issue. We can tell just by the “Rolli ne” on each side of Amy’s head that it is in fact the Rolling Stone by the structure that has become a trademark of the magazine. With only “Rolli ne” being visible, the magazine is implying that they are so well known that they don’t need to show their title on their magazine for it to be identified, bought, and read.
The headlines are kept to the left, below the masthead. The first reads “Summer Tours” in a larger red font. Underneath, four band names are