1. How does your media
product represent particular
social groups?
Charlie Harris
2. Colour- representation of youths
• I selected the colour scheme to be gender neutral (red, green,
purple, yellow and white), but still bright and colourful. The
bright colours help to target a younger demographic (15-25
year olds) where as the gender neutral colours keep the
magazine attractive to both the genders.
• Purple has connotations of wealth and power which goes
against the connotations of being a youth (poor and a
criminal). This reflects the target demographic positively and
attracts them as; a magazine aimed at them, reflecting in
them in a positive way, will provide a sense of self esteem and
self assurance (Harlow's hierarchy of needs)
3. Pictures- representation of women (positive)
• The girl on the contents page is not dressed provocatively, this
is a positive representation of woman as, normally in media,
women get represented to be provocative. By dressing the
model in a way to show minimal flesh and show closed off
body language, its causing creating an identity for women to
confide in. This goes agents the theorist Paul Messaris who
said “female models are addressed to women… appear to
imply a male point of view”
4. Pictures- representation of women (negative)
• Barthes 1972 said “woman are desexualised the moment she is
stripped naked” therefore by leaving the model fully covered up,
there is still a lot of sexual tension as it’s left to the male readers
imagination as to how provocative the image could be.
5. The models
• When choosing the model, I went for a younger models (aged in the late teens). This is
because where rock magazines are aimed between 20-30 year olds, mine is aimed at 15-
25 year olds. I did this because there is a gap in the market for a rock magazine aimed at
teens.
• The models doesn't have and over powering masculine qualities. This has the benefit of
not scaring of under defend (pre-pubic) teens and women. The magazine has been also
aimed at women to fill the gap in the market. Because the magazine will fill in a gap in
the market, it should get more sales and be more likely to get advertisers and have
advertorials.
• This is developing rock conventions as the rock magazine I looked at use pictures
stereotypical men. I felt this was an outdated stereotype of a rock star as now with
technology, anyone can make music and be a rock star, so I wanted to update the
stereotype and represent the “new rock star”
6. The models continued
• Strauss 1985 said that “all representations have ideologies behind them”, the way the
model is represents the rock genre is conveying the new ideology behind making music
and the “technical revolution” in the production, mixed with the belief that anyone can
be a rock star.
• Maffesoli 1985 came up with the idea of the “urban tribe” showing how members of
groups have similar tendencies. This is why when I created my magazine thinking about
music creators and the new image of rock stars, I could show only a few members of the
tribe, knowing it will represent the majority of the tribe.
