Magazines: Men's Health- Language and Representation
Language
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 palette is a mixture of white, black and slightly muted blue (with only a couple of red accents) which has connotations of the medical world. The typography is interesting as the title is a serif typeface (which has an authoritative feel) whereas the majority of the text is sans-serif (which gives it a more contemporary, youthful styling). There are also a couple of stencil-style sub-titles; which have a military aesthetic, and the use of a hashtag which is obviously designed to have connotations of new technology despite the fact that print is over 600 years old. The overall effect is designed to reduce any element of the feminine or decorative.
In this case it is Hollywood action star Vin Diesel. Being Vin Diesel it also has the role of linking the concept of aesthetics to other markers of success; in this case film-star, and celebrity, status. Vin is looking rather tough and strong in a grey V-necked t-shirt and jeans. This has the added bonus of making Vin Diesel look like his Fast and Furious alter-ego Dominic Toretto. The narrative here is that Mr Diesel is the hero, the protagonist of the exciting adventure that having really, really big arms can take you on. Put all this together and the there is a clear link to Van Zoonen's description of gender and discourse. The patriarchal discourse places images of hyper-masculinity as the masculine ideal. You can also see that this is an example of intertextuality where the magazine cover language, narrative and messages are dependent on the audience knowing another media product. Without that knowledge the cover loses its power of signification. With respect to encoding the cover is clearly anchored (and so is more closed) by audience recognition and by labels.
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.
There is another narrative element to the cover. The title of the issue is “The get back in shape special.” The buyer is not a muscular individual but one who is worried about his physical condition. This means that in a Todorov style reading of narrative the equilibrium state is that of decline and loss of masculinity. Buying the magazine promises the start of a disruption which will lead to a new equilibrium of hyper-masculinity. This is also emphasised by the violent language choices (“slay”, “demolish” and “blast”) along with technical and pseudo-scientific language (“metabolism”, “core” “8kgs”). This pseudo-science is firmly linked to the title of the magazine.
Front cover:
Editor's Letter and contents page:
Feature - True Grit - 'The Marathon Man':
3) Apply narrative theories to Men's Health - Todorov's equilibrium, Propp's character types, Barthes' action or enigma codes.
The narrative here is that Mr Diesel is the hero, the protagonist of the exciting adventure that having really, really big arms can take you on. Put all this together and there is a clear link to VAN ZOONEN’S description of gender and discourse.
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 creates more insecurity as men want to be more like Vin and so it may create more insecurities for men who might undermine and objectify themselves.
5) How does the 'Marathon Man' feature page offer an example of Steve Neale's genre theory concerning 'repetition and difference'?
The Marathon Man feature page challenges conventional stereotypes of gender roles as normally, we would see a tough 'macho man' being presented but here we see an older man featured.
Representations
We have already covered many relevant theories in our work on Advertising and Marketing (for example, David Gauntlett's writing on Media, Gender and Identity). We now need to apply these theories and ideas to Men's Health and specifically the three pages from the Jan/Feb 2017 issue identified as our Close-Study Product.
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?
2) How could van Zoonen's work on feminist and gender theory be applied to Men's Health?
3) How could bell hooks's work on 'corrosive masculinity' apply to Men's Health?
Representations: academic analysis
Read these extracts from the journal article exploring the representation of masculinity in Men's Health magazine and answer the following questions:
1) Why is Men's Health defined as a 'lifestyle magazine'?
The ‘lifestyle’ notion refers to the magazines which can be included under the ‘general interest- magazines-for-men’ label. This ‘lifestyle’ term was conceived as a marketing strategy to grab men’s attention,
2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?
In Stevenson, Jackson and Brooks’ words, “men are encouraged to ‘work the body’ (in private) in order to be able to succeed in the (public) world of relationships and work”. Therefore, the acquisition of certain products such as cologne, jeans or cars, helps them to improve and stress their anatomy –as the embodiment of their commitment to health and fitness– by adding status, sophistication and style.
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?
Gauntlett- things change over time. “Views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and selfhood, are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation.
Butler- Gender is socially constructed.
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?
Men are encouraged to be active consumers; they are actually, an especially profitable target. "the global market for male grooming products grew by an impressive average annual rate of 5.7% between 1997-2005."
5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?
New concepts of masculinity have also been socially constructed and depicted. Some of them draw attention to the feminine side of men whose practices and appearance move
away from the traditional manly image; for that reason, it is not strange that the term
“metrosexuality” is the most often used when talking about the new depictions within men’s magazines since it refers to a man who is extremely aware of his physical appearance and is devoted to it by buying cosmetic and fashion products.
6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?
“the sexual objectification of men has increased in the media, in terms of film, drama and soap-opera sex appeal, where the importance of Hollywood is particularly apparent, and also in the recent phenomenon of male strippers and pornography for women”.
7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?
Metrosexuality was firstly defined by Mark Simpson in an article called “Here come the mirror men” (1994). He offers a profile of the metrosexual male, describing him as a young man, who lives or works in urban spaces and has a high income.
8) What representation of men in Men's Health is discussed in the section 'Homogenous bodies'?
MH seems to belong to the mainstream discourse which portrays the dominant depictions of maleness in physical terms, linked to power, strength, and youth. The representation of men in the magazine can be analysed in three different aspects: his physical appearance, his external look (in terms of style), and his lifestyle (values). In general terms, he is profiled as a young white middle-class man, physically well-built, and
sexually attractive. Concerning his external look, he wears fashionable clothing, presents a modern hairstyle, and carries trendy complements, which make him look elegant and tasteful. Finally, these features are the external expression of a healthy, sporty, and successful lifestyle.
9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?
MH presents an instrumentalised conception of the body, since it’s depicted as a machine that can be improved to perform better, faster and longer. The body, therefore, is a construction oriented to express the discipline and effort –financial effort sometimes– invested on it in public while the physical appearance turns out to be an important feature socially, and it is expressed like this in the rest of the mass media discourses.
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 believe that the representation if masculinity in Men's Health is a positive one as it stresses on enhancement of yourself rather than the changing. MH includes lots of lifestyle info, skills, tips and product recommendations that could perhaps help a man better themselves and learn to be more adventurous. However, in MH the predominant representation of masculinity that occurs in the magazines is that of a heterosexual man who is powerful, strong and masculine. Due to this, the other representations of men are not seen very often if that at all and so there is no real balance in relation to how MH represents men. MH pushes one to be confident and take care of your body in terms of health and fitness content but it can also be argued that this and due to the lack of different representations of men, MH magazines are designed to undermine men's confidence and objectify their bodies.
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 palette is a mixture of white, black and slightly muted blue (with only a couple of red accents) which has connotations of the medical world. The typography is interesting as the title is a serif typeface (which has an authoritative feel) whereas the majority of the text is sans-serif (which gives it a more contemporary, youthful styling). There are also a couple of stencil-style sub-titles; which have a military aesthetic, and the use of a hashtag which is obviously designed to have connotations of new technology despite the fact that print is over 600 years old. The overall effect is designed to reduce any element of the feminine or decorative.
In this case it is Hollywood action star Vin Diesel. Being Vin Diesel it also has the role of linking the concept of aesthetics to other markers of success; in this case film-star, and celebrity, status. Vin is looking rather tough and strong in a grey V-necked t-shirt and jeans. This has the added bonus of making Vin Diesel look like his Fast and Furious alter-ego Dominic Toretto. The narrative here is that Mr Diesel is the hero, the protagonist of the exciting adventure that having really, really big arms can take you on. Put all this together and the there is a clear link to Van Zoonen's description of gender and discourse. The patriarchal discourse places images of hyper-masculinity as the masculine ideal. You can also see that this is an example of intertextuality where the magazine cover language, narrative and messages are dependent on the audience knowing another media product. Without that knowledge the cover loses its power of signification. With respect to encoding the cover is clearly anchored (and so is more closed) by audience recognition and by labels.
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.
There is another narrative element to the cover. The title of the issue is “The get back in shape special.” The buyer is not a muscular individual but one who is worried about his physical condition. This means that in a Todorov style reading of narrative the equilibrium state is that of decline and loss of masculinity. Buying the magazine promises the start of a disruption which will lead to a new equilibrium of hyper-masculinity. This is also emphasised by the violent language choices (“slay”, “demolish” and “blast”) along with technical and pseudo-scientific language (“metabolism”, “core” “8kgs”). This pseudo-science is firmly linked to the title of the magazine.
Front cover:
Editor's Letter and contents page:
Feature - True Grit - 'The Marathon Man':
3) Apply narrative theories to Men's Health - Todorov's equilibrium, Propp's character types, Barthes' action or enigma codes.
The narrative here is that Mr Diesel is the hero, the protagonist of the exciting adventure that having really, really big arms can take you on. Put all this together and there is a clear link to VAN ZOONEN’S description of gender and discourse.
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 creates more insecurity as men want to be more like Vin and so it may create more insecurities for men who might undermine and objectify themselves.
5) How does the 'Marathon Man' feature page offer an example of Steve Neale's genre theory concerning 'repetition and difference'?
The Marathon Man feature page challenges conventional stereotypes of gender roles as normally, we would see a tough 'macho man' being presented but here we see an older man featured.
Representations
We have already covered many relevant theories in our work on Advertising and Marketing (for example, David Gauntlett's writing on Media, Gender and Identity). We now need to apply these theories and ideas to Men's Health and specifically the three pages from the Jan/Feb 2017 issue identified as our Close-Study Product.
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?
2) How could van Zoonen's work on feminist and gender theory be applied to Men's Health?
3) How could bell hooks's work on 'corrosive masculinity' apply to Men's Health?
Representations: academic analysis
Read these extracts from the journal article exploring the representation of masculinity in Men's Health magazine and answer the following questions:
1) Why is Men's Health defined as a 'lifestyle magazine'?
The ‘lifestyle’ notion refers to the magazines which can be included under the ‘general interest- magazines-for-men’ label. This ‘lifestyle’ term was conceived as a marketing strategy to grab men’s attention,
2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?
In Stevenson, Jackson and Brooks’ words, “men are encouraged to ‘work the body’ (in private) in order to be able to succeed in the (public) world of relationships and work”. Therefore, the acquisition of certain products such as cologne, jeans or cars, helps them to improve and stress their anatomy –as the embodiment of their commitment to health and fitness– by adding status, sophistication and style.
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?
Gauntlett- things change over time. “Views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and selfhood, are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation.
Butler- Gender is socially constructed.
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?
Men are encouraged to be active consumers; they are actually, an especially profitable target. "the global market for male grooming products grew by an impressive average annual rate of 5.7% between 1997-2005."
5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?
New concepts of masculinity have also been socially constructed and depicted. Some of them draw attention to the feminine side of men whose practices and appearance move
away from the traditional manly image; for that reason, it is not strange that the term
“metrosexuality” is the most often used when talking about the new depictions within men’s magazines since it refers to a man who is extremely aware of his physical appearance and is devoted to it by buying cosmetic and fashion products.
6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?
“the sexual objectification of men has increased in the media, in terms of film, drama and soap-opera sex appeal, where the importance of Hollywood is particularly apparent, and also in the recent phenomenon of male strippers and pornography for women”.
7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?
Metrosexuality was firstly defined by Mark Simpson in an article called “Here come the mirror men” (1994). He offers a profile of the metrosexual male, describing him as a young man, who lives or works in urban spaces and has a high income.
8) What representation of men in Men's Health is discussed in the section 'Homogenous bodies'?
MH seems to belong to the mainstream discourse which portrays the dominant depictions of maleness in physical terms, linked to power, strength, and youth. The representation of men in the magazine can be analysed in three different aspects: his physical appearance, his external look (in terms of style), and his lifestyle (values). In general terms, he is profiled as a young white middle-class man, physically well-built, and
sexually attractive. Concerning his external look, he wears fashionable clothing, presents a modern hairstyle, and carries trendy complements, which make him look elegant and tasteful. Finally, these features are the external expression of a healthy, sporty, and successful lifestyle.
9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?
MH presents an instrumentalised conception of the body, since it’s depicted as a machine that can be improved to perform better, faster and longer. The body, therefore, is a construction oriented to express the discipline and effort –financial effort sometimes– invested on it in public while the physical appearance turns out to be an important feature socially, and it is expressed like this in the rest of the mass media discourses.
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 believe that the representation if masculinity in Men's Health is a positive one as it stresses on enhancement of yourself rather than the changing. MH includes lots of lifestyle info, skills, tips and product recommendations that could perhaps help a man better themselves and learn to be more adventurous. However, in MH the predominant representation of masculinity that occurs in the magazines is that of a heterosexual man who is powerful, strong and masculine. Due to this, the other representations of men are not seen very often if that at all and so there is no real balance in relation to how MH represents men. MH pushes one to be confident and take care of your body in terms of health and fitness content but it can also be argued that this and due to the lack of different representations of men, MH magazines are designed to undermine men's confidence and objectify their bodies.
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