ATTITUDE REPRESENTATION Flashcards
(16 cards)
How are men represented as successful?
Language: “The UK’s LGBT Business Champion”
Star power: Celebrities such as Tom Daley or Elton John are often featured.
However, this successful representation is also connoted through advertisements and products promoted on the wesbite - which are ofen high-end and suggest affluence.
For example:
“Jaguar’s first all-electric car is genuinely shocking”
“Take on the North American dream with Virgin Holidays”
“The best theatre to see in the UK “
How are men represented as powerful?
Through their physique - images include men shirtless, flexing their muscles or athletic builds.
For example: “MASCULINITY SPECIAL: Our Deputy Editor goes from scrawny to brawny.”
However, arguably men are also represented as powerful reformers in scoiety with their fight against anti-homosexual ideas.
For example: “Trans rights protests to take place across the UK” Which specifically shows images of men.
How are men represented as conventionally masculine?
Mostly through semi-nakes images which are sometimes hyper-masculine, focused on muscular bodies or strength. This representation is almost ‘heroic’.
For example: “gloriously gay photos of beautiful male bodies from Boys! Boys! Boys!
However, this is somewhay subverted by body positive and inclusive representations too.
For example: “Real Bodies: ‘I used to weigh 18 stone – but I had no problem taking my clothes off’”
How are men represented as emotionally detached?
The content online is factual and avoids deep emotional response, particularly within its news content - which might stereotypically represent men as emotionally detached.
For example: “Man victim of homophobic abuse while on bus after celebrating Manchester Pride” news story.
This is arguably subverted by content which represents men as emotionally vulnerable - particularly surrounding homophobia or discrimination.
For example: “Gay purge victim goes public with horrifying details of alleged abuse”
How are men represented as victimised?
This representation challenges dominant ideologies of gender, but would be identifiable for gat men who may have been through similar homophobia, abuse or discrimination.
For example: “Gay purge victim goes public with horrifying details of alleged abuse”
Stories often have websites or organisations linked at the bottom of these sensitive stories to help victims.
For example: “Victims of homophobic hate crime can report to police or online through True Vision”
How are men who don’t adhere to gender norms represented?
There are often articles of men wearing makeup, or stereotypically female clothes and talking more feminine.
This fits the genre of an alternative magazine.
For example: “drag lip-sync of Judy Garland’s ‘Come Rain or Come Shine’”
How are men sexually represented?
It is reasonably unusual for men to be sexualised in the media, but it is a regular occurence on attitude, reflecting the gay male audience.
For example: “guys have stripped off for the most body-positive naked calendar”
How are other sexualities represented?
The websites focus is mainly on gay men, with less coverage of other sexualities from the LGBTQIA community.
Eg articles for “Lesbian visibility week” and “Trans awareness week”
However, there is symbolism that is meaningful for the entire community.
For example: Pride flag or rainbow colours.
How are other cultures/ethnicities represented?
A range of ethnicities are feaured on the website.
However, stories surrounding other cultures can be quite negative - posing them as homophobic, discriminatory and places to be avoided.
For example: “Indonesia: More than 50 detained after police raid on gay party”
It might be argued that Attitude hold a post-colonial view of the world, with non-white cultures being shown as intolerant and agressive. Western countries are represented as tolerant and positive, with an ethnocentric view of the world.
BUT…Perhaps this appeals to the predominantly British audience, amnd it only reflects the reality of cultural/political contexts of gay rights.
Why might Attitude have a sympathetic and diverse representation of sexuality and gender?
The staff that work at Attitude are almost all part of the LGBT community themselves.
The managing director, Styles, is part of the community and bought the website for its unique representation of the gay community.
Also, a lot of the team are men - hence the positive representation of men as successful and poweful.
What are the key ideas of Curran and Seaton?
The idea that the media is controlled by a small number of companies primarily driven by profit and power.
Media concentration generally limits or inhibits variety, creativity and quality.
Socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create the conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions.
How might Attitude might support Curran and Seatons idea of ownership?
It shows that socially diverse patterns of ownership help to create the conditions for more varied and adventurous media productions.
It addresses the under-representation or mis-representation of the LGBTQIA community.
It is published independently (Stream)
It has the freedom to target niche audiences
It has the freedom to be driven by societal change rather then profit/power.
What does Larry Gross theorise about gay people and the media?
They have been invisible in the media, mostly symbollically annihilated. When they do appear they are in a supportive role which is negatively stereotyped.
(This was from the 1990s)
How can a socially diverse pattern of ownership (C&S) be seen through varying representations?
Attitude mostly represents a variety of gay identities (going against Gross’ theory).
For example: “Lil Nas X gives Satan a lap dance in music video” VS “Tom Daleys greatest knits”
This breaks down stereotypes of what it means to be gay, with different perspectives and a range of gay identites. (Gauntlett - audiences can legitimise their own identites from this)
How can a socially diverse pattern of ownership (C&S) be seen through adventurous representations?
Attitude depicts representations which once would have been deemed as contreversial.
For example: The weekly “Boys! Boys! Boys!” article which shows sexualised images of men.
Attitude has dedicated a space to display these identites as acceptable and mainstream - legitimising this identity.
