Magazines: Men's Health- Language & Representation
Language
1) How can Gauntlett's ideas on masculinity, gender and identity be applied to the Men's Health CSP we have analysed?
Gauntlett;s ideas can be applied to the Men's health magazine as there is a feature on mental health which used to be a taboo topic regarding men as they were expected to be tough and strong, not emotional. This suggests that "views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity... are in a slow but steady process of change and transformation".
2) How could van Zoonen's work on feminist and gender theory be applied to Men's Health?
Van Zoonen's work can applied to the magazine as she says that the media sexualises both men and women's bodies however, the representation of women's sexuality is often submissive and disempowering whereas the representation of men's sexuality links to strength and power which can be seen in the magazine as it uses hypermasculine cover lines and the central image is also hypermasculine.
3) How could bell hooks's work on 'corrosive masculinity' apply to Men's Health?
bell hooks suggests that gender roles are constructed and not 'natural' which can be seen here as the magazine promotes ideas of masculinity and strength as the ideal for masculinity.
1) Why is Men's Health defined as a 'lifestyle magazine'?
It discusses many different aspects such as health, fitness, travel, food etc
2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?
It is important as the media heavily influences audiences.
3) The article suggests that the representation of masculinity in Men's Health is not fixed or natural and is subject to constant change. What media theorists that we have studied previously can be linked to these ideas?
Van Zoonen
4) What does the article suggest Men's Health encourages its readers to be? What examples and statistics are provided to develop the idea of men as consumers?
5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?
The representation in the magazine suggests that the male body should be muscular and strong as Vin Diesel is used as the central image which gives the message that his type of body is what men's bodies should be like.
6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?
The objectification if men here is used to encourage the audience to get fit and healthy but it is also used to link masculinity with strength and power.
7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?
Metrosexuality is the term used to describe men that take time in effort in their grooming and appearance this can be applied to the magazine as it encourages men to take pride in their appearance and take care of their bodies which challenges the traditional views that men shouldn't be concerned about grooming.
8) What representation of men in Men's Health is discussed in the section 'Homogenous bodies'?
9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?
That masculinity is linked to aggression,strength,authority and power.
10) What is your own view of the representation of masculinity in Men's Health? Is it a positive representation that encourages men to the best they can be or is it a hypermasculine, consumer-driven representation designed to undermine men's confidence and objectify their bodies?
I think that the Men's Health magazine is hypermasculine and sends the wrong message about men's confidence and bodies which can be damaging to the male audience.
1) Write an analysis of the media language choices on the cover of Men's Health - e.g. colour scheme, typography, language, photographic codes etc.
The colour scheme us blue,black and grey which is a traditional, masculine colour scheme which suggests that that magazine is conventional. The cover lines include aggressive verbs such as 'Blast', 'Slay', and 'Demolish' which adds to the hyper masculine look of the magazine and suggests that men should only be associated with aggressiveness, toughness etc. The ' Men's Health' text is written in serif font which is traditional and gives some authority.
2) Identify three specific aspects/conventions/important points (e.g. cover lines, colour scheme, use of text, image etc.) from each page of the CSP that you could refer to in a future exam. Explain why that particular aspect of the CSP is important - think about connotations, representations, audience pleasures, reception theory etc.
Front cover: The front cover is conventional in many aspects such as the central image featuring Vin Diesel who is known for his masculinity and strength etc. The hypermasculine cover lines include aggressive verbs which reinforces the gender stereotype that men should be tough and strong and have authority. Van Zoonen's 'sex role stereotype' theory could be applied here as the representation of male sexuality is based on strength and power which is evident in this magazine.
Editor's Letter and contents page: Is a feature about mental health which isn't a traditional hyper masculine approach which challenges the traditional stereotypes and representations of of men.
Feature - True Grit - 'The Marathon Man': Reinforces masculine stereotypes of strength and achieving goals etc however in most stereotypes of masculinity focuses on young men but here there is an older man trying to achieve his goals which suggests that views of masculinity are changing.
3) Apply narrative theories to Men's Health - Todorov's equilibrium, Propp's character types, Barthes' action or enigma codes.
4) Read the cover lines and the Editor's Letter. Does Men's Health offer a cure for male insecurities or does it create male insecurity?
It offers a cure for male insecurities as it gives solutions to problems men may face regarding health and fitness and offers advice as well. On the other hand it could be creating male insecurities by using Vin Diesel as the representation of male masculinity which could be damaging to male audiences that do not look like this image.
The colour scheme us blue,black and grey which is a traditional, masculine colour scheme which suggests that that magazine is conventional. The cover lines include aggressive verbs such as 'Blast', 'Slay', and 'Demolish' which adds to the hyper masculine look of the magazine and suggests that men should only be associated with aggressiveness, toughness etc. The ' Men's Health' text is written in serif font which is traditional and gives some authority.
2) Identify three specific aspects/conventions/important points (e.g. cover lines, colour scheme, use of text, image etc.) from each page of the CSP that you could refer to in a future exam. Explain why that particular aspect of the CSP is important - think about connotations, representations, audience pleasures, reception theory etc.
Front cover: The front cover is conventional in many aspects such as the central image featuring Vin Diesel who is known for his masculinity and strength etc. The hypermasculine cover lines include aggressive verbs which reinforces the gender stereotype that men should be tough and strong and have authority. Van Zoonen's 'sex role stereotype' theory could be applied here as the representation of male sexuality is based on strength and power which is evident in this magazine.
Editor's Letter and contents page: Is a feature about mental health which isn't a traditional hyper masculine approach which challenges the traditional stereotypes and representations of of men.
Feature - True Grit - 'The Marathon Man': Reinforces masculine stereotypes of strength and achieving goals etc however in most stereotypes of masculinity focuses on young men but here there is an older man trying to achieve his goals which suggests that views of masculinity are changing.
3) Apply narrative theories to Men's Health - Todorov's equilibrium, Propp's character types, Barthes' action or enigma codes.
- The cover suggests there is is a disequilibrium as there are lots of ideas that suggests that the reader needs to take action to resolve something such as 'Get Back In Shape', 'Reboot your Xmas liver' etc which suggests that in order to achieve a new equilibrium the readers need to buy the magazine.
- The reader is the hero and the magazine could be the helper as it is providing advice and help to the readers.
- Enigma codes such as 'Lose 8KGs fast' and ' Ways to build a stronger core' encourage the readers to buy the magazine and makes the audience want to find out more.
- Hyper masculine, aggressive language like 'demolish' and 'blast' acts as action codes as it suggests that these violent active acts will help the hero achieve their task.
4) Read the cover lines and the Editor's Letter. Does Men's Health offer a cure for male insecurities or does it create male insecurity?
It offers a cure for male insecurities as it gives solutions to problems men may face regarding health and fitness and offers advice as well. On the other hand it could be creating male insecurities by using Vin Diesel as the representation of male masculinity which could be damaging to male audiences that do not look like this image.
Representations
Representations: applying theory
1) How can Gauntlett's ideas on masculinity, gender and identity be applied to the Men's Health CSP we have analysed?
Gauntlett;s ideas can be applied to the Men's health magazine as there is a feature on mental health which used to be a taboo topic regarding men as they were expected to be tough and strong, not emotional. This suggests that "views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity... are in a slow but steady process of change and transformation".
2) How could van Zoonen's work on feminist and gender theory be applied to Men's Health?
Van Zoonen's work can applied to the magazine as she says that the media sexualises both men and women's bodies however, the representation of women's sexuality is often submissive and disempowering whereas the representation of men's sexuality links to strength and power which can be seen in the magazine as it uses hypermasculine cover lines and the central image is also hypermasculine.
3) How could bell hooks's work on 'corrosive masculinity' apply to Men's Health?
bell hooks suggests that gender roles are constructed and not 'natural' which can be seen here as the magazine promotes ideas of masculinity and strength as the ideal for masculinity.
Representations: academic analysis
1) Why is Men's Health defined as a 'lifestyle magazine'?
It discusses many different aspects such as health, fitness, travel, food etc
2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?
It is important as the media heavily influences audiences.
3) The article suggests that the representation of masculinity in Men's Health is not fixed or natural and is subject to constant change. What media theorists that we have studied previously can be linked to these ideas?
Van Zoonen
4) What does the article suggest Men's Health encourages its readers to be? What examples and statistics are provided to develop the idea of men as consumers?
5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?
The representation in the magazine suggests that the male body should be muscular and strong as Vin Diesel is used as the central image which gives the message that his type of body is what men's bodies should be like.
6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?
The objectification if men here is used to encourage the audience to get fit and healthy but it is also used to link masculinity with strength and power.
7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?
Metrosexuality is the term used to describe men that take time in effort in their grooming and appearance this can be applied to the magazine as it encourages men to take pride in their appearance and take care of their bodies which challenges the traditional views that men shouldn't be concerned about grooming.
8) What representation of men in Men's Health is discussed in the section 'Homogenous bodies'?
9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?
That masculinity is linked to aggression,strength,authority and power.
10) What is your own view of the representation of masculinity in Men's Health? Is it a positive representation that encourages men to the best they can be or is it a hypermasculine, consumer-driven representation designed to undermine men's confidence and objectify their bodies?
I think that the Men's Health magazine is hypermasculine and sends the wrong message about men's confidence and bodies which can be damaging to the male audience.
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