Magazines: Men's Health - Language & Representation
Men's Health offers a compelling representation of modern masculinity that will allow us to apply a range of media theories.
However, it is also important that you are able to make specific reference to aspects of the CSP edition of Men's Health when applying these ideas and theories. You will be given a colour copy of the CSP pages in class and will need to annotate it in detail.
In addition, you can currently read the whole of Men's Health Jan/Feb 2017 (the CSP issue) on this website. It's definitely worth reading more of the CSP issue to get a feel for the Men's Health audience, brand and representations contained within it.
Representation: notes
Applying media theories: Gauntlett, van Zoonen and bell hooks
Gauntlett: “Views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and selfhood, are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation.”
bell hooks: “normalised traumatisation”
Feminist writer bell hooks has highlighted the corrosive, damaging effect of toxic masculinity on both men and women.
She builds on Judith Butler’s work, agreeing that gender roles are constructed, not ‘natural’. In fact, she suggests that patriarchy (a male dominated society) indoctrinates people from an early age so “gender becomes a set of connotations that have become naturalised”.
This then results in “normalised traumatisation” – meaning the damage caused by these representations is simply accepted as part of society.
Van Zoonen: “sex role stereotypes”
Liesbet van Zoonen suggests that the media reinforces sex role stereotypes, helping to construct gender roles. She gives examples of reinforcing sex-appropriate behaviours and the use of airbrushing to change appearances.
She accepts that the media sexualises both men’s and women’s bodies but highlights key differences. The representation of women’s sexuality is generally submissive and disempowering. In contrast, representations of male sexuality are based on strength and power. This is particularly evident in Men’s Health magazine.
‘The Representations Of Men Depicted In Men’s Health Magazine’ is an academic journal article by María del Mar Rubio-Hernández of the University of Sevilla.
It focuses on the American edition of the magazine but its findings also apply to the UK and other international editions.
Rubio-Hernández makes several key points in her analysis:
Men's Health Language & Representation: blog tasks
Language
Create a blogpost called 'Men's Health: Language and Representation' and complete the following tasks:
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.
Bold typography
medium shot and model to be posed to show it's muscle
colour-red.blue or black for text and white backrground.
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:
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.
propp charcater type- Vin diesel to be the hero.
barthes-
action-vin diesels in the front page with huge muscles
enigma-cover lines in the front page.
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?
i think it creates insecurities as it shows everyone needs a to have big muscles to attract the opposite sex.
5) How does the 'Marathon Man' feature page offer an example of Steve Neale's genre theory concerning 'repetition and difference'?
This is because they are showing a old man to be in the magazine which is different and repetition is the Why they are trying to motivate us through him.
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?
Gauntlett's idea links to men's health because magazines are showing that men also have mental health which is featured in one of their cover lines which suggests that the stereotypical view of men being strong is shaken and masculinity is changing.
2) How could van Zoonen's work on feminist and gender theory be applied to Men's Health?
media reinforces sex roles which is done by showing vin diesel to be a tougher and bigger man that attracts women and shows that gym is of masculine use only.
3) How could bell hooks's work on 'corrosive masculinity' apply to Men's Health?
she agrees with judith butler on gender roles to constructed and believes the patraichy society has constructed it.
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'?
This is because it focuses on different topics for men-excerices and fashion.
2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?
This sshows what products they can use in order to look the people in the front cover.
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?
david gauntlett-masculinity is in crisis and that gender roles are changing.
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?
it suggest them to be healthier and shows they will live a happy life if they avoid drinking and smoking.
5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?
They represent the male body to be a male instrument and needs to be taken care in order to live the life.
6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?
It suggests that men bodies are getting more objectified than women and are women are looking up to men.
7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?
it means men being concerned about their p-hysical helath and fashion in terms of hwo they look.
9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?
conclusions are that men are still seen to strong but now they are being shown as objects towards women as they need to get a physique to get a girl.
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?
In my view that the magazines encouraging hypermasulinity as they show that masculinity is strong and are showing how men are dominant.
However, it is also important that you are able to make specific reference to aspects of the CSP edition of Men's Health when applying these ideas and theories. You will be given a colour copy of the CSP pages in class and will need to annotate it in detail.
In addition, you can currently read the whole of Men's Health Jan/Feb 2017 (the CSP issue) on this website. It's definitely worth reading more of the CSP issue to get a feel for the Men's Health audience, brand and representations contained within it.
Representation: notes
Applying media theories: Gauntlett, van Zoonen and bell hooks
Gauntlett: “Views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and selfhood, are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation.”
bell hooks: “normalised traumatisation”
She builds on Judith Butler’s work, agreeing that gender roles are constructed, not ‘natural’. In fact, she suggests that patriarchy (a male dominated society) indoctrinates people from an early age so “gender becomes a set of connotations that have become naturalised”.
This then results in “normalised traumatisation” – meaning the damage caused by these representations is simply accepted as part of society.
Van Zoonen: “sex role stereotypes”
She accepts that the media sexualises both men’s and women’s bodies but highlights key differences. The representation of women’s sexuality is generally submissive and disempowering. In contrast, representations of male sexuality are based on strength and power. This is particularly evident in Men’s Health magazine.
Representation in Men's Health: an academic analysis
‘The Representations Of Men Depicted In Men’s Health Magazine’ is an academic journal article by María del Mar Rubio-Hernández of the University of Sevilla.
It focuses on the American edition of the magazine but its findings also apply to the UK and other international editions.
- Advertising and consumerism is critical to masculine identity. The products advertised in Men’s Health say a huge amount about the representation of men – “men as consumers”.
- Masculinity is not fixed or natural but socially constructed and “subject to constant change”. It discusses the idea of the “metrosexual” male comfortable with grooming products, fashion and appearance.
- The magazine focuses on the male body and suggests it is one of the few aspects of masculinity still under men’s control. However, it does say that the representation of the male bodies featured in the magazine is largely fixed: “…young, muscular, healthy, sporty, successful, virile…”
Men's Health Language & Representation: blog tasks
Language
Create a blogpost called 'Men's Health: Language and Representation' and complete the following tasks:
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.
Bold typography
medium shot and model to be posed to show it's muscle
colour-red.blue or black for text and white backrground.
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:
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.
propp charcater type- Vin diesel to be the hero.
barthes-
action-vin diesels in the front page with huge muscles
enigma-cover lines in the front page.
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?
i think it creates insecurities as it shows everyone needs a to have big muscles to attract the opposite sex.
5) How does the 'Marathon Man' feature page offer an example of Steve Neale's genre theory concerning 'repetition and difference'?
This is because they are showing a old man to be in the magazine which is different and repetition is the Why they are trying to motivate us through him.
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?
Gauntlett's idea links to men's health because magazines are showing that men also have mental health which is featured in one of their cover lines which suggests that the stereotypical view of men being strong is shaken and masculinity is changing.
2) How could van Zoonen's work on feminist and gender theory be applied to Men's Health?
media reinforces sex roles which is done by showing vin diesel to be a tougher and bigger man that attracts women and shows that gym is of masculine use only.
3) How could bell hooks's work on 'corrosive masculinity' apply to Men's Health?
she agrees with judith butler on gender roles to constructed and believes the patraichy society has constructed it.
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'?
This is because it focuses on different topics for men-excerices and fashion.
2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?
This sshows what products they can use in order to look the people in the front cover.
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?
david gauntlett-masculinity is in crisis and that gender roles are changing.
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?
it suggest them to be healthier and shows they will live a happy life if they avoid drinking and smoking.
5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?
They represent the male body to be a male instrument and needs to be taken care in order to live the life.
6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?
It suggests that men bodies are getting more objectified than women and are women are looking up to men.
7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?
it means men being concerned about their p-hysical helath and fashion in terms of hwo they look.
9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?
conclusions are that men are still seen to strong but now they are being shown as objects towards women as they need to get a physique to get a girl.
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?
In my view that the magazines encouraging hypermasulinity as they show that masculinity is strong and are showing how men are dominant.
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