Colours:
- Typical masculine colours, blacks, blues and reds
- Combination with the white to try and make a professional look to the magazine
Typography:
- Bold text used often
- Strong text
- Headmast is quite clear
- Title is partially hidden behind Vin diesel
Language:
- Very aggressive language
- Slay etc
- Masculine language
- language helps to reassure readers masculinity
Photography:
- Dominant stance
- Muscles shown, emphasis on masculinity
- Well known actor - Creates familiarity
- Good looking - male/woman gaze
- Medium-long shot
- Shows whole body (apart from feet)
- Done to further show physique
Front cover:
- Main figure: Vin Diesel
- Dominating pose, very masculine
- Cover writings
- Mostly consisted of masculine and authoritative wording, the font used was also very simple but bold, showing the kind of vibe/aesthetic that men's health was going for
- Colour scheme
- Most prominent colours (including background) were white, blue and black; What this showed was an added emphasis to make the magazine as masculine as possible.
Editor's Letter and contents page:
Feature - True Grit - 'The Marathon Man':
Editors Letter + Contents page
The editor's letter and contents page has direct quotes which play into psychographic groups and also into their intentions as a publisher e.g. "It's from Anglee who says that he has never seen the actor unhappy. I don't know about you but to me that's a real goal" is a clear example of not only an attempt to attract a younger demographic but also an attempt to seem more contemporary.
The marathon man:
Direct connection to men's health through fitness
3) Apply narrative theories to Men's Health - Todorov's equilibrium, Propp's character types, Barthes' action or enigma codes.
Todorov:
starts with disequilibrium - readers unhappiness/lack of fitness
turns into equilibrium through reading Men's Health
Propp:
Reader- Hero or Princess
Bad habbit- Villain
Men's Health - hero or helper or donor
Barthes:
Enigma codes would be the tips and tricks that are mentioned on the front cover, the mention of them may incentivize readers to continue reading the magazine
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 believe it actively makes male insecurity by insisting that they are trying to help you solve those insecurities, creating things they need to worry about
5) How does the 'Marathon Man' feature page offer an example of Steve Neale's genre theory concerning 'repetition and difference'?
The only real example I can think of this being an instance of repetition and difference is the nature of the story, the figure is very familiar to us, a fit individual and his experience; but the difference is the fact that he's uniquely old
1) Why is Men's Health defined as a 'lifestyle magazine'?
Men's health is considered as a lifestyle magazine due to the wide variety of topics, each of which concern men, discussed in the magazine.
2) Why is advertising significant in helping to shape masculine identity?
Advertisements help shape masculinity by informing men about what their lifestyle should be and how to achieve that lifestyle through products or services. Advertisements help men understand what it means to be attractive in society.
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?
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?
The article suggests that Men's Health encourages their audience to make sure they care about their appearances and social lives while also making sure to care about their personal and professional lives; Men's Health also encourages their audiences to active with Men's Health.
5) What representations of the male body can be found in Men's Health?
There are multiple representations of the male body found in Men's Health
- exposer of the male anatomy to be observed, admired and consumed.
- Their body should be a machine which needs to be taken care of.
6) What does the article suggest regarding the objectification of men?
The article suggests that men are now being objectified for the sole purpose of the "female gaze". Men are also being objectified to sell products to a wider male and even female audience.
7) What is 'metrosexuality' and how can it be applied to Men's Health?
metrosexuality is when a heterosexual often takes place in certain activities that are often linked with heterosexual men or females. Men's Health often takes a metrosexual look at masculinity and tries to promote this ideology with its audience.
8) What representation of men in Men's Health is discussed in the section 'Homogenous bodies'?
Within the Homogenous bodies section, it is discussed that while MH attempts to promote a new masculine ideology, MH does till put extra emphasis on the physical aspect of men and masculinity.
9) What are the conclusions drawn by the article with regards to the representation of masculinity in Men's Health?
The article concludes that Men's Health represents multiple forms of masculinity and tries to promote a brand new, more liberal form of masculinity that can be emotional, that can care about their appearances and use products to help them achieve their wanted appearance.
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?
I believe that Men's Health encourages metrosexuality through their multiple articles about both mental and physical health, but through these articles I do believe that they have increased insecurities within adults through the objectification of male bodies to help sell products, making them believe that their bodies are not up to par to what society expects from them. Overall I do not believe that their main goal is to promote hypermasculinity, but instead, they are trying to promote a new form of masculinity, but indirectly Men's Health has done the opposite.
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