Anan (magazine)

Anan
Categories Women's magazine
Frequency Weekly
Publisher Magazine House Ltd.
First issue March 1970
Country Japan
Based in Tokyo
Language Japanese
Website an an

an an is a weekly Japanese women's lifestyle magazine. It is one of the earliest and popular women's magazines in Japan.[1][2] In 2009 it was described by Japan Today as mega-popular women's magazine.[3] It is also one of the best-selling women's magazines in the country.[4]

History and profile

The magazine was started as a sister publication of French magazine Elle and was named as an an Elle Japan.[4] The first issue of the magazine was published in March 1970.[5][6] The magazine has its headquarters in Tokyo and is published on a weekly basis on Tuesdays.[7][8] The publisher is Magazine House Ltd., a Tokyo based publishing company.[7][9] The company, which is also the founder of the magazine, was formerly named Heibun Shuppan.[10] Its target audience is women aged between 20 and 24 year-old.[5] The magazine has two versions, a regular one and a cheaper one.[1]

Like other young women's magazines in Japan an an frequently features articles on fashion, cosmetics and relationships.[6] However, it emphasizes on the visual aspect and advertisements rather than text.[11] Celebrities, including Jang Geun Suk, have appeared on its covers.[12] However, instead of focusing on gossip, an an and another women's magazine Non-no provide their readers with materials with the aim of developing their self-identity.[13] On the other hand, since its inception the magazine was instrumental in changing attitudes of young Japanese women as well as in reinforcing new and subversive identities.[14] In 1984 it began to publish annual sex special issue.[15] Its April 1989 cover read "Become Beautiful through Sex" (sekkusu de kirei ni naru).[4][15]

In 1976 the male version of an an, Popeye magazine, was started.[11]

an an celebrated its 2,000 issues publication with an exhibition at Tokyo Metro Omotesando station between 11 April and 17 April 2016.[16]

The circulation of an an was between 540,000 copies and 720,000 copies in the period of 1970 and 2009.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Kindle celebrity image rights scandal hits anan magazine". Japan Trends. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. ↑ Kaori Shoji (12 May 2008). "Health-conscious Japanese women are running in style". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "'Marriage-hunting' is latest buzzword". Japan Today. 1 March 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Youna Kim (22 May 2012). Women and the Media in Asia: The Precarious Self. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-230-29272-7. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  5. 1 2 Lise Skov; Brian Moeran (January 1995). Women, Media, and Consumption in Japan. University of Hawaii Press. p. 60. ISBN 978-0-8248-1776-3. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Bryan S. Turner; Zheng Yangwen (15 November 2009). The Body in Asia. Berghahn Books. p. 104. ISBN 978-1-84545-966-6. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  7. 1 2 "an an Magazine for Japan's Young Women". Japan Visitor Blog. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  8. ↑ The Far East and Australasia 2003. Psychology Press. 2002. p. 625. ISBN 978-1-85743-133-9. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  9. ↑ Jonti Davies (14 February 2007). "Women's magazine enters Japanese DS market". engadget. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Keiko Tanaka (May 2003). "The language of Japanese men's magazines: young men who don't want to get hurt" (PDF). The Sociological Review 51 (S1). Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  11. 1 2 Barbara Németh (2014). "Masculinities in Japan" (PDF). Filozofická fakulta. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Jang Geun Suk poses for the cover of Japan's 'Anan'". Allkpop. 31 March 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  13. ↑ Yoko Tokuhiro (25 September 2009). Marriage in Contemporary Japan. Routledge. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-135-23032-6. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  14. ↑ Jennifer Robertson (15 April 2008). A Companion to the Anthropology of Japan. John Wiley & Sons. p. 320. ISBN 978-1-4051-4145-1. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  15. 1 2 Alexandra Hambleton (2012). "Women and Sexual Desire in the Japanese Popular Media". Women and Sexual Desire in the Japanese Popular Media. Palgrave Macmillan UK. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  16. ↑ "Anan Magazine Commemorates 2,000 Issues Publication with an Exhibit". Arama! Japan. Retrieved 28 April 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 30, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.