Attitude

Question 1

Publishers

Answer 1

Originally published by “Northern Shell” before they started financially suffering and sold attitude to Steam Publishing

• Reflects difficulty of print- publishing and magazine industry with the decline of readership in the modern world

Question 2

Owner

Answer 2

Darren Styles
- Current managing publisher
- A gay man who bought Attitude as he felt that offering niche LGBTQ magazines was important due to their rarity

Having a gay man as the owner allowed the content to be more suited towards the true wants of their community and not primarily soft porn

Question 3

Attitude websites (globally)

Answer 3

• Other global print editions for Attitude eg. Thai, Belgian. Vietnam versions
  -Reflects Hesmomdhalghs ideas about minimising dish by creating global editions
• Already successful format replicated

Question 4

Digital convergence

Answer 4

• Targets a modern audience who are spending more time on technology
• Stream uses variety of digital platforms to distribute Attitudes digital versions
• Digiral copies sell over 11,000 a month

Question 5

Social Media

Answer 5

• Website attracts roughly 1.7 million users monthly
• 1.2 + million followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube

Question 6

Website profits

Answer 6

• Websites allow the opportunity to sell banner adverts, sidebar adverts, competitions, promos, advertoriala
• Increases their revenue

Question 7

Product context

Answer 7

British Gay lifestyle magazine
- Trusted brand with a high social media presence

Question 8

Gok Wan article

Answer 8

• Depiction on the realistic abuse experienced by the TV fashion host
• Audience positioned siding with Gok Wan, without justification from the ‘lads”
• Photogralhs of Gok Wan as happy further reinforce the idea of him being unphased/ innocent
  -Condemnation and mockery of the attackers
• Although Gok Wan has been a victim to this abuse and ‘hate crime’, he does not fall into the sptypical stereotypes of a victimised gay man and instead stands strongly condemning the “dickheads”

Question 9

‘Real Bodies’ article and segment

Answer 9

“I’ve posted naked photos before, but I’m the one under a towel on the beach”

• reads stereotypes of what the ideal man should look like by portraying a vast amount of of men in their underwear with nothing to hide
• An honest and revealing tone rather than the intention of sexualisation/ objectification for the male gaze
• overall sends a positive message about body image by portraying every body (even readers)

Gerbner

Question 10

target audience

Answer 10

• gay men within their 25-55
• ABC1 + affluent audience
• La k of children and higher earning

Question 11

Appeal of this magazine in digital format

Answer 11

• More discreet, allows you to read anywhere
• Instant gratification in having content first
• Any size, not constrained to print pages (unlimited word count)
• You can go through a rabbit hole of other pages and ‘breadcrumb’ into other profiles through hyperlinks

Question 12

25th anniversary rebrand

Answer 12

• The Simpsons crossover
• “Hello Smithers, you’re quite good at turning me on”
• intertextual reference of the Lady and the Tramp
• two older men, reflecting their target audience
  Not sexualised however sexual connotations, rebranding yet simply evolving

Recognisable image, branding and people potentially highlight how they are moving away from their stereotypical portrayal of men and more towards a realistic approach

Question 13

“Glam Squad” segment

Answer 13

“The Plastic Boy shares his top glam tips”

• Changing representation of masculinity
• Targets those wishing to appear more feminine, drag queens or transitioning women
• Portrays makeup as an art form whilst also enhancing their features
• Conflicting messages between the gay community of embracing who your natural self is and enhancing your features with makeup

Gerbner

Question 14

Homepage analysis

Answer 14

• High image to text ratio, adopting tabloid format
• Teaser headlines, use of hyperbole
• Short paragraphing, to maintain focus
• High lexis, formal and complicated reflect the educated audience
• Heavy use of social media - to target the gay community
• Can create a sense of escapism as everyone online is like you

Question 15

Historical representations

Answer 15

• reductive, tokenistic and stereotypical, often being presented as effeminate and flamboyant (not masculine enough, emotional)
• ‘othering’ of gay men supported traditional forms oof masculinity and cultivated the hegemony of binary cisgendered heteronormative gender

Question 16

Kodo Nishimura article, “The monk who wears heels”

Answer 16

“gender gifted”
“my soul, I font think it has a gender”

• Binary opposition between modern and trad values
• Binary opposition between feminine and masculine presenting (typically taboo)
• Visual code of primary image highlights the symmetry connoting a clear binary between male and female
• subverts Judith Butler, gender performativity

Question 17

Steelers rugby

Answer 17

“Gay rugby players head to the locker toom for MEAT zine”
“Steelers strip off to talk body image”

• traditionally hyper-masculine portrayal of gender, conveyed through man spreading gesture codes and the serious direct mode of address
• subverts gender stereotypes of gay men
  Gender performativity

Bears gay stereotype?

• Highlights a range of diversity in height, race and weight)

Question 18

How are the audience appealed?

Answer 18

• High diversity of topics and people
• LGBTQ+ topics are appealing as a part of that community
• Style of magazine represents a wide range of people (the audience feels represented)
• Positive information
• Advertising is hyper specific to them
• Creates a sense of community, personal stories
• Entertainment
• Offers products for audiences to construct their identities through
• Informs audiences (different subcultures within the gay community eg. drag queens)

Uses and Grats

Question 19

Instagram and comments

Answer 19

• Audiences can respond back to the articles through comments
  Post: “Church of England votes in favour of blessing same sex couples”
  Comments: “No thanks babes you’d be blessed to have us in my opinion”
  “Religion is a chosen belief, sexuality is nature”

Question 20

Attitude as hyperreal

Answer 20

• Audiences may struggle to separate reality from fantasy
• Edited images are undetectable to most eyes (imperfections edited out)
• Mediated stories to sell a specific product or a biased story

Question 21

Economic imperative

Answer 21

• Attitude publishers have a demand to satisfy needs of audience and advertisers
• Audience may have diverse interests, sexuality unites community
• Unifying a desperate group serves the demands of advertisers but undermines the diversity of the audience