Attitude Magazine Flashcards
Context
- Launched in 1994 (10 years before the Civil Partnership Act) and so attitudes towards homosexuality were different today and homophobia is extremely common
- Guidelines ensured Attitude was able to publish gay content in hostile publishing and cultural environment
- Retailers were still able to exert some control as often Attitude was banished to the ‘top shelf’ or hidden from view
Audience
- 20s to 50s, gay male
- Affluent, professional, financially prosperous and with earnings considerably higher than the national average and high disposable income (ABC1)
- Diverse interests but have the common trait of their sexuality
- Brand loyal, fashion conscious
The first issue
- Appeared in May 1994
- A separate Thai edition has been published since March 2011
- Editions in Belgium and the Netherlands launched in February 2017
Mission Statement
- ‘Undisputed, heavyweight, best-selling’
- ‘Most well-respected gay title in the UK’
- Served up with Intelligence and wit’
Targeting an ABC1 audience through Partnerships and Sponsorships
Built with companies who advertise premium products on the website
Targeting an ABC1 audience through language
- Very formal and complex
- Mirrors middle class values and educational background of an ABC1 demographic
Targeting an ABC1 audience through its relatable activities
- Incorporated into narratives and competitions to create connections
Ownership
- Began publication in 1994 as part of the Northern and Shell Group
-Acquired in September 2016 by contract publisher Stream Publishing
Cultural Industries theory (Hesmondhalgh)
- Northern and Shell decided to start publishing Attitude to diversify its titles within the magazine marketplace thereby minimising risk and maximising audiences
Splash pages
- Used to promote a company, service or product or are used
Popularity and distribution
- Print Circulation: 50,000
- Digital Circulation: 12,200
- 1.8 million online users
- 3.6 million pages viewed
- 42,000 people subscribed to their newsletter
Attitude’s Website
- Much of their website ‘teasers’ for the magazine content, so there are not many full articles
- Stand alone content available online
- Clickbait, not from ‘premium brands’
- Many men still objectified despite representation
Hyper-sexualisation of Men
- Topless, provocative clothing, tight underwear
- Lack of representations of different body types
- Celebrities who are straight are represented in a way that appeals to a gay male audience
- Exotic lifestyles
- Focuses on gay men being ‘out there’
Gay men in online articles
- Mainly focusing on things such as grooming, holidays, fashion and celebrities
- Heavy emphasis on external appearance
- Marginalised gay men with singular stereotypical representations
How is the LGBTQ+ community represented as a whole?
- Articles about violent attacks towards the community which may reinforce the idea that they are marginalised and threatened by society
- LGBTQ+ community is normalised in adverts
How is a Gay audience offered escapism
- May be seen as a utopia where ‘everyone is gay’
- The LGBTQ+ community are accepted on the website
- May give some the confidence to ‘come out’
How are Gay Men stereotyped?
- Stereotypically attractive males are seen in the articles
- Gay men liking pop music, musical theatre, and interior design etc
- Seen as vulnerable in regards to the ‘coming out’ narrative
- Article on gay rugby team focuses on their bodies rather than their talents
Cultivation theory (Gerbner)
The media participates in ‘Symbolic Annihilation’ of the LGBTQ+ community by negatively stereotyping them, rarely portraying them in realistic ways, or by not portraying them at all
Pick and Mix theory (Gauntlett)
-The LGBTQ+ community are underrepresented in the mainstream media, but things are slowly changing for the better
-Tolerance of sexual diversity is growing in society and images of sexual diversity may assist in making the population generally more comfortable with alternative sexual lifestyles
Attitude Website Homepage
-Main articles are similar to what is seen on the front of a tabloid newspaper
-Advertisements for brands that may be of interest to LGBTQ+ readers
-Links to social media, but audiences are unable to comment under articles on the website
-Considered niche as whole website reports news important to gay men
Masthead of Attitude
-Sans-serif font
-No capital letters
-This is modern and informal
Colour Palette of Attitude
-Bright colours
-Lots of white space
-Crisp, clean layout
-Topic colours with stories underneath
-Rainbow banner colours
Layout and design of Attitude website
-Newest stories at the top
-Stories are categorised by topic
-All shaped the same creating a clean and consistent layout
-Easy to navigate
-Professional, but not too flashy
Features on Attitude’s website
-Navigation bar
-Search box
-Picture slideshows at the top of the website
-Hyperlinks
-Videos
-Links to other social media pages