Applying Masculinity

Hunger Games;

Peeta;                     Complicit, shy characteristics

Gale;                       Hegemonic, strong, confidant 

Haymitch;              Subordinate, physically weak, expresses emotion 

Cinna;                    Marginalised, quite feminine, black - would otherwise be hegemonic 

Finnick;                  Hegemonic -  white, muscly, strong, flirt 

President Snow;    Hegemonic due to power, but subordinate due to weakness 

Genre

iconography; particular signs that we associate with genres - physical attributes, costume , settings and props

sub genre; small category within a general genre e.g with music rock can be split down into punk rock.

Rick Altman
- Argues that there is no such thing as a 'pure' genre anymore, genre is progressive in that it will always change.
- he says that genre is surviving due to hybridisation - or genres borrowing conventions from one another and thus being much more difficult to categorise.

example; shaun of the dead -  comedy, horror, war, action, romanic, zombie (sub genre)

John Fiske;
- genre attempts to structure some order into a wide range of texts and meanings that circulate in our culture for the conveniences of both producers and audiences

•   "Attempts to structure some"Attempts to structure some order into the wide range of texts and meanings that circulate in our culture for the convenience of both producers and audience"

•   A way of categorising texts in our media - saturated culture

•   Prepares audiences expectations

•   Culturally dependent - different cultural groups construct different expectations

Constructed through a series of signs (visual/aural) associated with that genre or through use of generic narratives and ideologies

Chandler and genre theory

Daniel chandler; conventional definitions of genres tend to be based on the notion that they constitute particular conventions of content (e.g themes and settings / structure and style)
for example; fantasy - usually set somewhere made up
- narrative
-characters - actors (usually associated with a particular genre)
-iconography
-filming techniques


Neale and Genre Theory
- steve neale declares that ' genres are instances of repetition and difference (1980)

Buckingham and genre theory
argues that 'genre is not simply 'given' by the culture: rather it is in a constant process of negotiation.

Goodwin 
8 main principles;
1. links between lyrics and visuals , narrative based music videos which may be fragmented of linear (most comment is fragmented) (e.g Biblical - Biffy Clyro)
2. links between music and visuals ( complimentary , contradicting or amplification)
3. genre characteristics
4. intertextual reference
5. notions of looking (objectification of women) - linked to Mulvey & male gaze
6. voyerism (direct gaze, other people looking at artist, insight into artists life, screens and mirrors)
7. demands of the record label ( representations of the artist) e.g miley cyrus
8. performance based, narrative based or concept based music videos

Christian Metz
4 phases of existence;
1. experimental
2. classic
3. parody
4. deconstruction

Deborah Knight
'satisfaction is guaranteed with genre; the deferral of the inevitable provides the additional pleasure of prolonged anticipation - 1994
- although you know what is going to happen in a particular genre you still watch it anyway

Applying Theory To My Work

Personal Relationships; the audience may have formed a relationship with the singer within the music video so may watch it because they relate to the audience.

Preferred Reading; the main character within the music is a strong individual

Popular music is often a focus of social concern.

Dick Hebdige 1979
argued that the bricolage of each new style , such as 'punk' or 'garage' music subvurts the cultural norm and so creates a new representation of a group out of control. e.g the music if Elvis Presley as regarded as 'black' music and not suitable for 'white' audiences and his act was too 'ranchy' to be seen on television so they only showed him from the waist upwards

Audience Theory Part 2

Media texts which you engage with?

- Diversion; books, films, Tv
- Personal Identity; films
- Personal Relationships; TV

Class survey; most people use media texts for diversion, as a form of escapism

Reception Theory: Stuart Hall (70's)
- texts are encoded with meaning
- different audiences respond in different ways (decode)
- bother encode and decoded meaning will be understood in the context of social and cultural - background of the producer and audience.

dominant/ preferred reading - what the director/ producer intended the meaning of the product to be
negotiated - audience partly agrees with the preferred reading
oppositional - audience disagree completely

EXAMPLE : 'Royle family'
negotiated - placing bets on antiques road show, watching it for a different intended meaning of the show but bringing the family together.
personal relationships - the grandmother likes to watch it for the presenter

theories are outdated.

Morley's Nationwide Study
- Morley & Brundson 1978
- about a tv show form the 70's
- different responses to the tv show nationwide
- audiences brought a complex set of knowledge and experiences to text thet were consuming
- this experience and other factors is an important part in the way in which audiences 'consume' , 'understand' and 'create meaning'

Ang's Dallas Study (1985)
- dallas was a a 'mass culture' - everyone was talking about it
- she found three categories:
-the ideology of mass culture , for example the walking dead
- the ironic or 'detatched' position , watching t because it was bad but want to see what people are talking about
-  the ideology of popularism; got pleasure from watching it

Dyer (1977) Utopian Solutions
- entertainment genres fantasy element created with a text, as a form of escapism e.g westerns and musicals

'effects' debate and moral panics 
-Tales from the crypt ( was a series of stories then made into TV)
-1955 children and young persons (harmful publications act)
-panics in general can be related back to the 18th century e.g through folk tales

Moral Panics
Cohen - Folk Devil and Moral Panics (1972)
- a mass response to a group, a person or an attitude that becomes defined as a thread
- spread by the media , e.g dangerous dogs, 'staffies' now feared.

Audience Positioning
media 'address' the audience - mode of address
position; 'privileged' i.e sope opera

Gender Preferences;
Gray ( 1992 )
video playtime: the gendering of leisure Technology
Anne Geraghty (1991) 
women prefer to watch an open e.g soap opera

Mens Health: Case Study

Typical Characteristics:

- layout creates a a strong brand identity

- emphasis on loosing weight quickly / enjoyably / effortlessly 

- regular ' what women want' sell line ( or is it how to get her to give you what you want? )

- banner strap-line dedicated to role models

- advice about beating your rage

- tips about muscle foods

- 'warning' sell lines which (possibly) provoke anxiety about the future: winter/ your holiday

similarities in the magazines;
conquering/ fighting something
dealing with stress
role model 'banner sell'
easy weight loss
dangerous food
giving sexual satisfaction
anexiety- promoting sell line
masculine words e.g lean, strong

The representation of masculinity on the front cover is the embodiment of the desires/ aspirations/goals conveyed by the sell lines. his gaze directly looking at the reading in an act of interpellation (getting the attention of).

• Mens health is famously made the male torso and particularly the six pac the defining feature of masculinity.
• this representation sees being a man in terms of traditional values associated with masculinity; e.g power. Use of fighting words (in relation to fat) and dodging things like flu
• references to hangovers, sex, pizza, beer bellies, and rage reinforce this tradition version of masculinities. A lot of sport, traditionally football ( but broader now ) establishes this picture of manhood and is often mediated by role models e.g David Beckham.  
• Exotic cars, money and images of beautiful women also fit into this representation
• BUT is mens health a 'lads mag'? dressed up to look like something else because of its readership  and without naked women on the front?
• MH claims to be about 'total body fitness' , meaning mind as well as body; e.g headers that refer to mental health, articles that instuct readers on building wealth/ getting rich strategies, inform readers about 'male grooming'.

David Gauntlett;

Argues against the notion of mens lifestyle magazines representing a re-assertion of old fashioned masculine values, or a backlash against feminism e.g 'lad culture' against feminism. 

Overview; 

- supports the idea that identities are fluid and found magazines offer readers an opportunity to 'pick' and 'mix' from the magazines advice. 

- media messages in the form of role models e.g David Beckham. directing men in constructing identities and lifestyles

- identities are fluid, and personal change is both possible and necessary too.

mens magazines & modern male identities
Considers the idea of manhood conveyed by mens lifestyle magazines, and whether these magazines are:
- simply mainstream vehicles for old fashioned attitudes
- soft porn pleasures
- offering new models of male identity to modern men

Gauntlett on mens health;
- across all means lifestyles magazines he studied, it is the only one which regularly features semi-naked men, instead of semi- naked girls on the cover
- the one which most closely parallels women lifestyle magazines

Similarities include;
- emphasis on the body and appearance e.g fitness, diets, weight loss
- psychological strand including advice on positive thinking, improving self- esteem, and using mental techniques for success
- how to keep passion alive in a relationship and sex advice

Gautlett's sumative overview of mens health;
- mens health is largely though of as an informative health and fitness magazine for men, but actually provides a clever 'masculine'  packaging of everything women's magazines are meant to be about e.g looks, sex, diet, relationships
- as we know the mens health ideal mean after reading should be; supremely fit, good in bed, knowledgeable but above all is everybody's 'ideal'. makes an assumption the every woman would be impressed by these traits

context of study;
- acknowledges the growth of mens magazines as a cultural phenomenon worthy of serious consideration with regards to telling us something about men and masculinity today (remember importance of acknowledging past, present and future) e.g race is a thing of the present, as some races have become more 'socially acceptable'.
- Future - more cultural acceptance in tv e.g peter dinklage (game of thrones) is a dwarf but has featured on the cover of other magazines e.g rolling stone.

- suggest men's magazines show men to insecure and confused in the modern word and seek help and reassurance.

Mode of address;
- 'laddish' tone used as a defensive shield: writers will anticipate that many may reject serious articles on relationships, advice on sex, health and cooking, and so they present their pieces with humour, irony and 'ladishness'
- 'before FHM, conventional wisdom had it that women read magazines form a introspective (reflective reading) point of view, seeking help and advice for, and about themselves. Men on the other hand, read magazines about things like sport, travel, science, business and cars. but FHM  realised that men will red magazines about themselves if you give them the information in the right context; irreverent, humorous,, and never taking its self too seriously. the articles in FHM, although they are highly informative, are written in a tongue in cheek the fashion is accessible, the advice  is humorous and empathetic'
- objectification of women on the front cover, aimed to 'lure' in men. being 'laddish' in the sense of physically attractive women on the front of the cover.

Research on Users;

- focus group interviews confirm men like to feel they are flicking through the magazines and not taking themselves too seriously, citing themselves as different to women, who they believe, take the magazine advice seriously. Men preferred to suggest they take the magazines lightly and with little commitment.
- men may be likely not to take it seriously as they might not want to admit to themselves that they need this help , e.g sex advice.
- may be more willing to admit that they read mens health as it applies more to the actual individual as a health adviser.

Mode of address and uses;

- Gauntlett suggests that the use of the , humour, irony and laddishness is perhaps a requirement - men's magazine could leave out the coverage of sex advice and relationships but don't, so it could be concluded that users do want articles on these things but do not want others to think they do and don't want to think themselves that they want them.
- for example, sex advice, it might be something that they want advice on but they wouldn't come out openly and ask for it. probably more likely to bring it up i a more humorous/ laddish tone, providing a protective barrier for themselves so they can get this advice.
- todays magazines for men are all about the social construction of masculinity that is, if you like the subject matter, in the past men didn't need lifestyle magazines because it was obvious what a 'man' was (e.g business, cars, sport) and what a man should do (e.g builder, miner, labourer). it is only in the modern day, that we are more aware of the man choices available and are also of the feminist critique of tradtioal masculinity, the fact that gender roles can and do change, that men have started to need magazines about how to be a man today.
- With this in mind, Mens Health and others emphasise the need to choose the lifestyle and construct themselves.
- Gauntlett suggests that nothing is fixed, and mens health recognises that the readers may use the text to recognise that readers may use the text to help them answer the question  'what can i do/ be next?'

Summative findings;

- men insecurely trying to find their place in the world and seeking help on how to behave and relationships
-they can reassure yet at the seem time cause anxiety (particularly regarding ideals.)
- most importantly that identities are not given but are constructed and negotiated

Mens Health role models are constructed to be:
- muscular
- ambitious
- reflective and self aware
- appear down to earth
- be admired by other men
- have a soft, sensitive, very human side
- be people with natural talent who have worked hard to get to where they are
- fulfil many roles (actor, footballer, comedian, intelligent)
- have heroes themselves

Masculinity

Case Studies:

TV - Mad men
Magazine - Mens Health

Theory:

R.W.Connell - masculinities
David Gauntlet - Med's Magazines and Modern Male identities 2002

Hegemonic masculinity

• Traditional Masculinity:

- strong
- working man
- unemotional

Genres:
- action/crime
- comedy
-western, war

• Traditional Femininity

- image conscious
- sex object
- patriarch (mother figure)

Genres
- drama/melodrama
- romantic/rom-com
-musical

• R.W Connel

-suggests that there are 4 types of masculinities, these four types are present in our society. e.g when boys are growing up they are told what a 'man' should be

• Hegemonic (traditional)

- dominant form of masculinity in our society
- culturally valued the most
- qualities include: heterosexuality, whiteness, physical strength, suppression of emotions

• Complicit

- a man who doesn't fit into the hegemonic traits, but doesn't challenge it
- often admires the characteristics of hegemonic masculinity

• Marginalised

- cannot fit into the hegemonic because of certain characteristics , e.g race.
- still subscribe to norms of hegemonic masculinity like physical strength and aggression
- men of colour or disability

• Subordinate

- exhibit qualities that are the opposite of those values in hegemonic masculinity, e.g physical weakness, express emotion
-gay or effeminate men

different types of gender;
'femininities' and 'masculinities' describe gender identities. they describe socio-cultural categories in everyday language; these terms are used differently in biology. Because femininities and masculinities are gender identities, they are shaped by socio-cultural processes, not biology. Femininities and masculinities are plural and dynamic; they change with culture and individuals. 

Gender; 
- In everyday language, femininity's and masculinities do not map onto biological sex. in any one cultures certain behaviours or practices may be highly recognised as 'feminine' or 'masculine' irrespective of whether they are adopted by women or men. the actual acts themselves, e.g job roles, are associated with a certain sexual orientation.
- Femininities and masculinities are plural- there are many forms of each. what is defined as feminine or masculine varies from region , class , national culture and other social factors. how masculinities and femininities are valued differs culturally. 
- Any one person - women or man- engages in many forms of femininity and masculinity which she or her adopts (consciously or unconsciously) depending on context, the expectations of others, life stage, and so forth. a man can engage in what are often stereotyped as feminine activities, such as caring for a sick parent. for example;
Mam: Cover Manager ( office) would be considered feminine
Dad: Ex Welder , now lecturer of Welding and Fabrication - would be considered masculine 
- Cultural notions of 'feminine' and 'masculine' behaviour are shaped in part by observations about what men and women do. this kind of 'gender marking' tends to discourage women or men from entering 'gender-inauthentic' occupations  
- Femininities and masculinities are learned. messages about 'feminine' and 'masculine' behaviours are embedded in advertising, media, news, educational materials and so forth. these messages are present in a range of environments, from the home to the workplace to public spaces. 

Richard Dyer's Utopian Solution

• The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself
•  “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959) 

It assumes that members of the audience are not passive;

• The audience has an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives.
• The theory is an audience-centered approach.
•  E.g. By seeking out media, a person fulfils a need to be informed. 

Dyer expresses the Utopian theory as gratification that allows escapism from people’s real lives.
 He sees reality as full of negatives and un-fulfilment whilst the ‘mediated ‘ world represents a hopeful in which to escape. 

U & G: Denis McQuail (1987)

U & G: Denis McQuail (1987)

Information: finding out about the world;seeking advice; satisfying curiosity; educaiton; gaining security through knowledge

Personal Identity: reinforcement of personal values; models of behaviour; identifyingwith valued other; gaining insight into oneself

Integration and Social Interaction: gaining insigtht into circumstances with others; indentidying with others; basis for conversation with others; basis for conversaiton with others; substitute for real life companionship; helping to carry out social roles; enabling connection with family friends and society

Entertainment; escapism; diversio; relaxation; cultural or aesthetic enjoyment; filling time; emotional release; sexual arousal 

Audience Theory

Key Theorists;
- Katz & Blumler - used and gratifications
- Morley
- Hall
- Ang
- Katz & Lazersfeld


Key Terminology;
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Media
Passive - audience will not question what they are told
Active - they wont always agree with what they are told
Mass Media - the media in general
Utopian Solution - gratification that allows people to escape from their lives
Situation Culture - small scale combinations we are exposed too in everyday life
Encode and Decode - transmitting a message and having someone else decode it

'we must get away from the habit of thinking in terms of what the media do to people and subsitute for it what people do with the media' Halloran 1970

What effect does the media have on audiences?

• Positive; escapism, influences/ views/ opinions / behaviour
• Negative; influences views / opinions / behaviour e.g copying from films/ video games, objectify women, creates stereotypes, you see what they want to show you, filtered/ gatekeeping, personal identity e.g models are skinny, 'mortal panic' e.g media blame video games for violent behaviour leading to the parent panicking and not allowing their child to have the game. 

How do audiences effect the media?

• Positive; fashion e.g society influence, indigo campaigns, like-ability ( media finding out what people are talking about and what they think about it), opinions on what should be included in the media e.g magazines. 
• Negative; social networking, reports in the media may use stereotypes.

Hypodermic Syringe Model

- Developed in the 1930s

- All the audience members react in the same way 

- They all passively receive messages

- The media effects thoughts and behaviour 

Cultivation Analysis

- How we become desensitised to things we see in the media 

e.g seeing someone being killed you wouldn't react as heavily 

Situated Culture - there are many other factors that affect our interpretation of texts e.g upbringing (e.g religion), friends, relationships (e.g a media text may make you doubt your relationship, like romantic films) 

Cultural Apparatus -  a dominating institution such as as the government uses culture to impose values, definitions, opinions etc on the general public. for example benefits. 

Primary Media

- where we pay close attention to the media text in front of us, reading a magazine, cinema. 

Secondary Media

- where the media text is in the background not really watching TC or music based radio

Tertiary Media

- things you aren't giving your full attention too e.g billboards or adverts on busses/ bus stops. 

Active Audience 

- you are not always going to agree with what the media is saying 

- two step model ( Katz & Lazarfeld; 1940s)

- audience often receive the medias message through 'opinion leaders' ( someone you respect, for example an actor/ artist / director

Uses and Gratifications

- Blumler and Katz 70s

- suggest that the audience uses the media to fulfil needs and motivations:

- Diversion; e.g use for entertainment, something to do; book, tv 

- Person relationships and social interaction; audiences become involved with the social lives of people presented in media texts through interviews/gossips

audience cane observe a range of relationships with others and can learn empathy 

- Personal identity; audiences can identify with characters represented in the media

audience can make comparisons between characers and their own behaviour e.g video games, characters that resemble you 

- Surveillance; the media provieds information, education, helping the audience to stay informed and know whats happening in the world e.g news

Class Theorist Research:

Dyer - utopian solution
Hall - encode and decode
Effect Theory - protection of young
Bandurg -Boo Boo Doll experiment
Morley - Nationwide sutduy of entertainment value
Ang - Reception theory different social and cultural gaps 

Representations in the Media

Representation:
-Representation is not a replication of reality, it is an interpretations o reality.
-A media representation says something about its subject
-Media images are often: constructed, re-presented
-We trust the media to report 'the facts', complicated by agenda (plan), gate-keepers control what we learn about, owners can also control what messages are sent out
- it can be: stereotype, negative or inaccurate, this is reinforced by the media and accepted by people
- e.g blurred lines video : women are objectified and talked about in a sexual manner with the use of language
-men are seen as dominant, such as in adverts sexualising violence against women

Stereotyping:
- derogatory term, denoting ideas / assumptions about particular groups, usually negative to divide/separate groups
-e.g Jeremy Kyle - the people who go on the show are stereotyped by the audience

Racism:
-what insists on creating divisions, a way of asserting dominance
e.g the slave trade
-xenophobia - intense/ irritation dislike/ fear of people from other countries
-medias portrayal of 'chavs' and people on benefits are often negative due to the medias influence

Limitations of Representations:
- the media have a limited time on air so they may rely on stereotypes in order to shorten down the message that they are trying to put across to the audience, therefor producing representations of certain people.   
- how we treat people depends on how society treats them, as most people follow the general view of society and what they deem acceptable.

Theorists:


Laughey (2009) -  ' construction of reality through language'
Branston & Stafford -  argue that media images never simply present words directly, link to images/how people look
Foucaults - noted the link between power and language
Storey (2012) -  there is only 1 race : the human race. ( Example: Image showing a black woman protecting a white man who was thought to be racist from getting beat up)
Richard Dyer's 'white' - argues that white people aren't necessarily white (symbolically or literally) nor are they pure
Edward Said & Orientalism (85) - western discourse has constructed a 'knowledge' of the east, playing on stereotype and fears to assert a hegemonic control over the east (e.g images we have in our heads of places in the east such as india people may think of slums)

Marxism Theory

-Karl Marx - Naomi Klein and media representations and the rise of brands
- suggested in the 19th century
- implies that you don't always have to see the product to buy into the product.
-e.g Beyonce advert for 02 priority.

Key Words:
-Advertising
-Enigma
-Mirleading
-Prestige
-idiology
-Hegemony

Postmodernism

Definition and theorists

-New texts taking the mick out of old texts, for exmaple scary movie

-Late 20th century style, criticising modernism and its theories

-Jean-Francois Lyotard 1979

key words:
-Fragmented Narrative (momento)
-Self Reflection
-Parody + Postche (spoof)
-Blend of genres
-Intexuality ( e.g family guy)

Feminist Theory

' They majority of work focuses on how different media texts have different meanings according to the sex of  the producer or audience'

There are three types of feminist groups(:

1. marxist: men are aloud to dominate women because we live in a capitalist society
2. radical: men are the most important/ most significance/power over women
3. liberal: male think that they CAN have power over women.

Laura Mulvey + Freudian Psychoanalysis
women have two functions: an erotic object for the characters within the story abd as erotic objects for the spectator
oedipal: fear of men having power over men

First Wave: 19th Century
-mainly about trying to get the vote

Second wave: 60/70s
-the right for equal pay - socialists/ feminists
-socialist feminist

Third wave: 90s
-women wanted to be appreciated for being different, battling for equality.

Post feminism 
- distance

Post Modern Feminism
- unique

Queer Theory 
- sexuality isn't rigid, it can be redefined

David Gauntlet : 4.58