Roland Barthes Commodification Preferred Reading Binary Opposition
Although the media form of magazines are on the decline with Iceberg Press going bankrupt in the COVID pandemic, Men’s Health/Oh Comely feature a variety of strategies to appeal to audiences and in turn stay afloat, such as using enigma and proairetic code conceptualised by Barthes to make their products reactionary to the target audiences, allowing a dominant reading to e more easily formed. This has potential to encourage sales by generating interest in the products, leading to a process of commodification to mitigate the risks associated with the magazine media form. In this essay I will explore these concepts in depth and display how they appeal and can be applied to the relevant CSPs.
Lara Croft is the dominant signifier on the front cover
Paradigm of signifiers relating to action, adventure and violence
Iconic signs such as a gun, rope, gloves and a backpack create connotations of a more masculine woman which counteracts the stereotype of women and femininity. – the gun also implies the basic stock types of ‘Good guy vs Bad guy’
Use of the colour gold could be a symbolic sign linking towards treasure and wealth whilst also implying theft
The coding engraved into the stone on the back cover could be representing a different language – typically a non-English speaking country This also creates the sense of ‘the other’ without specifically othering a specific country
The age rating is a denotation as it warns customers the game may be inappropriate for ages younger
Language links to Roland Barthes, C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure
Representation:
The dominant signifier is a reactionary representation of women as the lack of clothing worn represents the over-sexualisation of women and women in all media platforms. Her features are also exaggerated and accentuated through the use of tightly fitted clothing which creates unrealistic standards and ideologies of women for both genders to look up to. This can increase anxieties around body image and be damaging for young girls growing up. This also teaches girls and women to base their worth off the validation they receive from their body appearance, as both genders will learn that is socially acceptable to objectify women and to compare women to others. Furthermore, this will create and even bigger gender divide as it creates a lack of understanding for other connections other than physical. Camera positioning also contributes to the way in which women are perceived, women within video games are often seen with their features in shot at all angles whilst men are not. The characteristics also vary as women are seen to ‘saunter’ with some sassy walk and men are seen to walk ‘normally’ which shows that even within a video game woman are ‘seductive’. (Feminist frequency videos) However, Tomb Raider also provides a contrasting representation of women as the dominant signifier is female rather than male. Which countertypes to the usual ‘damsel-in-distress’ stereotype of women in video games- or even sometimes they are the ‘trophy’.
Representation links to Laura Mulvey (Male Gaze) and John Berger (Ways of Seeing) + (Feminist critical thinking)
Genre:
Tomb raider’s genre consists of action and adventure. Steve Neale talks about the repetition and differences within genre and weather they follow the typical conventions. Whilst Tomb Raider does follow the typical genre conventions featuring themes of violence however it does challenge the stereotypical male lead by utilising a main character as female, which serves to maintain interest in an evolving genre. The game utilises a third-person perspective which allows the audience to look around the character without her moving.
Narrative:
Perhaps the most poignant action code is the fatal battle between Lara and Larson. In this quick time event, the player takes limited control of the character and follows the on-screen prompts to shoot Larson. Each button press seems more intimate than the last. It’s clear from the softer music and Lara’s facial expressions that she regrets having to kill the henchman.
While these hermeneutic and proairetic codes provide the internal chronology of the narrative, the representation of the hero and villain is the most obvious example of Barthes’ definition of a symbolic code. Of course, Natla is dressed in a black suit – the colour code connoting her evil intent – and Lara is in her blue top. This simple binary opposition is also established by their different hair colour and accents.
When the player takes control of the avatar we are already in the disequilibrium stage. The player must overcome obstacles, puzzle and fight beasts in order to repair the disequilibrium and create a new equilibrium linking to Todorov’s narratology theory.
Audience:
Albert Bandura’s investigations demonstrated a link between young people watching violence on television and then expressing deviant behaviour in real life. The psychologist called this process symbolic modelling “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is an action-adventure game which rewards violence because the players use their weapons to overcome the obstacles and save the planet. That final conflict with Larson is quite direct and emotional because it is performed as a quick time event where you make a clear and conscious decision to kill the character.
We can also link this to George Gerbner and his cultivation theory and mean world index as Tomb Raider exposes players to a series of violence. Where children may be at risk of perceiving the world as more violent then reality.
Industry:
[The original “Tomb Raider” was the first game developed by Core Design. The independent company was acquired by Eidos Interactive 1996 who helped finance their projects. After further mergers and acquisitions, Eidos Interactive is now a British subsidiary of Square Enix – a Japanese entertainment conglomerate.
This level of consolidation is typical of the concentration of media ownership identified by David Hesmondhalgh who was eager to highlight how the cultural industries were dominated by a very small number of firms. Although this gives the conglomerates incredible power, some critics would also argue this business model enables the creation of increasingly complex and financially risky games. For example, Core Design needed substantial funding to complete “Tomb Raider” or the game would never have left the design board.
It is also worth noting Eidos and Sony worked together to make “Tomb Raider” exclusive to the new PlayStation console rather than developing the game for the Nintendo or Sega platforms. This marketing strategy, which Hesmondhalgh called artificial scarcity, certainly helped the PlayStation brand to dominate the industry.
The computer game industry is one of the largest sectors in the entertainment business. It might be bigger than Holywood, but there are still lots of financial and legal pressures. “Tomb Raider: Anniversary” is a good illustration of the three formatting techniques used by companies to improve their chances of success.
First, it uses the iconography of action-adventure which will appeal to audiences who are already familiar with the genre. Third-person shooters are also incredibly popular with players. Lara Croft has developed into a cultural icon with her own fanbase, so the game can rely on her star power. Finally, franchises are easier to promote because the intellectual property is firmly established and there will an audience eager for the next instalment.
Square Enix reported the game sold 1.3 million copies worldwide, falling short of the return from the previous Tomb Raider games. It’s a risky business.]
Title of the game suggests themes of space and/or science fiction – Pun for ‘meteoroid’
The iconic sign of a gun, like Tomb Raider, also implies violence
The dominant signifier is a girl (Samus Aran); however, this isn’t obvious as on the main cover she is disguised in an over-sized space suit.
Indexical signifiers such as mathematics related coding, numbers and diagrams and shapes, create a myth that displays links to action, suspense and a quest.
The symbolic sign of the white-like highlight that contours the dominant signifier, could symbolise innocence or power and goodness. – connotating to the fact that she is the ‘Good guy’
Language links to Roland Barthes, C.S. Pierce and Ferdinand de Saussure
Representation:
This character counteracts the stereotypical representation, demonstrating a radical presentation of women and video games. The character’s appearance is not revealed until the last part of the game which helps to enhance a sense of freedom from the player as they can imagine/perceive the character to fit themselves. It is also implied the relationship between fictional characters and our factual lives are to do with the influence of media from a young age. Alike Tomb Raider, the dominant signifier is female which is a radical representation of women as it shows women in a more masculine dominated area. It helps to break the stereotype of women being the weaker gender or at least less capable in comparison to men. However, at the end of the game, Samus Aran is revealed wearing a blue body suit, in which, her body is majorly exaggerated and enhanced. Presenting an idealistic and non-realistic body type. This refreshing presentation is snatched away and the game, like so many others, fall into the archaic ways of appealing to the Male Gaze as a sales strategy.
Representation links to Laura Mulvey (Male Gaze) and John Berger (Ways of Seeing) + (Feminist critical thinking)
Genre:
Metroid is a hybrid genre due to its feature of action and adventure, horror and sci-fi. Steve Neale says there’s an ‘interplay of codes’ which refers to all the features connoting to a genre which help to convey attitudes and beliefs on an ideological world. An example in Metroid is ‘If you weren’t afraid of the dark before, you will be.’ which was a tagline used in marketing the game. It is reassuring for the audience to be able to recognise these codes within the game, such as violence, fictional worlds, powers, and parallel universes are all genre conventions of sci-fi and action. However the differences within this game also helps to entice/engage audiences.
Narrative:
The main character, Samus Aran, serves as the stock character of the hero as she goes on a rescue mission to find her missing troops. Here we can see Todorov’s narratology theory containing the structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium, recognition, resolution and new equilibrium. The threat posed by the bad guys is the disequilibrium, she then flies across three planets to collect a light and return it to it’s rightful place which serves as the repair that will create peace and a new equilibrium. The game also shows Levi Strauss’ binary oppositions between the characters. As in order to have Samus Aran as the hero that foreshadows there must be a villan which interweaves with Propp’s stock characters.
Audience:
Scanning through the game, most people would assume the target audience is mainly male because of the stereotypical representations of male and female games and the symbolic link between colours such as blue and pink that are associated with gender. An advert that was used to market the game also only featured two young boys playing the game, this also connotes that the primary target audience is male. Nintendo also called their controller the ‘Game Boy’ which would also suggest a gender bias. However, an industry historical review reported that more females were becoming “video game fans” and that 27 per cent of NES players in 1988 were female. The video game is regulated by PEGI and rated a 12 due to the features of violence.
Although we are exploring a virtual world full of ridiculous signifiers, audiences are still learning values and behaviours from a game which celebrates violence. In the development of his cultivation theory, George Gerbner included cartoon depictions of violence in his research because they resonated with the audience. He says the more someone is exposed to something the more they start to recognise it and believe the world is a far more dangerous place then it really is which links to his second theory of mean world index. Aether is a fictional planet. There was no catastrophic meteor. But the violence in the game feels real to a player immersed in that experience especially as it is played through first person which still creates the same tension and adrenaline as someone living in that experience. Here we can see the links to hyperreality and simulation that connotes to Baudrillard’s theory. Albert Bandura also drew attention to television as a socialising agent. Through a process of symbolic modelling, we copy the behaviour we see on the screen, especially if there is positive reinforcement. “Metroid Prime 2: Echoes” rewards players for their skill, gaining power ups and bonus content to defeat the bosses.
Industry:
As a Nintendo game Metroid is the product of one of a handful of conglomerates which dominate the video games industry, a context which means that the study of the industry raises issues which are central to contemporary media studies: • The structure of Nintendo as a company and its control of production, distribution and circulation • The use of digital platforms to expand the output and reach of the games demonstrates how institutions have responded to the impact of new technology. • Regulation of games through PEGI • Cultural industries including Hesmondhalgh
Social and Cultural contexts:
Metroid is a Japanese, sci-fi, action adventure video game developed by Nintendo. It is one of Nintendo’s most successful franchises with 11 games available across all of the company’s platforms. Metroid is a culturally significant game in the gaming universe due to its mix of style and tone which combines Super Mario Bros style platforming with darker content, but also due to the representation of the central character, Samus Aran. Aran is a bounty hunter whose gender identity has been the subject of controversy and debate, leading some commentators to identify the character as transgender reflecting contemporary social and cultural contexts.
Article:Why Diversity Matters – Links as to why media should include more diversity in their representations. These quotes are referring to the gaming industry.
‘ The industry traditionally projects an image that is young, white, straight and male’
‘Most games feature white protagonists’
‘A scene in Pakistan displays shop signs written in Arabic, even though Pakistani people speak English and Urdu, not Arabic’
Selective Representation – big, dominant, muscular (predominantly) white men
Iconic sign: The bold text tells you what you can find inside this magazine issue. It all relates to losing weight fast
Icon – picture of Vin Diesel
indexical signs: sweat = worked out
symbolic sign: The magazine’s colour theme is mostly blue which is seen as a stereotypical colour for men, influencing them to buy the magazine. Big bold texts all about losing weight “demolishing junk food cravings” and “Blast body fat”. The dominant signifier, Vin Diesel, is positioned in the middle showing off his muscles.
By choosing to represent big, dominant, muscular (predominantly) white men, Men’s Health has a reactionary representation. It adheres to the male gaze, and stereotypes people have. Vin Diesel is a pretty good representation of what society thinks men should look like… not what men actually look like. additionally, Vin Diesal’s ‘cool man’ persona (calm, in control, cool, strong) also plays into stereotypes of the way that men should act.
Use of capital letters – exclamation points – colours – dialogue “true grit” – all appeal to men
The use of the traditional boy colour, blue, further reinforces this.
Lasswell’s model applied to Men’s Health:
sender: Men’s Health is one of the largest health magazines on the market – directed at men – made by men for men
says what: wants to push healthy eating and gym workouts. It is aimed at men who want to gain muscle and lose fat.
what channel: through print – and also through the website (online)
to whom: Educated men with families, who spend big on travel, style, sports/gym, personal grooming, and live an active + adventurous life.
what effect: 9m print audience. 16.5 mill social followers.
89,000 average buys per issue
(66,000 paid subscriptions)
Two-step flow of communication
Vin Diesel is an opinion leader, who people actively follow. People will be more likely to buy certain products etc. if they know that an opinion leader such as Vin Diesel supports it.
Uses and Gratifications
Self-esteem – page 13 is aimed at improving readers’ self-esteem through getting back in shape and improving fashion style.
Men’s health is owned by Hearst (founded in 1887) who owns 40 different companies, making them a conglomerate.
Stuart hall
– Hall provides a framework for decoding messages:
1: Accept the dominant message
2: negotiate the dominant message
3: reject the dominant message
George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory states that people who consume media often are more susceptible to the messages in said media
Two-step flow of communication
Vin Diesel is an opinion leader, who people actively follow. People will be more likely to buy certain products etc. if they know that an opinion leader such as Vin Diesel supports it.
Uses and Gratifications
Self-esteem – page 13 is aimed at improving readers’ self-esteem through getting back in shape and improving fashion style.
Essay draft
Men’s Health does not challenge the social and cultural contexts in which it was created. Instead, it takes a reactionary stance. This is telling when you look at the dominant signifier on the front page, Vin Diesel, who is standing in a dominant stance, which emphasises his size and muscle. Through choosing Vin Diesel as the face of their magazine, Men’s Health is subtly suggesting to its audience that he is the standard for what a man should look like and that all men should strive to be as strong, dominant, and muscular as him. The use of photoshop and Vin’s oiled-up muscles further accentuates this unrealistic body standard which is being set for men. One way they have altered the image is by clearly increasing the contrast, in an effort to further define his already-defined muscles. This is similar to the Score advert which also features this idea of a ‘perfect man’ who men strive to be like. This is a very common theme in media, which consistently uses ‘cool men’ such as James Bond, Don Draper, and Ryan Gosling as the standard for masculinity. These men are usually strong, confident, desirable, promiscuous, and cold, they never show their true emotions, and always act in a composed manner. These men usually tend to appeal more to the male gaze than the female gaze, as men are conditioned to believe that this is how they should look and act. Vin Diesel is another example of a ‘cool man’ with his large muscles and laid-back masculine persona. David Gauntlett refers to this as constructed identity. There are other examples of the ‘cool man’ on other pages of the magazine. For instance, on page 2-3 of the magazine, there is a double-page spread of an advert where a ‘cool man’ stands with a girl on his arm. His shirt is ripped to show off his muscles, and he is extremely tall, masculine, and handsome. Later in the magazine, Vin Diesel is shown in the editor’s letter, with the text “Diesel’s slant is one to aspire to” which again tells audiences that they should be like him. George Gerbner’s Cultivation Theory states that people who consume media often are more susceptible to the messages in said media, so Men’s Health showing Vin Diesel multiple times throughout the magazine and stating that he is “one to aspire to” sends the message to audiences that Vin Diesel is the standard for all men. The reason why Men’s Health seems to focus more on appealing to the male gaze rather than the female gaze is that the large majority of their audience are men, and more specifically, educated men with families, who spend big on travel, style, sports, and personal grooming. `These men also tend to live an active, adventurous life, with the majority playing sports. Further proof that the magazine is aimed at men, is the lack of sexualisation of Vin Diesel on the front cover. This is a common theme for all Men’s Health adverts, which put an emphasis on the men’s muscles rather than their sexual regions, with just 40% doing this. Compare this to Women’s Health, where 90% of front covers have an emphasis on their sexual regions. This suggests that both Men’s and Women’s Health have been created to adhere to the Male Gaze.
Owner – Hearst UK – 74% of the years circulation is physical print copies, whereas 26% is digital copies. A study showed that a lot of the people who buy the magazine are women – I think that this would be bought for men who would only read it if it was delivered, which shows the target audience of the product.
Alongside print copies of the magazine, Hearst have incorporated digital copies into their sales. This links to David Hesmondhalgh’s idea of the media industries as a “risky business” and this helps to mitigate that risk by appealing to a wider digital audience.
Language
Levi Strauss – Binary Oppositions – Link’s to Men’s health in that there is a clear disparity set in place between the Healthy/Unhealthy men (those who follow the guidance of the magazine and those who don’t).
Barthes – Stereotypical male representations in the magazine – men working out shows use of proairetic code to do with motion and movement. This serves to get the reader motivated for improving their own lifestyle.
Representation
Laura Mulvey talked about “The Male Gaze” which is a theory which relates to media products being produced to appeal to a heterosexual straight male’s viewpoint – PAGE 148 is an example of the male gaze as a strategy to appeal to the male audience. Shows women in the background, posed in a suggestive manner, of the dominant signifier – the man who’s wearing the Givenchy aftershave. This creates an unrealistic representation of reality for impressionable men reading the magazine.
Audience
Stuart Hall – Theory of preferred reading – accepting or rejecting the dominant reading – powerful media producers can enforce their opinions towards cultural minorities to spread their agenda. Men’s health – Some may accept the dominant reading of exaggerated physical features (as shown with the dominant signifier on page 18) and use it as motivation. However, some may reject this and see it as unrealistic expectations to compare themselves to and feel bad about. This also relates to Lazarfelt’s Two Step Flow model in that the message conveyed by Hearst through Men’s Health is subject to error or misinterpretation.
James Gerbner – Cultivation theory – the more we as an audience are shown a representation the more we associate it with reality and accept it. This suggests that the audience is passive and it will become mainstream in the media and among an audience. This links to Men’s Health in that, for example the front cover states tat men should “#Slay Winter Blues”. The use of a hashtag means that Hearst is trying to promote the spread of information around the product via social media. This viewpoint, combined with all the other comments on the front cover and inside the magazine with exaggerated physical features, has become a staple of the product and men working out to make them more confident and happy has become mainstream.
Laura Mulvey talked about “The Male Gaze” which is a theory which relates to media products being produced to appeal to a heterosexual straight male’s viewpoint – PAGE 148 is an example of the male gaze as a strategy to appeal to the male audience. Shows women in the background, posed in a suggestive manner, of the dominant signifier – the man who’s wearing the Givenchy aftershave. This creates an unrealistic representation of reality for impressionable men reading the magazine.
Audience
Stuart Hall – Theory of preferred reading – accepting or rejecting the dominant reading – powerful media producers can enforce their opinions towards cultural minorities to spread their agenda. Men’s health – Some may accept the dominant reading of exaggerated physical features (as shown with the dominant signifier on page 18) and use it as motivation. However, some may reject this and see it as unrealistic expectations to compare themselves to and feel bad about.
James Gerbner – Cultivation theory – the more we as an audience are shown a representation the more we associate it with reality and accept it. This suggests that the audience is passive and it will become mainstream in the media and among an audience.
dominant blue colour to represent the stereotypical male
negative stereotype of men having to be strong (repetition of losing fat)
constructed reality – men should be strong
collective identity = men all striving to lose weight and be strong ‘build a six pack for life’
counter-type – old people being weak – 69 year old man marathon running
blast, demolish, burn = violent language represents attitude to fat
Steve Neal – genre – genres all contain instances of repetition and differences
magazines repeat the same idolisation of the ‘standard’ man and woman
Barthes – all narratives share structural features that each narrative weaves together in different ways
Positive and negative stereotypes
Counter-types
Misrepresentation
Selective representation
Dominant ideology
Constructed reality
Hegemony
Audience positioning
Fluidity of identity
Constructed identity
Negotiated identity
Collective identity
The school of life video ‘how to be a man’ presents the ‘cool’ man and the ‘warm’ man. This links to Gauntlets notion that identity is fluid and negotiated. Aklthough this is not a theory we can see examples of the ‘cool’ man and the ‘warm’ man in Men’s Health.
For instance, on the front cover we can see Vin Deiseal positioned as the ‘cool’ man. I can tell this from his alpha-male stance and face expression. Additionally, you can see the ‘warm’ man represented in the contents page.
Men’s Health (UK edition) has a circulation of around 120,000 (down 16% year-on-year and including 40k free copies) and a readership of closer to 1 million. It began as a health magazine in the USA in 1986 and has gradually evolved into a men’s lifestyle magazine. The UK edition launched in 1995.
Although Men’s Health was founded in the US, its international editions have made it the world’s largest men’s magazine brand. These magazines reach over 71 million readers worldwide.
Hearst owns newspapers, magazines, television channels, and television stations, including the San Francisco Chronicle, the Houston Chronicle, Cosmopolitan and Esquire. It owns 50% of the A&E Networks cable network group and 20% of the sports cable network group ESPN, both in partnership with The Walt Disney Company.[4]
In the 1920s and 1930s, Hearst owned the biggest media conglomerate in the world, which included a number of magazines and newspapers in major cities. Hearst also began acquiring radio stations to complement his papers.[16] Hearst saw financial challenges in the early 1920s, when he was using company funds to build Hearst Castle in San Simeon and support movie production at Cosmopolitan Productions. This eventually led to the merger of the magazine Hearst International with Cosmopolitan in 1925.[17]
genre – Steve Neale – genres all contain instances of repetition
Barthes – all narratives share structural ideas and features
print language
representation
countertype – old people being weak – 69 year old man running a marathon
radical or reactionary, positive and negative stereotypes – of men having to be string and fit and be a certain weight
The school of life how to be a man presents the cool man and the warm man, this links to Gauntletts notion that identity is fluid and negotiated. although this is not a theory we can see examples of the cool man and the warm man in men’s health. For example on page
Positive and negative stereotypes
Counter-types
Misrepresentation
Selective representation
Dominant ideology
Constructed reality
Hegemony
Audience positioning
Fluidity of identity
Constructed identity
Negotiated identity
Collective identity
Hearst believes responsible environmental stewardship is not just an integral part of doing business; it is the core of who we are as a company. Hearst Tower Hearst Tower was the first occupied “green” commercial building in New York City to receive a LEED Gold Rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. In 2012, it earned a Platinum LEED Rating for Existing Buildings — the first building to receive both Gold and Platinum certifications. In 2018, Hearst Tower achieved a second LEED Platinum Rating, becoming the first publicly acknowledged, three-time LEED-certified building in the country. One component of Hearst Tower’s environmentally friendly design is Icefall, a three-story waterfall that commands Hearst’s atrium and lobby, circulating recycled rainwater collected from the roof. The collection of rainwater saves 1.7 million gallons of water annually that would otherwise be runoff waste. In addition, Icefall cools and humidifies the lobby and atrium space, saving additional power.
Hearst RISE (Reinforcing Inclusion, Supporting Equity) is our commitment to our colleagues and our customers. In an inclusive culture, everyone must listen, learn and take action, and through training and education, outreach and recruiting, internships, affinity groups and more, we RISE together. Diversity strengthens innovation, creativity and collaboration; it is essential to our businesses, our content and our partnerships.
At Hearst, we believe in conducting good business, looking after our people and taking care of the communities we serve. From reporting on the frontlines to bringing viewers critical information to keeping pharmacists informed and joining together to volunteer at local organizations in our communities, social good is one of our core values.
Hearst Television is a national multimedia company with operations serving nearly three dozen U.S. cities, reaching one out of every five U.S. households. It delivers local and national news, weather, information, sports and entertainment programming via every available content-delivery platform.
SEMIOTICS Dominant signifier: Vin Diesel – ready made audience, attracts fans reactionary/stereotypical representation of a man: dominant stance, muscles on show, symbolic sign, blue and black font: colour associated with male gender, connotes to manliness, signifies topic of magazine genre anchorage indexical signs, headlines about losing weight, going to the gym, dieting etc…: highlights conventional elements of what it is to be ‘manly’, also provides anchorage as to what is in the magazine, attracting implied audience genre is lifestyle magazine (aimed at men’s lifestyle) – all paradigm of signs which connote to the idea of manliness/masculinity – fulfilling genre expectations according to Neale ( genre is structured around a repertoire of elements, which attracts audience based on their predictable expectations) indexical signs ‘burn’, ‘blast’, ‘demolish’, ‘slay’, ‘wage war’: semantic field of aggression/violence symbolic sign, big bold font: signifies aggression and masculinity
NEALE He argues genre is is a mechanism which attracts audience based on their predictable expectations He suggests that each genre is structured around a repertoire of elements, which fulfil an audiences expectation of a film and creating enjoyment MH is a lifestyle magazine directed at men conventional elements of the genre include: working out tips (28-29), healthy recipes(32-33), tips on grooming (44), etc… these elements attract the target audience – a male audience interested in improving their lifestyle
REPRESENTATION
The School of Life present a video called ‘How to be a Man’ – this presents the ‘cool’ man, and the ‘warm’ man. whilst this is not an academic theory, it is still possible to apply these representations in Men’s health: ‘Meet the men traversing war-torn Israel by bike on an epic three day endurance’ – portrays cool man
GAUNTLETT suggests that identity is not fixed – instead is fluid, constructed, negotiated and/or collective MH different versions of masculinity are presented: – front cover shows stereotypical alpha male – page 6-7 shows stereotypical classy businessman – page 130-131 shows active/athletic/adventurous man – page 101 shows the unconventional older runner by using multiple representations MH can appeal to multiple audiences at once
BUTLER claims that gender is stylised by a series of repetitional acts there are stereotypical acts which make you female – wearing makeup – and stereotypical acts which make you male – playing football – and by repeating these acts on a regular basis you can construct your gender identity MH clearly presents a stereotypical masculine identity through the ideas it represents – front cover depicts stereotypical muscley alpha male who – pg 6 depicts stereotypical hardworking/punctual businessman – pg 128 depicts stereotypical adventurous/risk-taker male this allows the magazine to feel relatable for other stereotypical male readers
GILROY claims that colonialism is still present in media today through lack of representation of ethnic minorities whilst MH doesn’t directly marginalise these minorities, their lack of representation of them highlights a post-colonialist ideology as it implies that the ethnic majority are more worthy and significant there are some representations of the black community etc – eg page 25 however most representations are focused primarily on the white community – eg page 2, 6, 18, therefore creates a misrepresentation which does not embrace other ethnicities
AUDIENCE
LASSWELL hypodermic needle theory/linear model of communication passive consumption receiver simply accepting a message being given to them, rather than engage with it SENDER: Hearst communications/Mens Health MESSAGE: providing men with the tools to improve and control over their physical, mental, and emotional lives MEDIUM: print/online lifestyle magazine RECIEVER: men wanting to improve their lives, women buying for husbands/boyfriends etc… EFFECT: to buy the magazine and make money for Hearst
LAZERFELD two step flow of communication active consumption media messages are filtered through influential opinion leaders who interpret a message first and then relay it back to the mass audiences Vin Diesel acts as the opinion leader, promoting the magazine and the ideas being portrayed – getting healthy, getting fit, improving life – to make people want to buy the magazine and make Hearst money. people are more likely to buy the magazine if someone they look up to promotes it
MCQUAIL AND BLUMLER uses and gratifications active selection recognises the decision making process the audience take, highlighting how they seeking specific uses and gratifications when consuming media audience may want to EDUCATE themselves on how to get fitter/healthier/better their lives audience may want to IDENTIFY with ideas presented top them or seek a new IDENTITY – a healthier identity audience may want to be ENTERTAINED by the magazine through interviews etc
INDUSTRY
started in 1986 by Mark Bricklin largest men’s magazine brand – 35 editions in 59 countries, best selling men’s magazine on US newsstands quarterly magazine 1988 began selling subscriptions consumer magazine – general men’s lifestyle
won both Editor’s Choice and Reader’s Choice for the 2016 Hot List
average circulation per issue: 89,811, 74% from paid subscriptions (dec 2021) Men’s Health magazine had an average monthly reach of around 1.8 million individuals in the United Kingdom from April 2019 to March 2020 between Nov 2021 and Feb 2022: 9M print audience, 16.5M social media followers average reader is male with a media age of 44.7 and an income of over $92,000
result of rise in digital media: circulation high of 228,000 in 2008, dropped to 160,000 in 2016 adapted through introducing online version and social media – 4.5m twitter followers (oct 2022)
Women’s Health was founded in 2005 as a branch of Men’s Health currently has a higher circulation than Men’s Health – 96,350, (dec 2021)
in 2018 – owned by global publishing conglomerate HEARST UK – bases in NYC, ownes newspapers, magazines, TV channels, Tv stations, owns 50% of the A&E Networks cable network group and 20% of the sports cable network group ESPN, both in partnership with The Walt Disney Company Hearst UK brands reach 30% of UK men and 25% of UK women They sell over 4m magazines a month and have 17m UK digital unique users 2016, revenue $10.8B publishes over 20 magazine titles: Cosmo, Elle Hearst describe the brand as a “lifestyle manual for modern men”
HESMONDHALGH claims the ‘cultural industries are a risky business’ – audiences tastes are continuously adapting making predicting their needs very difficult to avoid this risk he claims major cultural organisations create products for different industries in order to maximise chances of commercial success – evident with regards to Hearst as they own multiple companies in multiple sectors – of one fails, they will still have other assets star formatting is another way of reducing risk as it attracts a ready made audience – evident through the use of Vin Diesel on the front cover and a 6 page article about him – fans of diesel will be urged to buy the magazine
CURRAN & SEATON highlights how the media landscape has fallen under the control of a small amount of global media conglomerates and how this type of ownership creates a lack of diversity for audience consumption MH health is owned by global media conglomerate Hearst who owns 20+ magazine titles arguable to maximise profits however creates lack of diversity for audience as all names are owned by the same company, representing the same ideas
CONTEXT
impact of digital media on magazine industry: Print sales fell by 42% from 23.8m to 13.9m between 2010 and 2017. Back in 2000, sales were over 30m – signalling a 55% decline in just 17 years. Advertising in consumer magazines has fallen from £512m in 2010 to £250m in 2017. Google and Facebook now dominate online advertising (they account for 65% of the UK digital ad market). As a result of these changes, many magazines have closed.
In a digital world, print magazines have little appeal. To what extent do you agree with this statement? You should refer to the magazine Men’s Health
ownership of MH – hearst, owns 20+ mag labels
average reader of MH – male, 45, $92,000+
circulation and drop in circulation since digital world – dropped by 68,000 in 2016
drop in circulation in mag industry as a whole – sales fell by 42% between 2010 and 2017
how they combat the drop in demand for print – interactive website and social media, appeals to contemporary audiences
hesmondhalgh – Hearst as they own multiple companies in multiple sectors – of one fails, they will still have other assets, 20+ magazines and owns 50% of A&E Networks
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Neale – genre is used to attract and maintain audience – lifestyle mag working out tips (28-29), healthy recipes(32-33), tips on grooming (44) – fulfilling audiences expectations
links to Blumler’s uses and gratifications – people read the magazine to seek education and identity
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Gilroy postcolonialism – post colonial ideology is still present in modern representations – whilst does not marginalise ethnic minorities there is certainly a lack of them – creates mis represntation
links to halls reception theory -audience will decode messages people of ehtnic majority will have a dominant response where as those in the ehtnic minorty will have an oppositional response possible effecting readership and sales
Oh Comely – Issue 35
LANGAUGE
front cover: indexical signs: ‘Comely’ – attractive but not in a de-humanising way ‘power…poise…hard-won…strong’ – unconventional way to represent women dominant signifier: close up – unconventional way to represent women, less of a focus on her body, humanising rather then dehumanising androgynous/natural looking – rather than heavy makeup and glamourous clothing gazing directly at the reader – sense of power
PG 52, 53 ‘fierce campaign’…’an unstoppable force’…’a Sister of which we can be collectively proud’
NEALE He argues genre is is a mechanism which attracts audience based on their predictable expectations He suggests that each genre is structured around a repertoire of elements, which fulfil an audience’s expectation of a film and creating enjoyment Oh! is a female lifestyle magazine aimed at women, however, is more unconventional; instead of portraying glamour, diet tips, fashion, makeup it focuses on the underrepresented aspects of female identity such as feminism, gender, body positivity, ethnic minorities
REPRESENTATION
HOOKS intersectionality – draws attention to lack of female representation in media and more specifically representation of black women, this could create misrepresentations of the black community or other ethnic minorities, as if they are not worthy of note Oh! does represent the black community on pg56 – Deanna Rodger a Jamaican-Scottish Brit is indexical signs ‘fearless’ and ‘mentor’ portrayed as powerful – radical representation of women
ZOONEN feminist theory – suggests the over sexualised presentation of female’s bodies in media is a core element of western patriarchal culture, this creates a misrepresentation of how women portray themselves as she argues it is the media where people get most ideas about gender Oh! contradicts this theory as the front cover portrays a woman who is presented as more androgenous, wearing subtle, natural makeup, who lacks any element of sexualisation she is also gazing directly as the camera, rather than the camera ‘gazing’ at her she is portrayed as powerful and more than just her body – unconventional way to represent women
GAUNTLETT identity – suggests identity is not fixed and instead is constructed, fluid, negotiated, collective, people make individual decisions about who they are, media heavily affects this Oh! presents many different identities for people to construct, negotiate, collect, adapt: the female Somali activist, the Jamaican-Scottish poet, the plus size body positivity blogger, former refugee, the women in the tech industry,
AUDIENCE
editorial staff listen to suggestions posted online “We have made a lot more of an effort with diversity in the magazine because we have quite a lot of readers in the aftermath of BLM demonstrations raising that with us,” says Sykes. “It’s so important to listen to the recommendations of your readers.” targeted affluent young women who wanted a “stylishly presented” alternative to the cheap aesthetic of mainstream magazines average reader, age 27, female (98%),
HALL reception theory – media producers encode specific messages in product in hopes of audience decoding the message have the intention of the audience absorbing/accepting a specific idea Oh! represents many different people of many different backgrounds and ethnicities Preferred reading – females, the ethnic minorities who are not typically represented in media
MCQUAIL AND BLUMLER uses and gratifications – recognises the decision making process of theory audience, highlighting how they seeking specific uses and gratifications when consuming media audience may seek to EDUCATE themselves on the type of issues portrayed EG – body positivity (55), refugee crisis (56), female right exploitation (53) and how all of these issues are being battled audience may seek to gain or explore personal identity EG – becoming more body confident (55), gender (101-105)
INDUSTRY
women’s lifestyle magazine – a “mindful magazine with a fresh perspective” published by Iceberg press, independent publishing company – ‘Iceberg exists to do things differently’ make two magazines – The Simple Things and Oh Comely – and also sell many other magazines via Pics & Link (online news stand) clever use of its digital resources – eclectic blog on The Simple Things website, newsletter, social media Pics & Ink grew during lockdown by 500 per cent, with 150 magazines, covering everything from coffee to cycling, now on board during lockdown there was a demand for niche magazines £5 in a few newsagents, independent retailers, cafes and museums also a subscription service available – £14 for six months (3 issues) the magazine was impacted by the pandemic and the final issue was published in September 2021
HESMONDHALGH claims the ‘cultural industries are a risky business’ – audiences tastes are continuously adapting making predicting their needs very difficult to avoid this risk he claims major cultural organisations create products for different industries in order to maximise chances of commercial success – evident with regards to Hearst as they own multiple companies in multiple sectors – if one fails, they will still have other assets evident in Oh! as being owned by an independent company who does not own a large portion of media products meant that the magazine went out of business in 2019
CURRAN & SEATON concerns how the media landscape has fallen under the control of a handful of global media conglomerates – creates a lack of diversity contrastingly, Oh! is owned by an independent company which only creates one other magazine meaning the magazine has the space to be as diverse as possible, as in its ideologies/representations etc wont blend in with other magazines
SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXTS
a development in lifestyle and environmental movements of the early twenty first century which rebrand consumerism as an ethical movement. Its representation of femininity reflects an aspect of the feminist movement which celebrates authenticity and empowerment
Media products often challenge the social and cultural contexts in which they are created. To what extent does an analysis of Oh Comely support this view?
Oh! challenges the social and cultural contexts which it is created in – it is unconventional in its productions process, genre, and representations
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Unconventional magazine in its production – independent company Iceberg Press, contrasting C&S’s belief that the media landscape has fallen under the control of a handful of global media conglomerates, creating a lack of diversity – IP only produce two magazines giving them the aptitude be as diverse and unique as possible
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unconventional of its genre – NEALE – female lifestyle magazine ‘mindful magazine with a fresh perspective, instead of presenting ideas about fashion, diets, unattainable beauty etc it focuses on feminism (53), politics (56), gender(101-105), body positivity (55)
links to MCQ&B – audience may seek to EDUCATE themselves on the type of issues portrayed or audience may seek to gain or explore personal identity
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unconventional in the way it represents female beauty – VAN ZOONEN – front cover portrays the dominant signifier – a woman -who is presented as more androgynous, wearing subtle, natural makeup, who lacks any element of sexualisation she is also gazing directly as the camera, rather than the camera ‘gazing’ at her, she is portrayed as powerful and more than just her body – challenges mainstream beauty ideals
unconventional in the way it represents ethnic minorities – HOOKS – Samali feminist activist (53), described as ‘fierce’ and an ‘unstoppable’ force’, represents a female member of the black community challenges social and cultural expectations of women as emotional and passive, instead she is portrayed as powerful
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links to to Hall – by creating representations of women that are closer to reality audiences can understand themselves more – eg pg101-5 – dominant reading – transgender people may feel empowered by this representation, negotiated reading – people comfortable in their biological gender cannot relate to their experience but can appreciate it
Dominant signifier of Vin Diesel, a well-known actor attracts a larger audience and provides impressionable men with a role model to aspire to.
The blue and black colours connote stereotypical values of patriarchy and masculinity.
Reactionary product – more fit bodies are more popular and the dominant signifier is posed in a way which shows his body off.
Vin Diesel seems to be looking down at the reader which gives impressions of superiority and power.
Language contains a lot of vocabulary related to fitness and literally says that the product is “for men”.
Hashtags are used to encourage the spread of the product through social media.
Representation
The school of life present a video detailing the cool man and the warm man. While not an academic theory, it is possible to identify these two representations in Men’s Health.
Vin Diesel on the front cover is a “cool man” based on his “sexy” physical features and stoick expression. He seems as if he will do anything for what he thinks is the right thing to do and not much will faze him when doing so. The warm man can be seen on the last page of the CSP. I think this because he seems like he is giving his all at running the marathon, and will happily admit where he could have done better and will inspire others to do similar good acts.
Facts about Men’s Health
Published by Hearst, founded in 1986 and it is produced monthly
Best selling men’s magazine on U.S newsstands.
Has 35 editions in 59 different countries.
In 2008, the magazine partnered with Google to make back issues available.
For its 20th anniversary issue in November 2008, Men’s Health included an interview and photo shoot with Barack Obama.
Between April 2019 and March 2020, Men’s Health had an average monthly outreach of 1.8 million adults aged 15+ in the UK.
Men’s Health was started as a quarterly magazine by Rodale in 1988 and subscriptions began to be sold.
In 2001 the title was consistently selling 400,000 copies at newsstands and circulation was 1.6 million.
I feel that the messages on the side promote positivity and motivation as well as the celebrity Vin Diesel positioned in the centre of the magazine to 1) attract audience 2) Promote motivation for men.
The choice of colours are seen as a stereotypical masculine colour.
Vine Diesel is the dominant signifier.
I feel the magazine is reactionary because typically when we refer to health / fitness, we think of slim and muscular bodies.
The stance that the model is standing is a way to ‘flex’ / show off his biceps and triceps.
The school of life produced a video called ‘How to be a man’, while this is not an academic theory it nether less presents two versions of musicality, ‘the warm man’ and the ‘cool man’, it is possible to identify these two versions in men’s health, thus supporting Gauntlets notions of fluid, negotiated, constructed identity. For example, on page 2, he is represented as a ‘Cool Man’ as he has his arms around a women’s naked stomach and page 60 he is a ‘warm man’
Stats of Men’s Health
In February 2022 Men’s health magazine issued 23,077 digital copies and 66,734 print copies. (26% of the total amount of copies made were digital and 74% were print)
Largest audience of the Men’s Health magazine from April 2019 to March 2020 are adults over the age of 15 with a total of 1,816 and the second largest audience were men with 708 results. The least amount of audience was within women although 365 women bought the product. The reach was lower among households with children, with 391 thousand readers from this demographic reached by the print title or its website during this period.
Men’s Health magazine had an average monthly reach of around 1.8 million individuals in the United Kingdom from April 2019 to March 2020.
Men’s Health is the largest men’s magazine brand and the number one source of information for and about men.
Has 25 print editions in 35 countries around the world.
21 million readers across its social and digital platforms.
Women’s Health gained 7,239 more copies sold than Men’s Health which was 89,111 and Women’s Health which was 96,350.
Facts of Men’s Health Magazine
Men’s Health was launched in Australia in 1997.
The categories of Men’s Health is fitness, nutrition, sexuality and fashion.
The magazine is based in New York City
Men’s health joined ABC on the 12th April 1995
Men’s health is owned by the media company Hearst UK
Hearst Magazines Digital Media is home to magazines from industries in fashion and lifestyle properties.
Heart owns other global leaders in health and wellness which include Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Runner’s World, Bicycling and Netdoctor.
