Tuesday 7 December 2010

Male gender representation; 'Tough Guise'.






Media is often presumed responsible for the growing stereotype of masculinity, the tough guise and violence.

Men feel they have to put on a tough guise to shield their vulnerability and be a ‘man’. There is a belief that masculinity means strong, tough, independent and respected, there is a pressure on boys and men to conform to this representation of what men should be like. If they differ from the stereotype they are labelled as a “wussy”, “soft” or “queer”. 

The media are known to represent various ethnic backgrounds through a stereotype such as Latino men being portrayed as tough men and boxers:


 
 







Whilst Chinese men are portrayed as martial artists:



 









Even toys have taken on stereotypes the media enforce through gender representation. Male toys, such as G.I. Joe, have been seen to become more ‘masculine’, with them getting bigger, such as bigger biceps, and having weapons such as guns:

original G.I. Joe



Newer G.I.Joe





















This parallels what was happening in films with men and their guns getting bigger and stronger. In addition female dolls have taken on another stereotype as they become smaller and more ‘girly':


70's girls doll



2010 Christmas Barbie























There is historical context to the changes that occurred. The Civil Rights movement opened up a new approach to parenting and relationships, with men becoming more attentive. However there was a backlash to this with comedians, such as Andrew Dice clay and Howard Stern, making offensive jokes about women attempting to discredit them. There was also a backlash following lesbian and gay rights with men acting out violently against them.


A stereotype urban, black, poor males are associated with is the tough guise. It is and image of violence and power, characterised as masculine by the media in films such as The Godfather which then influenced black males:




They follow the portrayal of masculinity as a performance to gain respect. This is now an example white, middle-class males have followed as they believe it is masculine and will earn them respect. This shows the importance of the masculine pose and it’s influence that has filtered down through the media.

The media is often seen as the cause for men acting out violently. The high school massacres in America were carried out by boys who feel they had been mistreated in school; in effect they were using violence as a way of trying to gain respect.
 

 
However, violence can be seen as part of ‘normal’ culture. Many sports, although encouraging teamwork, are aggressive and often become intimidating; males earn respect by disrespecting another. For example, wrestling is often violent in and out of the ring and involves the stereotypical big and muscular men.



However, violence can be seen as part of ‘normal’ culture. Many sports, although encouraging teamwork, are aggressive and often become intimidating; males earn respect by disrespecting another. For example, wrestling is often violent in and out of the ring and involves the stereotypical big and muscular men:



Guns are also associated with violence and are a prop men use; it is a dominant and sexual interpretation of masculinity. This links in with sexualised violence, often seen in pornography or horror films. Crime rates for offences such as rape and domestic violence are increasing and are dominated by male perpetrators. In addition men are frequently ‘binge drinking’ and drink driving.
 


Photoshoot 1 - Music Magazine

I have taken a few photos for the music magazine. A friend posed as a music artist and I'm fairly happy with the outcome, however, I do need to take some more at a later date. Though there are a couple of images I shall 'play around' with that I may possibly use for the front cover or on the double-page spread.













*Possible double-page spread image











*Possible cover






Not sure what happened to the colours...



*Possible cover


*Possible cover

Tuesday 30 November 2010

Genre.

Text : Any media production; film/ advert etc.

Form: Category of media it is; book/film/advert/magazine/poster/ music video etc.

If a group of media texts have similar form/structure/pattern it might be due to a link in Genre (type/kind). They will share common structural elements to make them recognisable as a specific Genre. It represents a way of classifying popular cinema into distinct types - useful for splitting the audience into demographics.

Audiences often choose a film because they are a fan of the Genre. Investors run less risk when putting up money for a popular and well established genre. Genres can be further distinguished into Sub-Genres.

However, audiences may become tired of constant, repeated formats. To keep their interest, Genres can be blended and developed in new directions. These Genres are known as hybrids.

Common Genre elements are known as conventions; they are developed over time and become expected by the audience. They can also offer reassurance at an ideological level. However, these conventions can be re-negotiated between audience and industry to keep things 'fresh' and unexpected.

Television & Representation

The most common forms of representation in our culture serve the dominant interests.

Dominant groups are promoted as 'normal' and dismiss other groups as 'abnormal'. The sub-ordinate groups attempt to gain recognition and status.

Television relies on the dominant views of gender roles and stereotypes of femininity and masculinity. Most institutions are set up by males and reflect their input and decisions.

E.g. 
                Dominant                                          Sub-ordinate
         


                 Male                                                          Female
                 White                                                        Other ethnic groups
                 Middle class                                             Working class
                 Middle aged                                             The young/ The old
                 Heterosexual                                            Homosexual/ Bi-sexual
                 Able-bodied                                             Disabled



There is also a major difference between the terms sex and gender:

Sex - Defines biological differences to seperate men+women. Little room for debate.

Gender - Cultural qualities, change over time, debatable. 

E.g.       
              Masculinity                                   Femininity
  


             Professional                                   Domesticated
             Strong                                            Weak
             Rational                                         Emotional                 _______     These are stereotypical
            Competitive                                   Co-operative                                 qualities and conventional
            Independent                                   Communal                                    representations.
           Aggressive                                      Passive
           Ruthless                                          Sensitive
           Ambitious                                       Supportive
  
Characters which differ from these conventional qualities will often be portrayed in a negative light.

College Magazine.

I have now completed my front cover and contents page for the collge magazine:

Colour Connotations.

When designing my magazine I have had to decide which colour scheme I shall use. Colours have connotations as to what they could mean and/or represent. In addition to this different colours are used depending on the season. E.g.

Black - Power, elegance, death, evil, mystery, magic, strength, authority, grief, night, halloween, sophistication, scary, fear.

Purple - Wealth, Money, riches, royalty, luxury, posh, mystery, gothic, autumn.

Orange - energy, happiness, autumn, harvest, warmth, fire, sunshine, heat, halloween, sumer, hot. juicy, tangy.

Red - Fire, blood, energy, war, danger, anger, rage, strength, power, determination, passion, desire, love, passion, romance, courage, christmas, festive, death, lust, sexual, scary, pain, glamour.

Gold - Glamour, royalty, wealth, riches, lxury, posh, money, christmas.

White - Virginity, innocence, purity, light, good, goodness, cleanliness, cool, weddings, broing, simple, honest, angelic, fresh, life, sterile, hygienic, religious, death.

Yellow - Sunshine, happiness, joy, warmth, fresh, cowardice, childish, caution, decay, attention, gold, poor health, bright, energy easter, fun, excitement.

Pink - 'Girlyness', youth, pretty, cute, childish, 'princess', lust, love, soft.

Blue - Sky, sea, trust, loyalty, wisdom, truth, pure, health, clean, cool, holidays, miserable, depression, fresh, peace, calm, authority.

Green - Nature, growth, harmony, fertility, safety, money, medicine, health, jealousy, envy, peace, protection, mould, sickness, summer, fresh, spring, greed, organic, natural, earthy, festive, 'go', emergency.       

I have decided that my magazine will be black, purple and red. These are strong and elegant colours which also represent the autumn/winter period the magazine would be released during.

Thursday 25 November 2010

College Magazines

I have been looking at some college magazines to see what common features they have:





All these front covers have a medium close up of a student and teasers of what's inside. Though the amount of text on the front cover varies.