attitude - representation Flashcards
social and cultural context
- within the last several decades the LGBT community have come to the fore within mainstream UK society, seeing several laws passed to accommodate equal rights for this minority
- due to an improvement in public attitude and positive representations in the community, there are more ‘active’ (eg: out of the ‘closet’) homosexuals than ever in the western world, with events like PRIDE, promoting same sex relationships and open discourse, Attitude Magazine celebrates these progressive developments
- despite these reformist developments in the west, many other areas of the world remain draconian in their approach to homosexuality, where it is classed as an illegal offense e.g iran, yemen
what does attitude seek to do in relation to representation?
Attitude seeks to endorse a progressive gender representation, celebrating all LGBTQ+ positions including non-binary, pansexual, transgender and queer
Heteronormative perceptions of gender (such as those influenced by the media products of Zoella) are subverted with celebrities of gay marriage, gender transitioning surgery, and gay adoption
The website also features news articles rebuking homophobia and transphobia as well as mediating intersectional issues of conflict (for example: transphobia within the gay community)
how does attitude represent women?
Whilst Attitude is primary a magazine for gay men and trans people, they still show solidarity towards lesbian and bisexual women with articles from Martha Navratilova and Ellen Page discussing the rights of someone ‘coming out’
how are gay people represented in the magazine?
Stereotypes of camp and effeminate men are both conformed to and subverted from in the magazine
what are intersectional issues and how do they relate to attitude?
- attitude are mindful of intersectional issues (areas where one aspect of representation merges with another eg: sexuality crosses with another ‘minority issue’ such as race) with regards to LGBTQ+ representation
- attitude has an egalitarian approach (that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities) sexual identity and gender representation
how do attitude make sure the are inclusive in regards to intersectional issues?
- African American trans-woman Laverne Cox (star of Orange is the New Black) was a cover star for the magazine and other features have included Black gay musical artists such as MNEK
- Detailed representation of multiple sexual identities is present in the magazine. Search box examples, such as ‘non binary’, ‘queer’, ‘bisexual’, ‘lesbian’, ‘gay’, ‘pansexual’, ‘transgender’, etc. elicit a variety of in-depth and nuanced articles
representation - different lifestyles
Multiple identities and lifestyles are catered for through both the printed magazine and its online counterpart; these are vast and are meant to appeal to a broad readership tackling issues and versions of representation which encapsulate the complete ‘homosexual’ experience of life in the UK and beyond
Many articles/features pertaining to these liefstyles often reflecting on historical contexts as well as contemporary issues
what are the 6 different identities constructed in attitude?
- femininity
- fitness/masculinity/manliness
- victimization
- sexualization
- promiscuity
- disease/illness
feminine identity constructed
Playing into the stereotype of gay men being ‘camp’ and feminine. Stories and features tend to focus on the overt ‘sissie’ persona or reflect on interpretations of drag artists and transvestites.
masculine identity constructed
Subverting the feminine gay man stereotype. Stories and features tend to focus on the ‘machoman / butch’ persona or develop notions of health and fitness relating to exercise and gym attendance.
victimization
the media presents gay people in the role of a victim, evoking sympathy from the audience and / or portraying them as an outcast (changing of times / laws / opinion). Focusing on homosexuality historically or contextuality / internationally as untold, ”illegal”, ignored, unaccepted – a change for a modern audience / age range. Stories and features tend to focus on the persecution of gay men throughout history
sexualization
Corresponding to the ‘gay gaze’ in relation to photoshoots and imagery often pertaining to scantily clad young men typified by the ‘Boys’ gallery online
promiscuity
Discussing / being critical of phone apps aimed at gay people (ie: Grindr, etc and often referring to children in articles to create a moral pains amongst adults / parents)
stuart hall reception theory
Attitude often shoes gay men, who are traditionally underrepresented or misrepresented in other media products, it gives them a voice and challenges the stereotypes in many ways
However, it still perpetuates other stereotypes eg. Rannj Sing’s Indian family seeming largely unaccepting and old fashioned, young men being aggressive and homophobic in the Gok Wan article, etc Perhaps this is done to appeal to its primarily white, male, gay audience
david gauntletts identity theory
Attitude contains representations that are diverse and complex, often shows gay men, who are traditionally underrepresented or misrepresented in other media products in a manner that gives them a voice. We see a range of ethnicities and intersections represented on their site; a broad ‘snapshot’ of multiple positive representations of a nice audience
However it only really focuses on gay men, failing to represent any other LGBTQ+ communities with the same diversity, despite generating interest in equal rights
paul gilroy - post colonialism
whilst many british non-white people are represented positively eg Gok Wan, the online articles often seem to create negative portrayals of other ethnic groups / cultures
for example Ranj Sing’s Indian parents seen as homophobic, and unaccepting, other articles discussing the LGBT laws in Nigeria and Iraq are in a negative fashion suggesting they are ‘backwards’. This suggest the audience is primarily British. This reflects the cultural origins of the magazine as made in the UK.
