Representation of Particular Social Groups

Representation of Particular Social

Groups

Who is being represented?

On the front cover the main person represented is a woman holding a microphone.

There is also a representation of Alex Turner, the singer from Arctic Monkeys, in a smaller thumbnail image.

The same woman is represented in the contents page but with a smaller image and close up shot.

Alex Turner is also represented on the contents page but again with a different shot.

There is a representation of the singer from White Lies, a popular Indie band, in the live section of him playing a gig.

There is another representation of the woman from the front cover in the DPS but one which differs drastically from the other images of her in the publication.

How and why have I constructed the representation?

• My publication is an Indie magazine and it is therefore imperative for me to construct representations of ‘Indie’ people to connote the genre of my magazine. This however is very difficult as Indie encompasses a wide range of styles and looks.

• To combat this issue two of the three people I have represented are well known Indie front men such as Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys and Harry McVeigh from White Lies.

• All of the images are of them playing live shows which connotes how this magazine is most concerned with their music above all else and not the celebrity culture of other publications which provides a USP.

• Also by representing well known Indie bands it connotes the genre of the publication effectively to the reader and conforms to stereotypes within music magazines.

• The first image of Alex Turner is one that I took at a gig I went to. I’ve chosen to include this image as it represents Turner’s new 50’s look which will entice readers as he is part of a very successful Indie band and influential.

• This image also represents him as being completely interested in music as he is singing and holding a guitar.

• This image represents Indie whilst simultaneously making the magazine more enticing to readers.

• This image conforms to stereotypes as it represents Alex as stereotypically ‘rock’ as he is wearing dark colours, playing a black guitar and with harsh lighting which all connote darkness and aggression. This in turn connotes the genre of rock through use of stereotypes.

• I have used stereotyping on the front cover to connote that the magazine understands and presents different genres as well as to entice readers as they can associate easily with stereotypes.

• The next representation of Alex is found on the contents page and differs from the first one. It is again of him playing a live show which again connotes the focus is on the music not the person.

• However this image contrasts with the other one of him as it has a much different atmosphere. For example the lighting is much softer and the inclusion of the screen behind him which shows a close up of his face with his eyes closed connotes that the music he is playing is much softer now. He also appears lost in the music which is part of the magazines ethos.

• I have represented Alex Turner in both of these ways as it connotes the different aspects of the band and also represents Indie as a genre that is full of unique bands which are multifaceted.

•After first using stereotypes on the front cover I have then subverted expectations and challenged the conventions of representing a rock band to connote the magazine’s ethos and genre.

• The representation of the White Lies singer Harry McVeigh is again of him playing a live show.

• The representation of Harry differs to the representation of Alex as the colour codes are much brighter with him wearing a white shirt and being spotlighted with bright white light. This gives the image religious connotations.

• These religious connotations in the ‘Live’ section of the contents page connotes how gigs can almost be spiritual experiences and shows the importance the magazine places on live shows.

• The first and largest representation the reader sees is of the woman holding the microphone with red hair.

• She is represented as being physically bound to the music as her hands are tied with the microphone wire which connotes how closely she is linked to the music.

• She is also presented as confident through her use of direct eye contact which is inspirational for many readers as a lot of the younger target audience of Indie magazines aren’t very confident in themselves yet as their early teens. The eye contact also draws the reader in and creates a connection.

• The bright red hair contrasts the established colour scheme and connotes how the artist is rebelling against all conventions and emphasises the magazines revolutionary message. It also connotes danger and passion which again could connote the passion for music.

• The styling of big wavy hair also connotes the oddness of the artist and Indie as her hairs wild and supposedly untamed; emphasising how different she and the genre is. It also doesn’t conform to stereotypes which are often of perfectly styled hair whereas this looks slightly messy which again connotes Indie.

• The red of the hair is continued onto the lips and jewellery which helps to create a sense of unity for the artist and creates the impression that effort has been put in for her to look this way. However the colour combination of green and red is unusual and contrast boldly to again connote confidence and Indie as it’s odd and different.

• The slightly parted lips also provide some sex appeal which conforms to stereotypes of magazine front covers that represent women.

• This representation of a front cover image challenges Indie conventions as most covers present men but this represents a woman and on the first edition which connotes how this magazine’s target audience is both male and female.

• However it also uses stereotypes as it uses sex appeal to represent a woman but is not overtly sexual so again is slightly different just like the genre it’s presenting.

• Also the styling of the person doesn’t conform to stereotypes as she is styled with odd colour choices and simple bold makeup which connotes Indie without trying to conform to a set version of Indie which would look forced. It therefore creates a strong front cover image which connotes the meaning of Indie and is eye catching which is the ultimate purpose of a front cover image.

• The next representation of the red haired woman is a close up of her face. The styling is exactly the same as the first image with the same hairstyle, makeup and jewellery. This helps to connect the article to the person as she is represented as a new artist so repeated images with the same styling helps to create her identity. It also connects the front cover image to the main feature of that weeks edition.

• The image is a close up of her face with again direct eye contact which draws the reader in. It also represents her confidently and positively thus connoting to the reader that being individual and odd is a good thing.

• It conforms to the type of image for contents images as it’s a close up with direct eye contact but the styling is unique to this artist.

• The last representation of the woman is in the DPS. She has a completely different styling with short sleek hair, a short black playsuit and green shoes. This contrast to the previous images styling's connotes the different aspects of the artist and shows how the magazine does not just represent people in one way and label them but represents them holistically. This again connotes the magazine as Indie is all about being different and not conforming but being who you want to be which this artist is doing. It also helps to provide a more visually dynamic magazine with a variety of shots.

• The woman's clothing represents her as being someone who is comfortable with her body as she is wearing clothes which are fitted. This again connotes confidence with yourself.

• The clothing also emphasises her legs which creates sex appeal but again not overtly sexual which makes the image appealing to both men and women to appeal to all of the target audience.

• The green of the shoes by the masthead has been used to reinforce brand identity and link the artist with the brand.

• The same makeup, eye contact and use of props have been used to draw the reader in and link the images together.

• This representation conforms to stereotypes as it uses sex appeal when presenting a woman but through the use of a variety of shots and styling’s it challenges stereotypes as it presents a woman as a independent, confident person who is unafraid of expressing herself which again connotes the magazines ethos.

In conclusion I have represented young men and one young woman in this magazine as they reflect the target audience so connect more to them.

I have represented them in a number of ways to connote the ethos of the magazine and the genre of Indie through use of stereotypes which I then subvert to show variety which is what Indie is all about.

I have also represented them all positively to create inspirational images of people for the audience to look up to.