Men's Health analysis: blog task
1) Write a one-paragraph summary of your notes for each key concept from the booklet:
Media Language (e.g. conventions, narrative, genre etc.)
The colour scheme consists of typical masculine colours such as Black, Blue, grey and white; the colour scheme actively promotes hyper masculine stereotypes. The main figure for the magazine is Vin Diesel, his physical fitness and his reputation are both very masculine, this again promotes typical masculinity. The magazine contains multiple examples of violent language being used such as slay, blast etc, this language can be seen as being very masculine.
Media Industries (e.g. Hearst Communications)
Hearst communications is a large conglomerate who are a dominant force in the magazine and even health industry due to their impressive collection of brands which can vary from Gardening to technology. Hearst Communications is considered to be the largest magazine conglomerate in the world.
Media Audiences (e.g. demographics, psychographics, pleasures)
Men's Healths main age demographic are men age between 24-35, the majority of their audience belong to the ABCI category due to the price of the magazine not being accessible to lower class income groups (that is not the case with the digital magazine). The main pleasure it's audience receive from the magazine is surveillance, this due to the informative nature of Men's Health content, another possible pleasure could be entertainment as some of their articles are humours.
Media Representations (e.g. masculinity)
While Men's Health has begun to try and represent a more metro sexual representation of masculinity, they generally still present a more masculine/hyper masculine ideology through their constant attention to physical fitness being important for men.
2) Identify three specific aspects/conventions (e.g. cover line, colour scheme, text, image etc.) from each page 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: Vin Diesel
Used for two reasons, one to maybe inspire but to also create insecurities, creating an incentive for their audience to purchase promoted products and or services within the magazine. Also promotes typical masculine stereotypes that men have to be physically fit to be masculine.
Editor's Letter and contents page
The editors letter and contents page contains writings and questions that may promote insecurities within their older and maybe even younger audiences, this again promotes the idea that in order to be successful and masculine you must be physically fit this is a very typical hyper masculine ideology.
Feature: True Grit - 'The Marathon Man'
As with many other of Men's Healths articles and images,"the feature: True Grit" promotes insecurities within their their audience, creating an artificial need of purchasing Men's Health's promoted products. But along with this the article has the ability to instead inspire their audience to try and focus on their physicality.
3) Type up three media theories that you think are particularly relevant to analysing Men's Health and explain why they are significant:
David Gauntlet's theory that masculinity is not in crisis; this theory can be used when talking about the Men's Health articles that talk about the mental health, this theory can prove that Men's Health is still trying to promote a new form of masculinity.
Propp's theory of narrative, this theory can be used as the reader can be seen as the villain of their story and their lack of physical and mental fitness can be can be seen as the villain, while Men's Health can be seen as the hero and their magazines/articles can be seen as the helper.
The final theory could be Todorovs Equilibrium, the disequilibrium can be the audience being unfit, the equilibrium can be the audience member being fit after help from Men's Health.
4) Type up three quotes from the booklet that you think are particularly useful for analysing Men's Health and explain why they are significant:
'Vin Diesel's Blueprint To Wage War On Flab' This quote makes vin diesel seem as if he is the helper of the readers narrative, it makes the audience try and be like vin diesel, this could reinforce negative insecurities within the audience.
'This month's package has been curated to include a wealth of tools and tricks to help you return to your fighting weight' This is a direct form of advertising designed to attract the male audience towards the magazine. This kind of advertising can also be used to make the audience seem special and cared for by Men's Health.
'If it's more than 10 grams of sugar, I won't eat it' This along with the first quote makes the audience question themselves and reinforces negative insecurities within them, this is a marketing technique to help sell their services/products.
Media Language (e.g. conventions, narrative, genre etc.)
The colour scheme consists of typical masculine colours such as Black, Blue, grey and white; the colour scheme actively promotes hyper masculine stereotypes. The main figure for the magazine is Vin Diesel, his physical fitness and his reputation are both very masculine, this again promotes typical masculinity. The magazine contains multiple examples of violent language being used such as slay, blast etc, this language can be seen as being very masculine.
Media Industries (e.g. Hearst Communications)
Hearst communications is a large conglomerate who are a dominant force in the magazine and even health industry due to their impressive collection of brands which can vary from Gardening to technology. Hearst Communications is considered to be the largest magazine conglomerate in the world.
Media Audiences (e.g. demographics, psychographics, pleasures)
Men's Healths main age demographic are men age between 24-35, the majority of their audience belong to the ABCI category due to the price of the magazine not being accessible to lower class income groups (that is not the case with the digital magazine). The main pleasure it's audience receive from the magazine is surveillance, this due to the informative nature of Men's Health content, another possible pleasure could be entertainment as some of their articles are humours.
Media Representations (e.g. masculinity)
While Men's Health has begun to try and represent a more metro sexual representation of masculinity, they generally still present a more masculine/hyper masculine ideology through their constant attention to physical fitness being important for men.
2) Identify three specific aspects/conventions (e.g. cover line, colour scheme, text, image etc.) from each page 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: Vin Diesel
Used for two reasons, one to maybe inspire but to also create insecurities, creating an incentive for their audience to purchase promoted products and or services within the magazine. Also promotes typical masculine stereotypes that men have to be physically fit to be masculine.
Editor's Letter and contents page
The editors letter and contents page contains writings and questions that may promote insecurities within their older and maybe even younger audiences, this again promotes the idea that in order to be successful and masculine you must be physically fit this is a very typical hyper masculine ideology.
Feature: True Grit - 'The Marathon Man'
As with many other of Men's Healths articles and images,"the feature: True Grit" promotes insecurities within their their audience, creating an artificial need of purchasing Men's Health's promoted products. But along with this the article has the ability to instead inspire their audience to try and focus on their physicality.
3) Type up three media theories that you think are particularly relevant to analysing Men's Health and explain why they are significant:
David Gauntlet's theory that masculinity is not in crisis; this theory can be used when talking about the Men's Health articles that talk about the mental health, this theory can prove that Men's Health is still trying to promote a new form of masculinity.
Propp's theory of narrative, this theory can be used as the reader can be seen as the villain of their story and their lack of physical and mental fitness can be can be seen as the villain, while Men's Health can be seen as the hero and their magazines/articles can be seen as the helper.
The final theory could be Todorovs Equilibrium, the disequilibrium can be the audience being unfit, the equilibrium can be the audience member being fit after help from Men's Health.
4) Type up three quotes from the booklet that you think are particularly useful for analysing Men's Health and explain why they are significant:
'Vin Diesel's Blueprint To Wage War On Flab' This quote makes vin diesel seem as if he is the helper of the readers narrative, it makes the audience try and be like vin diesel, this could reinforce negative insecurities within the audience.
'This month's package has been curated to include a wealth of tools and tricks to help you return to your fighting weight' This is a direct form of advertising designed to attract the male audience towards the magazine. This kind of advertising can also be used to make the audience seem special and cared for by Men's Health.
'If it's more than 10 grams of sugar, I won't eat it' This along with the first quote makes the audience question themselves and reinforces negative insecurities within them, this is a marketing technique to help sell their services/products.
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