Huck - Beyond Binary analysis

Question 1

BEYOND BINARY - Positioning of headline, standfirst, pull quotes/sidebars, columns, images

Answer 1

• The headline is at the top of the page - traditional layout of a magazine.
• It is unusual to have the name of a person as a headline. Makes Huck magazine unique and reflects how these people are different to those of society. Isn’t discussing non binary people as a mass, but instead focusing on individual experiences showing that this isn’t a one time thing, and these people are one of us, who have emotions and feelings too
• The pull quote is positioned at the top which shows the importance of it because this summarises the ideologies of the article e.g. how these people are unconventional. (Pull quote = ‘nothing about me is weird, society makes me weird’
• The fact that the image is taking up a whole page on the right shows the importance of them in that they are not afraid to show they are different to conventions in society.
• Contemporary design of having a headline then pull quote, article and then image on a separate page matches the simplistic and modern layout of the rest of the magazine.
• This is possibly because they want the full emphasis to be on the article and their values as a magazine.

Question 2

BEYOND BINARY - Font size, type, colour etc.

Answer 2

Headline is in black bold modern font positioned at the top of the magazine article, made to stand out against the background like these people are standing out against the world showing their own views of being different. This shows that these two people are not afraid to be different from other people and want to make a point about how you can be what you want without hate or judgement. Contrasts against the font used in the title of the magazine, magazine font is curvy and is made to look old whereas the font style used in both the Jacob Tobia and Arabia Felix articles is blocky and made to look modern , could mean that the contrast is that these two icons are not afraid to be different from traditional modern society. All colours in the article are muted and mainly black fonts. Huck magazine do this to make the article look basic but the detail is actually in the article itself, focusses the audience’s attention on the article rather than the detail around it. Pull quote is highlighted in pink, also being made to stand out and gain the audience’s attention, contrasts to the same colour as what they are both wearing, For example, Jacob Tobia’ quote is written in pink as he is wearing pink lipstick and pink earrings.

Question 3

BEYOND BINARY - Images/photographs (shot type, angle, focus)

Answer 3

Both the Jacob Tobia and the Arabia felix articles contain a whole page image of the people’s the article is about. Both of these images are close up shots taken from an eye level angle. In both images they are taken against a blank background and it is blurred this is done to makes the focal point of the image stand out on the page making them the statement in the image which then anchors the person to the text on the page and shows the artist that this is what the article is about.. By using a close up shot in both images shows the emotion conveyed on their faces this gives the audience a sense of personality and makes the audience connect with the article as they can associate the person with the words that are being said. Both of these articles are about identity so it’s important that the large images shows what the person in the article is about. Also the use of close up allows the audience to see the elements of the image for example the beard juxtaposed with the pink lipstick that you would not perhaps be able to see if the image was taken from further away. The use of the eye level angle allows the readers to associate with the people in the article and could be used to show equality for the people in the magazine and the readers of the magazine. If the shots were to be taken from a higher or lower angle it could connote a different meaning so by taken it from eye level it would as the audience would see him in person.

Question 4

BEYOND BINARY - Mise-en-scene - colour, lighting, location, costume/dress as appropriate

Answer 4

• Jacob is wearing things that would be seen as typically feminine but also have elements that are typically masculine. For example, he is wearing makeup but has a beard and wearing jewelry. This is an non stereotypical representation of gender and gender fluidity. Jacob is looking into the camera, showing that he isn’t afraid/ ashamed of who he is.
• The colours within the pictures reflect the pages. Jacob’s lipstick is pink and so is the text box, and Arabia’s top is yellow and so is the box (which contains the pull quote). Both pages have a similar layout, which could represent that they are equal in their own ways.
• The lighting isolates both Jacob and Arabia, which could demonstrate that they are not afraid to be different from society and the dominant ideologies of how men and women should be perceived.
• Jacob is in an ordinary, urban location outside, just like everyone else would be, not hiding who they are despite not being typically mainstream.
• As there is no gay community in Kuwait, the fact that they are isolated with a black background, may reflect that they are isolated in that community and that gay people and people that conflict with western ideologies are alone and there is a lack of acceptance.
• This demonstrates the contrast in societies in which both are living in, Jacob is able to go out and express himself publicly, whereas Arabia Felix doesn’t have that opportunity aside from online.
• Jacob’s oppression is a lot different to Arabia’s (Bell Hooks), as it links to the social and historical contexts of where they are living. (not sure)
• As they are not a white male, they are subject to oppression and discrimination.

Question 5

BEYOND BINARY - Anchorage of images and text

Answer 5

Pull quotes, as well as the heading “gender looks boring in pink and blue. These people push beyond the binary” secures the audience into receiving the preferred reading. It helps ensure that the audience go into the article ready to get the preferred reading that these people making a stand for themselves is the right thing to do. If a mainstream audience were to look at the images alone, they would consider it to be out of the norm. However, the audience of Huck would respond, with more respect and potentially relatability to the focus of the article.

Pull quote, ‘nothing about me is weird, society makes me weird’ and the heading ‘Gender looks boring in just pink and blue. These people push beyond the binary’. They go together with the image because the image of the man is something that a mainstream audience would consider out of the norm whereas the target audience of Huck magazine will accept this lifestyle because they are more accepting and may relate to the stories and characters which backs up the pull quote. The heading is telling the readers that the person does not believe in just two genders but as many as there may be

Question 6

BEYOND BINARY - Mode of address (direct/indirect; formal/informal)

Answer 6

The use of ‘these people push beyond the binary’, assume that the audience already have a broad knowledge of issue to be discussed in the article. In the introduction ‘genderqueer’ assumes that the audience understand these terms and have a broad and accepting view of gender identity issues. Apart from the introductions, the rest of the article is written in first person, which means the audience can get direct view of Jacob and Arabia’s experiences. Whereas if it had been written in third person, the audience may feel disconnected as it has been heavily mediated by a journalist. It is also rather personal in places, especially in Arabia Felix, where he is extremely open about his feelings, perhaps because of the oppression he faces in the society he lives in, further adding to the direct impact felt by the audience.

Question 7

BEYOND BINARY - Specific devices e.g. emotive language, rhetorical questions, hyperbole, use of fact/statistics

Answer 7

The article is mostly made up of quotes from the specific person being focused on in each section, making the stories more powerful and personal. It’s more of a personal account of the people’s experiences from the inside rather than from the third person journalist. No use of statistics, making it more defined and personal rather than being full of facts and statistics to show numbers of LGBT related issues.. Focuses more on the use of emotive language to tell the story. This format could make the reader feel more invested and makes the individuals focused on feel more real and not just the subjects of an article.

Words that fall under the category of ‘gender identity’ are used throughout the article; LGBT Community, homosexual, gender, drag.

Question 8

BEYOND BINARY - Narrative established

Answer 8

Auto biographical account based around his story and the struggles he has faced throughout his life. He grew up in a conservative area in the south where men were discouraged to be different and stand out with feminine traits. He claims that it is unnatural to him to adopt feminine traits and thus decides to change this in college and start to express himself. He talks about how gender isn’t two options and doesn’t ‘reduced to a single blue or pinky nursery’, the objective of this part of the text shows that society has constructed this view of ‘male and female’ and it’s wrong and pushes people to identify as one or the other, he argues that it is a spectrum. He also talks about how you should be attracted to energy not a gender and not to have the identities of mrs, ms, mr. He later compares himself to Caitlyn Jenner and ‘looking like a man in a dress’ which he believed people missed the core issue, He finishes off with a statistic that ‘41 percent of us committed suicide at some point in their lives in the US’ which highlights the sense of community. And also that he doesn’t want people to see them as brave to be different but wants it to be considered normal.

The narrative in the second section of the article is the experiences that he had growing up in an area in which drag is not fully accepted. He talks about how he has to be political to stand up for his rights to do drag. He also talks about how his religion from a young age pushed the ideals that what he was doing is wrong and anything related to LGBT is sick which later on in life he was able to question and come to a more informed decision.