Harriet Moore REPRESENTATION IN MAGAZINES

 Different groups of people will be represented in different ways though-out the day-to-day media that we use. This can be both a positive and a negative thing, depending on how that person is/ those people are represented and whether this goes along with or challenges the stereotype associated with that group of people.  For example, women on the front of magazines may be presented in a feminine manner and men may be presented in a masculine manner, simply because of their gender stereotypes.  Gender, race/ ethnicity, class and status, age- youth, sexuality, their occupation, disability, regional identity are all represented in different ways across the media of today, and are often linked with a certain, stereotypical image. REPRESENTATION AND STEREOTYPES

 Gender is represented in the media in a, often, very stereotypical or offensive way. This may be towards men, or women, and highlight the inequality that we still have today.  However, there are some types of media, whether that be television, radio, newspapers, magazine or otherwise, that challenge these stereotypes and try to break the sometimes negative approach that some companies display in their products.  Looking at music magazines, I have found that it is mainly men who have been featured on the front covers, this may be because men are more common in this industry, but I think this is something that many people want to change.  Women are either represented as innocent, or are over- sexualised; they are rarely represented in the sophisticated manner that most men are.  Men are either represented in the high-class, smart manner or as a kind-of thug and seem to be from a lower social class. GENDER

GENDER (MEN)  These are some examples of men being represented as violent, tougher people, as if they are from rough areas. This gives a very negative view of men, as it is representing them as thugs and criminals. This representation is commonly used for men (and women) in the R&B and rap music industries.

GENDER (MEN)  These are some examples of men being represented as sophisticated business men. They’re dressed in smart clothing which gives them the higher and upper-class look that shows their success in the music industry. This makes them look authoritative and as if they are more important than others, this is also highlighted by the fact they are the front cover model.

GENDER (WOMEN)  These are some examples of women who are being over- sexualised on the front covers of various magazines. These women are almost or completely naked, bearing all to the public eye. This will appeal to the majority of their primary audiences, who are predominantly males. The “sex appeal” of these women are being advertised but this means they are seen more of their ‘sexiness’ than them being successful.

GENDER (WOMEN)  These are some examples of women who are being represented as sophisticated and in the smart, high-class way a lot of men are presented. When presented in this more mature way, women are represented as very innocent. This is often shown with bright lighting and softer, or white, clothing.

 When researching the magazines, I found that white people and black people are represented in two very different ways in the media of today.  Normally, black people have negative image attached to them and white people have a more positive image attached to them. However, this is only in general. There are magazines (as well as other medias) that challenge these stereotypes and try not to reinforce them.  All ethnicities are often represented in two ways. One is a more ‘gangster’ kind of way and the other is in a more classy manner.  Women and men of different ethnicities are represented differently, as well; normally depending on their regional identity and heritage. RACE/ ETHNICITY

RACE/ ETHNICITY (AND CLASS)  Both ethnicities are represented with a more ‘urban’ image, however I found it much easier to find black males with this image, than white females. This image is the stereotypical image given to black artists, especially those from R&B and rap genres. This also seems to be presenting them as a lower- class than those artists who are represented in a sophisticated manner.

RACE/ ETHNICITY (AND CLASS)  Both ethnicities are represented with a more ‘classy’ image, as well, however I could find a lot more examples of white people (mainly male) who are represented in a sophisticated way, which may lead people to believe that white people are of a higher class to other ethnicities, as this is a more frequent representation for them. I struggled to find a women of colour who was represented in this way.

 After looking at music magazines, I found that disability is rarely represented on the front covers of them.  The only artists I could find were those who were extremely well known, such as Stevie Wonder, as these are the only disabled artists who were/are in the spotlight. This may be because artists with disabilities are rarer than those without or simply because they are not getting the fame/ attention for their music.  I found that, in all the magazines I looked at, the disability was not the main focus of the artist and it often wasn’t mentioned at all (and if it was, it was a remark or question about how it changes their music, etc.). As you would expect, the artist is simply asked and talks about their music and experiences, people with a disability (I looked at blind artists) are not treated any differently to able artists. DISABILITY

 Stevie Wonder was known for his work in the soul, pop, R&B, funk and jazz music genres. DISABILITY  Stevie Wonder was a American singer-songwriter. He recorded over 30 US top ten hits and won 22 Grammy Awards; this is the highest number won by any solo artist ever. He was also blind and his work is highly recognisable all over the world today. He is represented for his amazing work, which is emphasised because of his disability, but that is never the main focus of the article; he is treated as a regular artist would be, and the main focus is always his music.

 This magazine shows Jamie Foxx as the music legend Ray Charles, who was blind. DISABILITY  A Rolling Stones tribute to Ray Charles, saying their goodbye to him.  Ray Charles is represented as a ‘legend’, as he was one of the most important people in the creation of soul music, and this is made even more important and is emphasised as he is blind, and still managed to achieve this, despite his disability.

 I decided to look how different ages were being portrayed on magazines, particularly the younger (‘youth’) ages.  I found that younger people were, generally, represented in the urban, scruffier way. This seems to be attached to the negative images in the media of young people; thugs, rebellious teenagers, etc. and magazines are trying to continue to portray younger people in this way.  I found that older people were, generally, portrayed as the opposite stereotype. The upper-class, rich and sophisticated people who are over the stereotypical youth image.  Interestingly, I found that these stereotypes linked in closely with race. Black people being portrayed in the same way young people are and white people being portrayed in the way that white people are. It was interesting to see the correlation and links between these stereotypes. AGE

 The representation seems to be more about the race and gender or the artist, however people are represented differently at different ages and this is obvious in these examples. AGE

 I did find that there were several people who did fit with this overall representation, and these are highlighted in red so that you can tell the difference between the issues. AGE  This image is debatable as they are dressed smartly but are showing bad behaviours, i.e. smoking.