Resarch into female cover models

These are two covers of the popular rock/alternative magazine 'Kerrang!' which both depict female musician cover models.
The two images do have quite a few similarities, which I believe may suggest a typical convention of female covers in the rock/alternative genre.
The two images are both using mid-shots and direct address in terms of eye-contact. This is a highly important factor when considering images for magazine covers, as eye-contact enables the reader to connect with the cover model more successfully.
Furthermore, the two images feature women with dark hair. This would have been intentionally done in order to appeal to the correct target audience. Darker hair gives off more connotations of a typical 'rock' enthusiast, which may appeal more to the readers than a woman with lighter hair.
The two women are also wearing dark coloured clothes, which again would be to appeal to the correct target audience of rock/alternative enthusiasts.
Both images show the women with a facial expression that isn't quite a happy smile but isn't scowling. I believe this is to appeal to the target audience, however to make the magazine look more appealing as the cover models may seem more inviting. The facial expressions of both women do make them seem quite mysterious - which is a further selling point as the reader will want to know more about them.
Taking this into consideration, I will ensure that I choose my model appropriately and ensure that I follow the typical conventions of the genre, such as darker hair and clothing and importantly, eye-contact.

This is also a cover from 'Kerrang!' magazine, featuring a female artist.
This image is more colourful than the previous images, suggesting she may be a more exciting, fun artist that appeals to a slightly more 'alternative' audience than plainly 'rock'.
The model is also making a 'rude' gesture with her fingers - something that will definately appeal to the target audience. It gives the impression that she doesn't care what people think of her, which may be something that the target audience of the magazine can easily relate to.
Similarly to the other 'Kerrang!' covers, the model isn't smiling. This may again be to go against the norm, rebel and to be unique, something that the target audience can again relate to.
Taking this into consideration, I may have my cover model with slightly more colour introduced and also have her do a more quirky, interesting and fun pose.

These two covers are taken from the more rock based magazine, 'Revolver'.

The images are very different from the images of women depicted on 'Kerrang!', as they are much more risque and depict women in a more objectable light.

The costume and posturing of the women appeals more to a male audience, as the images are more 'sexy' and may not appeal to females as much due to the possibility of the images being seen as degrading and objectifying.

From this, I am going to ensure that my magazine will appeal to a much more universal audience of males and females and stay away from risque poses and costume like this.