C1 Magazines
What is representation?
LO: To explore the concepts of representation and stereotypes.
The media offers the audience an interpretation of the world.
Representation is the way that the media portrays a subject, usually fitting to their beliefs, wants and general opinions.
Positive and Negative
The first thing we can consider about representations is if they are positive or negative
This is a positive representation, because it presents a teenager (Lamine Yamal, 16/17) as a new uprising star in football. It does this by explicitly stating "Wonder Boy", which emphasises his skill compared to his age. They do this because of his excellent performance in his debut at the Euros, and how young players such as him, have potential to be mature and talented.
Stereotype: A generalised representation of a person, place or thing. They are limited and often offensive or used for comedy.
Do Now Friday 20th September
1. The way something is shown in order to create a specific impression
2. If it is positive or negative.
3. An idea of a specific type of person, without actual evidence that every person meets the criteria. A generalised representation of a person, place or thing.
4. 2
5. Audiences
Stereotypes
Grandmother: White hair, glasses, knitting, old, floral clothes, moves slowly
Tattoo Lover: Biker, violent, mohawk, angry, sunglasses, dangerous
Private School Boy: Posh, talks very Queen-like, rich, smart, trust fund
The stereotypes are reinforced. The students act rambunctious, and misbehave regularly and the teachers are well-mannered and all want the best in life for their students. The students occasionally backchat to the teachers and the teachers are stern with their warnings and sanctions. The surprising part is that there is some segments that challenge stereotypes, where the students are having mature conversations with the teachers, and in some cases, thanking them.
Representations in Magazines
Lo: To explore the representations found in magazines.
Masthead: The magazine title
Cover lines: The different stories within the magazine.
Main image: The main image
Main cover line: The main story within the magazine
Puff: An eye catching graphic or text to draw attention, anywhere on the cover
Colour palette: The main colours used in the magazine cover
Direct address: When the magazine mentions the reader or when the model looks at you
Star vehicle: A famous person on the cover
Do Now Friday 27th September
2. Cover lines
3. A sticker-like graphic with to reel someone in on a magazine.
4. Positive or negative
5. Stereotypes
1. Normal, Chilled, Cheerful
1. Normal, Chilled, Cheerful
2. Powerful, Confident, Celebrity-like
3. Stylish, Fancy, Cheerful
GQ's aimed towards men, Cosmopolitan is aimed towards women. Cosmopolitan has a puff, GQ does not. Cosmopolitan has a banner, GQ does not. They have different colour palettes, stereotypical to each gender. The genre of magazine is different. The gender of the cover stars are different.
Men are represented as strong in the GQ cover. We can see this because of the emphasis on his hands by the lighting, it shows his tattoos, and his hands are in a fist-like gesture. Using stereotypes, tattoos and fists are usually things associated with strength and power.
Women are represented as people who want to look a certain way. It seems this way because of the cover lines used, "Snack so hard and still drop pounds." and "Flatter Abs, 9 minutes flat." This can also be proved through the use of the star vehicle, who is a slim, young woman who follows beauty standards. The use of these methods all work together to create this impression, by directly linking them together, "Carrie Underwood, all her confidence secrets revealed." This, along with the women target audience, make it seem like woman are people who constantly want to lose weight.
Friday 4th October
Do Now
1. Bold, bigger than the other cover lines, and focussed on the main story.
2. When the model looks straight into the camera
3. Puff
4. Blue
5. Referring to a living thing, as if it were an object.
Do Now How do you compare representations? Friday 11th October
1. If it is positive or negative, and what audience it is addressed to
2. When you refer to a person as a sex object to sexualise them
3. Inside GAME of THRONES
4. Pink
5. Laziness
Lo: To write and structure an effective exam style answer
- List similarities and differences
- Use list to make my judgement
- Use structure to write my essay, make sure I include my judgement
In the GQ cover, men are represented as older and sophisticated. The tuxedo has connotations of wealth and elegance and the use of DB as a star vehicle suggests an older audience. This is different to the Cosmo cover...
Similarities:
- Both overly sexual
- Both have cover lines that challenge stereotypes
- Both have the opposite gender cover star to the target audience
- Both have some stereotypical cover lines
Differences:
- One has very stereotypical colours, cosmo vibrant, GQ monotone
- One represented as more chilled, the other powerful and fearless
Both covers are overly sexual. In the GQ cover, the star vehicle is naked, without any explicit reason for being so. This is a case of sexual objectification, which is not stereotypical for a magazine who's audience is sophisticated, older men. Whereas in the Cosmopolitan cover, this sexualisation of the media is through the cover lines such as, "Inside the deepfake porn matrix" and "The winners of our first ever sex toy awards." Sexual cover lines are common in young woman aimed magazines; however this one has anti-stereotypical topics (e.g. porn). These are closely linked to each other, because they focus on the sexual aspects of the covers. In the GQ cover, there is emphasis on Rihanna's body through the use of lighting; and also through her hand gesture and facial expression. In the Cosmopolitan cover, "Inside the deepfake porn matrix" is one of the main cover lines, as shown by the size, colour and font of the text.
Friday 8th November
Industry Research
L/O: To research companies linked to set products
Circulation: The number of copies it usually distributes for each issue
Advertising revenue: Income you earn specifically from placing advertisements for products or services on behalf of others
Cover price: The published cover price at which a single copy of the publication may be purchased without limitation and for an ongoing duration
Subscription model: One in which customers are charged a recurring fee for access to a product instead of a one-time expense
Multi-platform: Publish your content into different mediums, massively maximising your reach
Readership: An estimation of how many readers a publication has
Ideology: A set of beliefs or values shared by a group of people
Brand identity: The recognisable brand attributes that make you distinguishable from competitors
Target audience: Center around a specific group of people
GQ was launched in 1931
GQ's genres are: politics, travel, entertainment, sports, technology, food and wine, fitness, health and relationships. It targets men from 20-44 years old. It was original published for fashion industry insiders. ABC1,
Gentlemen's Quarterly was rebranded to GQ in 1967, and the rate of publication was increased from quarterly to monthly in 1970.
GQ is published by Condé Nast and Advance Publications
Each issue is published in print and digitally: with its own acclaimed websites and apps.
GQ has an average circulation of 85080
GQ had a monthly readership of approximately 213000 print readers.
GQ's slogan is "Look sharp, live smart." GQ tends to teach men on latest trends, and different ways to live their lives. They tend to focus on topics relevant to adult men, and have a sophisticated and usually serious style. Forward thinking, progressive, cutting edge.
Vogue was launched in 1892
The original genre/target audience was for the New York upper class
Vogue's target audience has changed to female beauty enthusiasts, 30-45, sophisticated, wealthy
Condé Nast publishes Vogue
Vogue cross-promotes its content through print and digital platforms
Vogues average circulation is 190249
Vogue's average readership is 796000 million
Vogue means fashion in french and offers luxury pieces of clothing for everyday life
Vogue's slogan is 'Before it's in fashion, it's in Vogue."
Friday 15th November
Raheem Sterling GQ
Do Now
1. Conde Nast
2. ABC1
3. 20-44
4. Masthead
5. The main two or three colours used on a cover
LO: explore the context and layout design for GQ magazine
Magazine for men with an IQ - GQ
GQ according to lots of people has a history of objectifying women, promoting a chauvinist attitude towards women.
In the 1990s, the covers went from men-only covers to female too.
Men often were remained clothes, whereas women were shot mostly not fully clothed.
Present day GQ magazines still do this, and have women presented very differently from men.
Some women on the cover are nude, in the magazines and on the website
Magazine's website has an entire section dedicated to women, with lists of 'Sexiest Women', all four men of the year are fully clothed on their pictures.
GQ targets it's audience through the sexual objectification of women, and present men and women drastically differently. They also target their audience through star vehicles and sophisticated fashion.
Cover Analysis - Media Language
Typography - Font style, font size, colour, serif or sans serif,
The colours of the text are mainly neutral (beige/white) which emphasises the colour of the sunglasses. It also suggests that the magazine is calm and peaceful. The use of sentence case and serif font also suggest that the target audience is educated, sophisticated, older men. however in the cover lines, sans serif is used, to suggest that despite the serious nature of the brand, they can bring a youthful and passionate side to the table; most probably to continue the relevance of their brand in the newer generations who are brought up without much focus on magazines when Internet is simpler/easier. The text is bolder on the titles, to bring attention to the topics. This cover uses a Z-Pattern design, so that the reader starts reading on the masthead, and ends on the website, to encourage readers to further engage with the content they provide. The use of the anchorage text, "Rock'n' Roll Star", relates to an Oasis song, which most likely means that Liam Gallagher (cover star) talks about his time in the band within the magazine.
Friday 22nd November
Case Study: Raheem Sterling
Do Now
1. Anchorage is the words that accompany an image to give it a specific meaning
2. Colour, Size, Font, Serif or Sans Serif
3. Cover lines
4. Sans Serif
5. Mid Shot
Raheem Sterling was born in Jamaica
He moved to London when he was 5
He started his formal football education in the Queen's Park Rangers academy
At 15, he made his debut for the Liverpool senior team
He was a vital part of the England national team
Raheem Sterling was racially abused in 2018 in a match against Chelsea, this sparked his drive to fight against racism in football. He put out multiple statements about his experiences with racisms, and attempts to guide others to a more equal mindset
Masthead:
The masthead is a dark gold colour which links to his authority in the main image, and the connotations to heaven through 'Guardian Angel'. This has been included to emphasise Sterling's power in the fight for equality in football, and how influential of a figure he is
Cover lines:
The cover line 'How Raheem Sterling saved football from itself' links to racism in football, and the struggles he has been through in personal experiences, but for helping others too. The other cover lines are conventional GQ cover lines, which shows that Raheem Sterling as a black individual, shouldn't have his race explicitly referenced to, to further expand the point of equality in not just football, but in life too. 'Guardian Angel' refers to how Raheem Sterling is protecting the next generation of young footballers from the racial abuse that was previously disregarded.
Anchorage text:
'Guardian Angel' refers to how Raheem Sterling is protecting the next generation of young footballers from the racial abuse that was previously disregarded. 'How Raheem Sterling saved football from itself' links to racism in football, and the struggles he has been through in personal experiences, but for helping others too.
Friday 29th November
Case Study: Raheem Sterling
Do Now
1. Play football and advocates against racism
2. Colour, size, serif or sans serif, font
3. Racism in football
4. Serif
5. Anchorage
Masthead - Sans serif font, Modern, Block Capitals, Masculine, Gold, Wealth, Wealthy target audience, Religion, Juxtaposes black used for wings, binary oppositions
Coverline - 'Why its finally ok to wear a beltbag', metrosexual, subverting stereotypes of bags only for women, now men can own and enjoy them too
Anchorage Text - Guardian Angel - A multitude of meanings:
Winger in football, playing on the sides or 'wings'
He protects other black players from further racial incidents through his campaigning
He was seen as an evil person, but in reality seems on the whole to be a good one
Layout Z Shape - Traces the route the human eye travels when they read, left to right, top to bottom. First people scan the top left from top right.
Coverlines -
'Westminster has become a living nightmare, Andy Burnham's Manchester masterplan' - Politics, English, Intelligent, Middle Class, Gentlemen
'Picture exclusive! Gwendoline Christie, Ricky Gervais, Adwoa Aboah & Michael Wolff! All the sizzle from GQ Heroes' - Self promotion, Top tier luxury business and creative minds, leadership, changing industries, Political, Economic
'Speak no evil. Inside the most brutal dictatorship you've never heard of' -
'74 minutes in the insane, wild, totally nuts life of Machine Gun Kelly'
Black wings and clothing, connoting darkness and evil
Light reflecting off his skin showing that his actual person is good
Tattoos, connoting toughness
The anchorage text ('Guardian Angel') gives the image a multitude of meanings. We can see this through the fact that angels have wings. This could be an analogy of his position in football (winger) where he plays on the sides or 'wings'. It is used to allow the target audience of GQ (older, middle class men) to have an idea of Raheem Sterling's place in the world of football and how he operates in the sport. We can see this through his background of being seen as evil, but in reality being good. The use of this juxtaposition, relates to how he 'protects' other black players from further racial incidents through his campaigning. In 2018, he had a match against Chelsea, where he faced a large amount of racial abuse. This sparked his passion for fighting against racism, and this magazine was published in August 2019, which was the apotheosis of his advocacy. GQ have done this highlight how Sterling's public image has changed. This variety of different interpretations of the anchorage text creates an overall multitude of meanings.
The image creates a dichotomy between good and evil. In the picture, he has black wings and clothing, utilising symbolism. This symbolises the darkness and evil that his profile was built up to be, prior to his awakening to the world of racism in football, and his fight against it.
Friday 13th December
Assessment Improvement
Do Now
1. Tell you about the content in the magazine
2. To interest and appeal to a certain audience
3. Racism
4. Beneath the subject
5. Something you would expect to see in a certain genre
Mise-en-scene - Clothes, hair, makeup, setting, lighting, non verbal codes
Written code, anything written
Gesture codes, body language
Symbolic code - a colour that symbolises something else
Narrative, the story
Colour palette, colours used
The main image shows Sterling with confident gesture codes (e.g. serious face, wide stance) in a low angle shot, and the mise-en-scene is primarily black.
The main image shows Sterling with confident gesture codes (e.g. serious face, wide stance), which connotes authority. Another aspect that suggests this, is the use of a low angle shot, implying that he has 'power'. The use of the primarily black mise-en-scene, suggests darkness/evil. However, considering Raheem Sterling's place in the media, it may be used to juxtapose it with his good intentions.
GQ communicates the meaning of Raheem Sterling being a saviour through the use of the language. In the anchorage text, it states, “Guardian Angel”. Explicitly, it links to his wings, and how physically he is represented as an angel. However, the use of the adjective, “Guardian” , may suggest to how he has helped to fight against racism in football, and the media, in years building up to the magazine being published. This also links to the main cover line, “How Raheem Sterling saved football from itself”. This is a metaphor for how prior to his fight against racist behaviour, football’s community was corrupted by discrimination and prejudice. However, with him being a ‘Guardian Angel’, he acts a saviour for not just the sport, but the community too. Following racial abuse against him, he decided to rise up against the problem, and now helps others facing the same problems. GQ have presented him as a saviour, to not only link him to the religion, but also to emphasise the effort and journey he has put in and taken. For the GQ readership (middle aged, wealthy men), they are exposed to the deeds that Sterling has done, and learn about how he is a prominent advocate in the fight against racism in football.
Friday 20th December
Raheem Sterling GQ
Do Now
1. Is a symbol for
2. Angelic, powerful, superhuman
3. Middle-aged sophisticated men
4. To appeal to an audience
5. Something you'd expect to see in a certain type of magazine
The cover gives the message that males all have a strong build and are mainly serious (due to his physique as a footballer and his stern-looking expression)
His stern expression, his muscles, the black clothing connoting power and his tattoos all show masculinity.
The cover lines focus on masculine topics such as politics and current affairs.
Him having tattoos and a gold chain on his neck are gender stereotypes
No stereotypes are being challenged
The cover gives the message that all black people have ill intentions (the connotations of black clothing and tattoos). However, the other features of the magazine negates this.
His black clothing, tattoos and stern expression all link to negativity, which are common when referring to black people (mainly in the past)
Represented like a role model
Unusual for GQ, opposes stereotypes
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