GQ - Language & Representation blog tasks

 Language: Media fact sheet

1) Three different magazine genres that the article highlights are “general interests”, “special interests” and “professional”.

2) GQ suggests that their target audience falls onto gender, specifically the male gender due to its stereotypical masculine conventions like using footballer Marcus Rashford. Football is traditionally seen to be a masculine sport that wouldn't appeal to women which implies that the magazine had been created for a male viewing. 

3) Cover stars are people of high fame and interest of audiences put onto a front cover in order to drag audiences attention fast and quick into the actual magazine. GQ implies that most cover stars sort of anchor theirselves onto the front cover to interest audiences into exploring more of the magazine. 

4) Five different conventions of a front cover: 

Masthead: publication name, at the top, in sans serif font type, price, month and year, barcode

Puffs: on the left/right side of cover to catch eye of reader, main focus on sex/fashion 

Main Cover line: not related to image, varies in size/colours/typography

Pull Quotes: invoke humour/shock, gives reader inside knowledge, creates close/ albeit illusory/relationship between reader and star

Number: suggests it could also be a quick read for busy people “20 unbeatable confidence tricks” 

5) A “house style” refers to a magazine's conventional look in relation to its writing and formatting, establishing its brand identity and helps distinguish one magazine from others. GQ’s own house style could be described as big titles whilst still being rather simplistic and minimalistic. 

Language: CSP analysis

1)  GQ’s colour schemes are usually bland and not the brightest, mainly consisting of muted and dulled down colours white whites, greys and blacks. Emphasising on the stereotypical masculinity that GQ tries to replicate. Their typography also remains consistent over its more modern magazines, for their title they use the font “gothan” whilst they switch to adelle or miller. Their pictures are usually also simplistic with minimal background and a focus on a usually close shot of the actor on the front cover.  

2) Front cover: Robert Pattinson image - Art & Fashion issue

The main cover line’s typography used to introduce Robert Pattinson is unconventional (an inky effect) for those who usually read GQ (traditionally masculine males). Usually a sans serif is used to create a sense of modernity and sleekness which contrasts to this particular cover. There is also an element of 70s punk through the image, which again is unconventional for the brand, however this could be the editors (Welch’s) attempt at making self-expression/a “new masculinity”. A narrative code of “who is Robert Pattinson?” creates an enigma code (Barthes).

Inside pages: Jonathan Bailey feature and fashion shoot

(2nd picture) - Direct adress for Bailey, he looks directly into the camera submissively, his vulnerable expression replicating Welch’s idea of “new masculinity” at GQ. The urban/common background isnt typically conventional for a masculine. (Last picture) - The image portrays Bailey in a feminine position with a loose knit which is unconventional for a typical masculine presenting male persona (referring to the magazine itself and its audience). 

3) Barthes narrative code of enigma has been created within the front cover within the anchor text of "Who Is Robert Pattinson?", making audiences already intrigued by the magazine within minimum time used to actually read it.

4) Steve Neale's genre theory of repetition and different refers to the argument that film genres are a balance between repetition and difference. This could be applied towards GQ's cover and inside pages since GQ follows the same sort of simplistic aesthetic with minimal decorative elements in all of their pieces however like the csp, the inside pictures and outside ones are different yet their simplistic designs links them.

Representations: Applying Theory

1) Gauntlett's ideas on masculinity, gender and identity can be applied towards the GQ CSP, he argues that identity is becoming more "fluid" which can be linked to Welch's idea of the "new masculinity" he tries to portray as the head editor of GQ.

2) Van Zoonen's work on feminism and gender theory can be applied also towards GQ by challenging/ reinforcing her argument that gender is constructed and that its meaning varies dependent on cultural and historical context.

3) bell hook's work on "corrosive masculinity" can be applied onto GQ since she argues that the emotional repression and era of stoicism/aggression demanded

of men by society and their environment are deeply corrosive.

4) Jonathan Bailey's feature on the magazine represents masculinity and sexuality to be an evolving ideal. Previously if a queer man were to pose as a star within a magazine it would be looked down upon and it would be very rare. He presents masculinity to be an evolving form of expression since he does not portray his masculinity through the traditional lens but through a more contemporary one like Welch also tries to, emphasising on the idea of a "new masculinity".

Representations: Wider reading - GQ and the "new masculinity"

1) At the beginning of the article the idea of a new wave of masculinity by GQ is described, bringing light to the issue of how not all would be open to a new firm of liberation through new senses of masculinity.

2) Will Welch initially viewed GQ, when he first took over as Editior-in-Chief, in a different way to what it is now, wanting to offer readers with a new perspective on men and masculinity.

3) Publisher Condé Nast responded to the changes in the magazine industry being a change or decline within print media by and thus impacted GQ since GQ was initially a print magazine meaning they had to change their approach from more physical to digitalised.

4) The GQ New masculinity edition featured a “personal evolution”, emphasising on the liberation that can fulfill people’s lives.

5) Journalist Liz Plank said concerning toxic masculinity that “no matter where I turned, masculinity wasn’t something that was intuitive or intrinsic; it was carefully learned, delicately transmitted and deliberately propagandised. Toxic masculinity wasn’t just a problem in America. I saw it everywhere.”.

6) Welch responded to the suggestions that GQ was responsible for toxic masculinity by dismissing the notion: “It’s not like GQ was harmful until I took over. That’s definitely not the case”.

CNN feature on how GQ is redefining masculinity

1) The article suggests masculinity involved at the start of the 20th century where “simple”: “strength, independence, courage, confidence and assertiveness”.

2) Within the 1930’s social changes around masculinity had changed because of the UK’s loss of its industrialisation heavyweight status with manual worker jobs and the masculine status attached to them.

3) This suggests that today’s masculinity still maintains these stereotypical traits however we now thankfully share a society where these traits are present within all women and males.

4) It suggests that these changes are important because men are now supposedly attuned within their self-care more than ever and are actively striving for it, however improvements are still needed.