Gender Representation - FHM Magazine

11/12/13

On the front cover of this magazine is a picture of Michelle Keegan looking very sexualised. The producer has presented her in a more suggestively sexualised way, as a lot of her body isn't shown, however, she is looking directly into the camera in a seductive manner and part of her breasts can still be seen. The text covers some parts of the picture, however, it only covers parts of the picture that aren't sexualised which puts more of the focus on her body. At the bottom it says 'Michelle Keegan is the sexiest woman in soap', which makes readers believe that this is a fact. It makes the audience want her, as if she is an object.

Grand Theft Auto 5 - Gender Representation

 

The male characters are represented in this game as being very strong and almost above the law, in a way. The game glamorizes and glorifies violence by making it seem as though it's okay for them to do illegal activities and try to get away with them. It makes the player feel as though they can be a masculine, powerful figure like and helps them to virtually live out a fantasy or lifestyle they wish they could have. It is not a true representation of men as not all men run around shooting people and beating up women, or run away from the police and kill people without mercy or getting intro trouble.

There was one woman featured in the first five minutes of the clip. Within a few seconds of seeing her, she had been thrown on the floor by the male characters and was screaming. This isn't a true representation of women, however, it is quite stereotypical and makes it seem as though women are weak and less powerful than men.

Gender Representation - Borgen

11/12/13

http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b01rbqhc/

This is a Danish television political drama that centres around the first female prime minister of Denmark. She is a strong willed, charismatic woman, which isn't stereotypically how women are represented in the media and in different television programmes. She has a lot of power over people and isn't as sexualised as you would generally expect. Despite this, in the clip that I watched, she is wearing high heels and a skirt, which are generally associated with women trying to impress men and look good (which is stereotypical). She is an independent woman who doesn't seem to take orders from men, as she tells several of them to leave her meeting and dismisses their idea to try to get the sympathy vote from the public after a public breakdown. 

 

Double Page Spread Analysis

 

For my production task, I am going to be creating a double-page spread for an alternative rock music magazine. For this reason, I have decided to analyse a double page spread similar to one that I intend to make.

 

This double-page spread from an issue of Kerrang magazine centres around an interview with lead vocalist, Taylor Momsen, who is well known for being young and rebellious, after she finished playing the part of good-girl-gone-band in the popular television show, Gossip Girl. The look and feel of the double page spread reflects the idea that she has turned into a rebel quite well. For example: the heading is 'Wild Child' which implies that she has gone wild or 'off the rails'. The word 'child' has been written in a very large font and is in a white colour, both of which have connotations of innocence and purity. The word 'wild' is written in pink scribbled writing, suggesting that the writing is out of control. This makes the title an oxymoron, because you wouldn't typically see the words 'wild' and 'child' together.

 

The main image on the left page is a picture of her wearing black leather which makes the image sexualised to some extent. This could be seen as quite controversial, considering she is still young and shot to stardom at a very young age. She is wearing her trade-mark dark eye makeup and has quite a bored expression on her face, which could link to the fact that she is a teenager and the stereotype of a teenager is a rebellious moody person.

Magazine Cover Preproduction

Magazine Cover Analysis

Kerrang! Magazine

 

The masthead is one of the largest features on the front cover. It is bold and therefore, draws the eye immediately to it. The typeface used gives the appearance of broken glass, giving the magazine and edgy and unique feel. Onomatopoeia has been used because the word 'Kerrang' sounds similar to a guitar noise, which links to the general idea of the magazine covering stories related to rock music. The masthead is presented in exactly the same place and in the same way in every issue which signifies the fact that each issue contains the same type of content (news about bands, artists, tours, etc).

The main image is a picture of Paramore front-woman, Hayley Williams. She is making direct eye-contact with the audience, making them feel connected to her and therefore, encouraging them to buy the magazine. The background she is on in plain and white so as to not draw any attention away from her or the cover lines. 

The main cover line is quite large and is placed by the side of Hayley Williams' head. It is written in yellow and black which reflects the outfit that she is wearing and that the cover line is from an article about her. All of the other cover lines are also in the same three colours (white, yellow and black) so as to make the cover page look aesthetically pleasing. At the bottom, it is advertising a 'poster special', which again, is a way of encouraging people to buy the magazine, particularly fans of the bands that they are using pictures of. Next to the pictures of the posters, it says the first name of the people in the images which makes it seem that the audience and the people who have made the magazine know them well and are connected to them.

The masthead for this magazine is again, quite large and bold, however, it is quite plain and simple, making it less unique and recognisable. The masthead for this magazine changes quite a lot, which makes this magazine quite different to others. It is placed behind the main image which suggests that the producer feels as though the picture is more important in regards to selling the magazine than the actual brand itself.

 

The main image on the front cover of the magazine is a picture of the singer of a band called Lacuna Coil. She is making direct eye contact with the audience, drawing them in and making them want to read more because they feel connected to her. It a strong image because the background is quite minimalistic and her facial expression is quite serious.

 

There is another, smaller image in the right had corner at the bottom. It is a photograph of another front woman of a band. The picture along with the bold white text underneath it could draw the eye of any fans of her band, and encourage them to buy the magazine to read what the article is about.

 

The colour scheme for the magazine is white, black, red and yellow. These colours are quite harsh, and a lot of them have connotations of danger and anger. This links to the main image and the woman's serious facial expression. A lot of the text is bold which gives it a sense and feel of importance, and catches the eye of the reader more than a normal text would.

 

 

 

 

 

Audience Task

20/09/2013




1)

The intended audience for the television show 'Don't Tell The Bride' is women aged (20 - 30), as people tend to get married between these ages and therefore, they can more easily relate to the women in the show. The Uses and Gratifications that the programme meets include gaining insight into circumstances of others, filling time, seeking advice on practical matters or opinion and decision choices and finding models of behaviour. Women may watch it in order to gain ideas for a wedding of their own, to fill in any free time they may have or simply because they find it entertaining to watch. The show represents the brides in quite a negative way, making them appear ungrateful and dramatic as often as possible. The producers filmed hours of footage and picked clips that are the  most entertaining (mostly clips of the grooms doing something embarrassing or wrong, or the brides getting angry or upset about something), in order to keep the audience watching.

 

2)

The audience that the programme 'Suburgatory' is intended for is mainly teenage girls, because the main character, Tessa is a teenage girl and therefore, the audience can relate to her and the story lines easily. People find it easier to identify with people who are like them and so, people may feel a connection with the characters. The Uses and Gratifications that this programme meets include finding models of behaviour, identifying with others, filling time and emotional release. Viewers may watch the programme because they want to be like the characters in it, they can relate to story lines and characters, they have nothing else to do or because they find the show particularly entertaining. The programme is constructed in a way to make it appear that the main characters life is a lot more interesting than the average teenagers, whilst also making it so that the average teenager can relate to it. Hours and hours of scenes are filmed and the most funny, interesting or entertaining scenes are chosen to make the programme as appealing to the target audience as possible.

Representation Task

Class - The Daily Mail has represented Prince William in a very positive way. They focus on how he has hired his childhood nanny to look after his child and said that she was his 'childhood rock' which gives the impression that he is very sentimental. It also gives the reader the impression that he is a good father, as he wants someone he can trust to take care of his child. It is obviously expected of him to be represented as being a good person, as he is a respected figure in the public eye and this article clearly reflects this.

 

Gender - In 'Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model', women are represented as being very thin and tall, wearing lots of makeup and being quite photogenic, which obviously isn't the way that every woman is. Women today feel that TV shows such as 'Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model' are putting pressure on them to look and be this way and for this reason, it is quite a negative representation. However, the women in the show themselves are, generally, quite friendly and supportive of eachother, which is a positive representation. I believe that the producer of this TV Show wanted to show the women in both a positive and negative light; it shows them being very friendly and supportive to eachother but also makes other women feel very self-conscious.

 Race - In 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air', the majority of the characters are black-American. The main character is shown as being 'stereotypically black'; he came from a rough background, plays a lot of basketball and gets into trouble a lot. This is, generally, a negative representation, as not all black people are like this. However, he moves in with his aunt and uncle, who are very different to the typical stereotype. They are very rich, well-spoken and live in a very wealthy area in America. This is a much more positive representation.

 

Age - The movie 'Attack The Block' is about a gang of teenagers in London defending the place that they live in from an alien invasion. The film represents teenagers in a very negative way, by showing them robbing people, vandalising property, swearing and getting into a lot of trouble with the police. The producer clearly wanted to show young people in an amusing, yet negative way.

                          

Sexuality - In this sketch in the TV show 'Little Britain', the producer is painting a rather negative picture of homosexual people, as it makes fun of them, making out that they all enjoy watching musicals and drink 'feminine drinks'. The show also makes out that they all wear tight clothing and have a high-pitched voice, which is not necessarily true.