GQ: Language and Representation

Language: Media factsheet

Complete the following tasks using Media Factsheet 252 - The Codes and Conventions of Print Magazines available in our Media Factsheet archive here. Answer the following questions:

1) What are the different magazine genres highlighted on page 2 and how do they link to our magazine CSPs?

-General Interest; typically cover topics like fashion. Have  a combination of stories, pictures and advertising, and are bound together with a glossy cover.

-Special Interest; Niche interest magazines that offer in-depth content on a given area or topic. This is shown in the interview with Jonathan Bailey.

-Professional; A periodical published by the governing body of a profession.

2) Look at the section on GQ on page 2. How do they suggest that GQ targets its audience?

-They are targeting men through fashion and image, but also appealing to their intelligence and needs for information about culture.

3) What does the factsheet say about GQ cover stars?

-They  select their cover stars very carefully. 

4) Pick out five of the key conventions of magazine front covers and explain what they communicate to an audience.

-The Master head- San-serif font

-The publication name, is at the top

-Price-quick for audiences to find

-Month and year 

-Barcode-for audiences to scan to find digital info

5) What is a magazine’s ‘house style’? How would you describe GQ’s house style? 

-It refers to its conventional "look" in relation to its writing and formatting. The house style establishes brand identity and helps to distinguish one magazine from the other. This is necessary if the magazine is in a shop where the crowding of titles on the shelf means that the eyes of the consumer must be caught.

Language: CSP analysis

Use your annotated CSP pages to help answer the following questions. You can find an annotated copy of the GQ pages here (you'll need your Greenford Google login).

1) Write a summary of our annotations on the media language choices on the cover of GQ - e.g. colour scheme, typography, language, photographic codes etc. 

-Image close up with high key lighting and makeup that makes him look beat up(bruises and cuts)

-Facial expression shows aggression while costume shows muscles and strength(toxic masculinity)

-Cover lines keeping with traditional GQ

-Art, inky typography as if hand written

-Blue/black background seen as traditionally masculine

2) Identify three specific aspects/conventions/important points (e.g. cover lines, colour scheme, use of text, image etc.) from each page/feature of the CSP that you could refer to in a future exam. Explain why that particular aspect of the CSP is important - think about connotations, representations, audience pleasures, reception theory etc.

Front cover: Robert Pattinson image - Art & Fashion issue

-The dark/blue colour scheme shows masculinity as it is traditionally seen to be in relation to men.

-Central image;Pattinson having bruises and cuts on his face create the image that men need to be violent in order to show their masculinity.

Inside pages: Jonathan Bailey feature and fashion shoot

-The 'Feminine' pose-shows how a man represents themselves however they want and shouldn't force themselves to be 'masculine'.

-The suit-shows how a man like Jonathan,being gay can still have that 'masculine' side to them as suits are traditionally seen to show masculinity.

 

3) Apply narrative theories to GQ - Todorov's equilibrium, Propp's character types, Barthes' action or enigma codes, Levi-Strauss's binary opposition. How can we use narrative to understand the way the cover and features have been constructed?

-We can see Todorov's equilibrium in the magazine,where the front cover presents a disequilibrium through Pattinsion's bruises and cuts shown on his face.

4) Analyse the cover and inside pages of GQ. Does this offer an example of Steve Neale's genre theory concerning 'repetition and difference'?

-Neale's theory about repetition and difference shows how it is true that media products need to have change so that audiences do not feel bored  by the media they are consuming as it is all the same and they know what to expect.However,in the GQ magazine we can see that it is different,through the page of Jonathan ,where he is showing 'new masculinity' while also being himself(being gay).

 

Representations: applying theory

We have already covered many relevant theories in our work on Advertising and Marketing (for example, David Gauntlett's writing on Media, Gender and Identity). We now need to apply these theories and ideas to GQ and specifically the CSP pages allocated by AQA.

1) How can Gauntlett's ideas on masculinity, gender and identity be applied to the GQ CSP pages we have analysed?

-Gauntlett's ideas are;

-Mass media force for change

-Views of gender and sexuality.. all in slow but steady force for change

-Traditional stereotype of men has been shaken

2) How could van Zoonen's work on feminist and gender theory be applied to GQ? Does the magazine challenge or reinforce these ideas?

-I think that the magazine challenges Zoonen's work. This is because she says that the media reinforces sex role stereotypes, helping to construct gender roles. In both of the CSP I think that gender roles are not traditional and not normally reinforced by the media.

3) How does the Jonathan Bailey feature represent masculinity and sexuality? 

-Jonathan Bailey is an openly gay actor which represents the 'New Masculinity' of GQ. We can see how he is presented as a gay man by the poses he is doing that are 'feminine'.

Representations: wider reading - GQ and the new masculinity

Read this CNN feature on how GQ is redefining masculinity and answer the following questions:

1) Which GQ issue is discussed at the start of the article and what was notable about it? 

-The issue was about the image of Pharrell Williams. The Grammy-winner is wearing a lemon yellow Moncler coat that flows well past his feet. It looks like an upside down lily flower waiting to bloom. His hands are clasped at his chest, his facial expression is soft and the overlay text says “The New Masculinity Issue.”

2) How did Will Welch view GQ when he took over as Editor-in-Chief and what did he want to offer readers? 

-Welch said that GQ is not just written for or by men. GQ's readers are anyone who has “an interest in seeing the world through a filter of stylishness.”

3) How has publisher Conde Nast responded to changes in the magazine industry and how did this impact GQ?

-Conde Nast  has been trying to recoup losses by cutting costs and redefining its business for the digital era. For example, Condé ended Glamour’s print publication last year. It’s continued to invest in digital content, like video, across its brands.

4) What did the GQ New Masculinity edition feature? 

-Journalist Nora Caplan-Bricker leads a package titled “Voices of the New Masculinity” in which actor Asia Kate Dillon, NBA player Kevin Love, rapper Killer Mike and others share their perspectives of what masculinity means today. There’s a beauty section, featuring men in glittery makeup and a profile of Billy Idol.

5) What did journalist Liz Plank say about toxic masculinity?

-Journalist Liz Plank released “For the Love of Men,” a book that explores the pervasiveness of it. She writes, “No matter where I turned, masculinity wasn’t something that was intuitive or intrinsic; it was carefully learned, delicately transmitted and deliberately propagandized. Toxic masculinity wasn’t just a problem in America. I saw it everywhere.”

6) How did Welch respond to suggestions GQ was responsible for toxic masculinity?

-When asked if GQ helped perpetuate toxic masculinity, Welch was quick to dismiss the notion. “It’s not like GQ was harmful until I took over. That’s definitely not the case,” he said. The magazine’s latest issue was not its first foray into topics that defy gender stereotypes. 

Finally, read this short GQ feature on masculinity and answer the following questions:

1) What does the article suggest masculinity involved at the start of the 20th century?

-The idea of masculinity was simple – it stood for all the solid, earthy expectations of boys and men: strength, independence, courage, confidence and assertiveness.

2) What social change occurred from the 1930s?

-The UK lost its industrialisation heavyweight status with manual worker jobs, and the masculinity status attached to them.

3) What is suggested about masculinity today?

-We now thankfully share a society where not only men, but women too, demonstrate these and importantly have the freedom to do so. Of course, it isn’t all a bed of roses, and while we still have some way to redress an imbalance of what is deemed acceptable traits for men and women, we are making progress. Masculinity is an outdated word for this, a new world that is attempting to dispel gender equality.

4) Why does it suggest these changes are important? 

-Crucially, we still need to see change in men’s relationship with their mental health. Suicide remains the leading cause of death in men under the age of 45 years. That’s three times higher than rates in women, with 84 men losing their life a week.