Intro

David Gauntlett believes that identity is fluid, and representation changes over time to accommodate for this. A great example of this is Score and Maybelline. Whilst both are an example of queer theory and present a eudemonia through their hyperreal (Jean Baudrillard) depictions of gender and sexuality, they are still essentially binary oppositions. Score depicts gender through the lense of old traditional binary definitions and ideals. Sexualising the women and placing them as subservient to the man (Jean Kilbourne). It is exclusively for heterosexual men, and more specifically, white heterosexual men, its lack of racial representation (it only includes white characters) is an example of Paul Gilroy’s post-colonial theory, as it fails to provide equal representation for black individuals. Maybelline on the other hand, puts an emphasis on inclusivity, representing multiple races, sexualities, and genders. Maybelline’s use of Manny MUA, a gay makeup artist / influencer, and Shayla Mitchell, a black makeup artist / influencer shows that their product is for everyone.

Eudemonia – happiness as the result of an active life governed by reason.

David Hesmondhalgh

believed companies involved in cultural industries were motivated by profit rather than a duty to public service broadcasting.

“Cultural industry technology realizes standardization and mass production by subtracting the two logical differences between social work and social system.” In order to make products attractive to consumers and occupy the market, producers “rationalize” according to consumers’ preferences.

• The constructed identity presented of the eras new prototypical masculinity representations and ideologies on ‘being a man’ during the time era of score, relates to the idea of toxic representation of masculinity being used as a tool to promote and sell products to its male audience rather than a duty to provide a quality product to its target market. Relating to Hasmondhalgh‘s idea on rationalisation with their consumers preferences by appealing to gender roles and norms of the time, this time being a representation of men as strong and having control over women, they were to attain to these societal roles otherwise they’d be discredited and not seen as a man.
• Specifically and more relating to, ‘Oh!’, a self-proclaimed feminist production with an aim to celebrate femininity and specific female individuals. These products have a clear juxtaposition to each other and represent advancements in how the media presents females, relating to the theorist Van Zoonen, who believes that ‘media portray images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views‘. So when applying this theory, it shows a shift in representations of women in media, and therefore a shift in societal views, which celebrates women more than the time era of score. Similarly, a reason for the increase in female related productions and products would be as a duty motivated by profit rather than a duty to appeal to new 3rd wave of feminism ideas and to rationalise that feminism is a new wave of consumers and there is a need to appeal to them.

Clay Shirky and the End of Audience

Old Passive Audience VS New Active Audience

Lazerfeld

Key Words/Ideas:

• Diversity
• Identity (David Gauntlet)
• Gender Performance (Judith Butler)
• Detonation (Barthes)
• Intersectionality
• Queer Theory
• Jean Kilbourne
• Bel Hooks
• Hegemony
• Hybridity – Genre (Steve Neale)
• Semiotics
• Transformation of the Public Sphere (Habermas)

Opening Para:

David Gauntlet states we construct our own identities through different influences such as people/experience/interests which may not be the traditional cultural norm. Similarly, Judith Butler expresses the idea that gender identity is changeable and fluid as we ‘perform’. That boss life, is an advert focusing on contemporary representation and construction of identities. Meaning it is much more progressive and provocative then ‘Score’ as it includes different representations of age, race, gender and sexuality.

Roland Barthes
Commodification
Preferred Reading
Binary Opposition

• Lazarfeld Opinion leaders/Chomsky Opinion leader 5 filters
• Hesmondhalgh risk/profit
• Gauntlett Constructed Identity/Propp stock characters
• James Curran and Jean Seaton

Intro

David Gauntlett believes that identity is fluid, and representation changes over time to accommodate for this. A great example of this is Score and Maybelline. Whilst both present a eudemonia through their hyperreal (Jean Baudrillard) depictions of gender and sexuality, they are still essentially binary oppositions. Score depicts gender through the lense of old traditional binary definitions and ideals. Sexualising the women and placing them as subservient to the man (Jean Kilbourne). Through Stuart Hall’s reception theory we can see Score is encoding messages which are exclusively designed to be decoded by heterosexual men, and more specifically, white heterosexual men. Its lack of racial representation (it only includes white characters) is an example of Paul Gilroy’s post-colonial theory, as it fails to provide equal representation for black individuals. Maybelline on the other hand, puts an emphasis on inclusivity, representing multiple races, sexualities, and genders. Maybelline uses opinion leaders such as Manny MUA, a gay makeup artist / influencer, and Shayla Mitchell, a black makeup artist / influencer to gain access to a wider audience.

mens health:

• 75% of products sold have been in print form and 25% being digital copies
• Mens health is owned by Hearst who are an American mass media conglomerate
• Hearst own a magazine similar to Mens health but for women called Womens health which also uses stereotypes such as colours with Womens health being mainly pink
• half of mens health demographic is women

oh:

• left wing
• average age of reader is 27
• owned by iceberg press
• launched in 2010

In modern day magazines have been over taken by the digital world seeing a large decline in sales. I will be analysing our CSPs Oh Comely and Mens Health in order to capture the masculine and feminine stereotypes created by society. To do this I will look at theorists such as Laura Mulvey, Stuart Hall and David Hesmondhalgh. Our CSP Oh Comely is a niche lifestyle magazine owned by a multi media conglomerate, Hearst.