Men's health language & Representation blog task

Men's Health Language & Representation: blog tasks

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 scheme is black, white and blue which is traditionally linked to masculine colours.

The typography used is Serif font which links to authority and traditional however has Sun serif font too which gives it a sleek and modern design.

The language used is hyper-masculine with words that give is it an aggressive tone. The capital letters suggest the power it holds which men would be drawn into. 

2) Identify three specific aspects/conventions/important points (e.g. cover lines, colour scheme, use of text, image etc.) 

Front cover: The protagonist is Vin Diesel and the camera shot is a long shot as you can see his full body and is tensing which suggests the power and strength he holds.

Editor's Letter and contents page: The editorial letter is well organised as it uses F text to submit their audience and shows that they are well educated.

Feature - True Grit - 'The Marathon Man': The protagonist shown on this page shows that age doesn't define what you are capable of and shows their older audience that they have represented.

3) Apply narrative theories to Men's Health - Todorov's equilibrium, Propp's character types, Barthes' action or enigma codes.

Todorov's equilibrium - This theory can be applied to Men's Health as it shows the magazine as the problem solver and that the audiences health is the disequilibruim.

Propp's character type - This magazine positions the reader as the "hero" so that the magazine is seen as the "helper" or "donor". This makes Men's Health magazine as giving advice to the hero to succeed their quest.

Bathes' enigma and action code - The magazine points out "enigma" codes for the reader to find out. The "action" codes would be the language used which is linked to hyper-masculinity.

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?

In my opinion, it created male insecurities as it features the protagonist as this fit and tall man which means that men should look a certain way for them to be seen as the standard and be good-looking. However, the "Slay winter blue" could link to Men's mental health tol.

5) How does the 'Marathon Man' feature page offer an example of Steve Neale's genre theory concerning 'repetition and difference'? 

It links to Steve Neale's "repetition and difference" as it shows the protagonist as being old and healthy which isn't necessarily linked to old ageing.

Representations


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 on masculinity, gender and identity can be applied to Men's health as he argues that "views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and childhood are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation" which is what Men's Health magazines is trying to communicate.

2) How could van Zoonen's work on feminist and gender theory be applied to Men's Health?

Van Zoonen's feminist and gender theory can be applied through "sex roles stereotypes". This argument suggests that the media reinforces sex role stereotypes helping construct gender roles as both men and women are sexualised in the media but with key differences.

3) How could bell hooks's work on 'corrosive masculinity' apply to Men's Health?

bell hooks argument on "corrosive masculinity" applies to Men's Health because it has damaging effects on both men and women. She suggests that the partichary indoctrinated people from and early age to become "normalised traumatisation".



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'?

It is defined as a lifestyle magazine because goes over issues about fashion, technology and Men's mental health that revolves around reality.

2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?

Advertising is significant in helping shape masculinity as it's a big part of our society and gives representation to different and healthy lifestyles.

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?

The media theorists that would be linked with masculinity changing and gender not being fixed would be "Judith Butler and David Gauntlett".

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's Health encouraged their readers to be open and take on a healthier lifestyle. This is shown by male grooming increase (5.7%) since 1997 to 2005.

5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?

The representation found in Men's Health would be different ages and muscular men. 

6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?

The article suggest the objectification of men are that they should look a certain way in order to be socially acceptable.

7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?

The term "metrosexuality" links to men doing subverted things that are displayed only for women and homosexual men such as grooming, shopping and fashion.

8) What representation of men in Men's Health is discussed in the section 'Homogenous bodies'?

The section in 'Homogeneous bodies' is the analysis of men in three different aspects "physical appearance, his external look such as fashion and overall lifestyle".

9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?

This means that the representation of men's masculinity in Men's Health is often propagated by looking a certain way to fit traditional masculinity. However, Men's Health is changing their views on what they print such as in male grooming products and fashion for more people such as metrosexuality to become normalised.

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 opinion, Men's Health can be seen to an extent as both positive and negative reviews on masculinity as they contribute to the obsession of men = have to be fit and have big muscles in order to be a man but then also advocate for Men's mental Health but those pages are found inner deep into the magazine which can bee seen as less important to them.