An Analysis of Representation of Masculinity in Music Magazines
An analysis of representation of masculinity in music magazines, with particular reference to Kerrang and NME magazine
‘Representation is the construction and aspects of reality in any medium, especially mass media. It can be presented in speech, writing, still and moving pictures.’ For my research investigation I will be analysing the representation of masculinity in music magazines, and will do this by studying the codes and conventions that cause the representation of masculinity ion two magazines. These magazines are the February 2011 edition of Kerrang and the March 2008 edition of NME, separated by three years to also compare if concepts have changed over the years, I will closely analyse the message these magazines send out to both men and women and how it effects them both, whether it gives them expectations of what to expect in a man or it gives them aspirations to achieve the goal of what these messages put across. As said in the Boys to Men: Media Messages about Masculinity ‘the media’s portrayal of men tends to reinforce men’s social dominance.’
The concept of masculinity has been around for hundreds of years. There have been many studies and theories that have derived from this idea of masculinity and recently these theories have been applied to music as a link to masculinity. ‘Freud’s concept of phallocentrism is embodied in Rock Music as the guitar can be seen to be phallic symbol, a symbol of dominance and power,’ something that men of today, and centuries before today have strived to have.
In 1999, Children Now, a California-based organization that examines the impact of media on children and youth, released a report entitled Boys to Men: Media Messages about Masculinity. The report argues that the media’s portrayal of men tends to reinforce men’s social dominance. The report observes that: * the majority of male characters in media are heterosexual * male characters are more often associated with the public sphere of work, rather than
‘Representation is the construction and aspects of reality in any medium, especially mass media. It can be presented in speech, writing, still and moving pictures.’ For my research investigation I will be analysing the representation of masculinity in music magazines, and will do this by studying the codes and conventions that cause the representation of masculinity ion two magazines. These magazines are the February 2011 edition of Kerrang and the March 2008 edition of NME, separated by three years to also compare if concepts have changed over the years, I will closely analyse the message these magazines send out to both men and women and how it effects them both, whether it gives them expectations of what to expect in a man or it gives them aspirations to achieve the goal of what these messages put across. As said in the Boys to Men: Media Messages about Masculinity ‘the media’s portrayal of men tends to reinforce men’s social dominance.’
The concept of masculinity has been around for hundreds of years. There have been many studies and theories that have derived from this idea of masculinity and recently these theories have been applied to music as a link to masculinity. ‘Freud’s concept of phallocentrism is embodied in Rock Music as the guitar can be seen to be phallic symbol, a symbol of dominance and power,’ something that men of today, and centuries before today have strived to have.
In 1999, Children Now, a California-based organization that examines the impact of media on children and youth, released a report entitled Boys to Men: Media Messages about Masculinity. The report argues that the media’s portrayal of men tends to reinforce men’s social dominance. The report observes that: * the majority of male characters in media are heterosexual * male characters are more often associated with the public sphere of work, rather than
Bibliography: -www.aber.ac.uk/media/Modules/MC30820/represent.html (13th November 2012) -Bannister, Matthew, White Boys, White Noise: Masculinities And 1980’s Indie Guitar Rock http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=4ckLKGTXRwQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false (15th November 2012) -Horrocks, Roger, Male Myths and Icons: Masculinity in Popular Culture http://journalism.winchester.ac.uk/?page=257 (20th November 2012) -http://mediasmarts.ca/gender-representation/men-and-masculinity/how-media-define-masculinity (13th November 2012) -ojwoods, hegemonic masculinity in rock music http://www.slideshare.net/ojwoods/hegemonic-masculinity-in-rock-music (15th November 2012) -Spicer, Andrew, Typical Men: The Representation of Masculinity in Popular British Cinema http://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Typical_Men.html?id=y87qYiZcnocC&redir_esc=y (13 November 2012)