online media - attitude magazine WORK AT HOME
heteronormativity - "the belief that heterosexuality...is the norm or default sexual orientation"
LGBT rights in the UK:
- The Buggery Act of 1533, passed by Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII, is the first time in law that male homosexuality was targeted for persecution in the UK - Completely outlawing sodomy in Britain – and by extension what would become the entire British Empire – convictions were punishable by death.
- 1861 = the passing of the Offences Against the Person Act, that the death penalty was abolished for acts of sodomy – instead being made punishable by a minimum of 10 years imprisonment.
- The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 made male homosexual act illegal – whether or not a witness was present – meaning that even acts committed in private could be prosecuted. Often a letter expressing terms of affection between two men was all that was required to bring a prosecution.
- Female homosexuality was never explicitly targeted by any legislation. Although discussed for the first time in Parliament in 1921 with a view to introducing discriminatory legislation (to become the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 1921), this ultimately failed when both the House of Commons and House of Lords rejected it due to the fear a law would draw attention and encourage women to explore homosexuality - presumed it didn't happen a lot
- a significant rise in arrests and prosecutions of homosexual men were made after World War II. Many were from high rank and held positions within government and national institutions, such as Alan Turing
- The Report of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution, better known as the Wolfenden Report, was published in 1957, three years after the committee first met in September 1954. It was commissioned in response to evidence that homosexuality could not legitimately be regarded as a disease and aimed to bring about change in the current law by making recommendations to the Government
- Backed by the Church of England and the House of Lords, the Sexual Offences Act partially legalised same-sex acts in the UK between men over the age of 21 conducted in private. Scotland and Northern Ireland followed suit over a decade later
- n 2004 another milestone was reached with the Civil Partnership Act 2004, which allowed same-sex couples to legally enter into binding partnerships, similar to marriage. The subsequent Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013 then went further, allowing same-sex couples in England and Wales to marry; Scotland followed suit with the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014.
- The Gender Recognition Act 2004, which came into effect on 4 April 2005, gave transgender people full legal recognition of their gender, allowing them to acquire a new birth certificate – although gender options are still limited to ‘male’ or ‘female’.
the stereotypical representation of gay men can create an imbalance of power in society.
1 - The representation of gay men that is presented
represented as feminine suggesting that gay men are non-stereotypical and subvert hegemonic norms.
However, the representations of gay men is stereotypical.
2 - How the representation is constructed through media language (use the textual analysis toolkit)
The mise-en-scene of his shiny blue jacket with red tartan arms suggests that he is highly fashionable and wears more outgoing clothing. Also the mise-en-scene of the pursued lips represent love and affection
The mid-shot of the man, allows the audience to see his outgoing outfit and also his face.
His lips are pursed which is a proairetic code for romance and kissing.
3 - The message that is presented about gay men
the message that is presented about gay men through this image is that they care a lot about their appearance and want to be noticed within society.
4 - The impact that this representation of gay men may have on the target audience (gay men)
This photo may have a large impact on gay men about wearing whatever they want and being whoever they want to be.
1. Representation of gay men that is presented
represented as being different and outgoing
2 - How the representation is constructed through media language (use the textual analysis toolkit)
through the mise-en-scene of his eye makeup - shows he highly subverts hegemonic norms in society and wants to be different
Direct mode of address suggests that he is looking directly at the target audience - gay men
3 - The message that is presented about gay men
the message is that gay men enjoy wearing makeup and being different -
4 - The impact that this representation of gay men may have on the target audience (gay men)
may impact the audience in a way that they will try wearing makeup and being different
For what reasons are Disney including a gay character in their film?
A quote in the article suggests Jack Whitehall's character will be “hugely effete, very camp and very funny”. What assumptions about gay men are being made here?
- that all gay men are very camp - shows that they act in a more feminine way - subvert hegemonic stereotypes
- assumes that all gay men will be able to relate to this character
'Explore the ways in which Attitude uses representations of gay men to position the audience'
Attitude uses representations of gay men to position the audience in an uncomfortable position. In the article based on Jack Whitehall playing a gay man in the new Disney film, gay men are represented as being "camp" which illustrates that the ideology of the producer is that a majority of gay men are subverts from the hegemonic stereotypical male, who would be strong and emotionless, whereas someone who is camp is more feminine. Representing gay people as different, positions the audience in an uncomfortable position as they are made to feel like they aren't accepted. However, gay men are also represented as being open about their sexuality which can lead the audience to feel empowered about who they really are. By including a gay man within the film, Disney are attracting a larger audience, which in turn would bring them more money.
LGBT rights in the UK:
- The Buggery Act of 1533, passed by Parliament during the reign of Henry VIII, is the first time in law that male homosexuality was targeted for persecution in the UK - Completely outlawing sodomy in Britain – and by extension what would become the entire British Empire – convictions were punishable by death.
- 1861 = the passing of the Offences Against the Person Act, that the death penalty was abolished for acts of sodomy – instead being made punishable by a minimum of 10 years imprisonment.
- The Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 made male homosexual act illegal – whether or not a witness was present – meaning that even acts committed in private could be prosecuted. Often a letter expressing terms of affection between two men was all that was required to bring a prosecution.
- Female homosexuality was never explicitly targeted by any legislation. Although discussed for the first time in Parliament in 1921 with a view to introducing discriminatory legislation (to become the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 1921), this ultimately failed when both the House of Commons and House of Lords rejected it due to the fear a law would draw attention and encourage women to explore homosexuality - presumed it didn't happen a lot
- a significant rise in arrests and prosecutions of homosexual men were made after World War II. Many were from high rank and held positions within government and national institutions, such as Alan Turing
- The Report of the Departmental Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution, better known as the Wolfenden Report, was published in 1957, three years after the committee first met in September 1954. It was commissioned in response to evidence that homosexuality could not legitimately be regarded as a disease and aimed to bring about change in the current law by making recommendations to the Government
- Backed by the Church of England and the House of Lords, the Sexual Offences Act partially legalised same-sex acts in the UK between men over the age of 21 conducted in private. Scotland and Northern Ireland followed suit over a decade later
- n 2004 another milestone was reached with the Civil Partnership Act 2004, which allowed same-sex couples to legally enter into binding partnerships, similar to marriage. The subsequent Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Act 2013 then went further, allowing same-sex couples in England and Wales to marry; Scotland followed suit with the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Act 2014.
- The Gender Recognition Act 2004, which came into effect on 4 April 2005, gave transgender people full legal recognition of their gender, allowing them to acquire a new birth certificate – although gender options are still limited to ‘male’ or ‘female’.
the stereotypical representation of gay men can create an imbalance of power in society.
represented as feminine suggesting that gay men are non-stereotypical and subvert hegemonic norms.
However, the representations of gay men is stereotypical.
2 - How the representation is constructed through media language (use the textual analysis toolkit)
The mise-en-scene of his shiny blue jacket with red tartan arms suggests that he is highly fashionable and wears more outgoing clothing. Also the mise-en-scene of the pursued lips represent love and affection
The mid-shot of the man, allows the audience to see his outgoing outfit and also his face.
His lips are pursed which is a proairetic code for romance and kissing.
3 - The message that is presented about gay men
the message that is presented about gay men through this image is that they care a lot about their appearance and want to be noticed within society.
4 - The impact that this representation of gay men may have on the target audience (gay men)
This photo may have a large impact on gay men about wearing whatever they want and being whoever they want to be.
1. Representation of gay men that is presentedrepresented as being different and outgoing
2 - How the representation is constructed through media language (use the textual analysis toolkit)
through the mise-en-scene of his eye makeup - shows he highly subverts hegemonic norms in society and wants to be different
Direct mode of address suggests that he is looking directly at the target audience - gay men
3 - The message that is presented about gay men
the message is that gay men enjoy wearing makeup and being different -
4 - The impact that this representation of gay men may have on the target audience (gay men)
may impact the audience in a way that they will try wearing makeup and being different
_________________________________________________________________________
Boy George = the first magazine front covers
Then Madonna - Nov 2005
Then McFly - Jan 2007
Then Kylie - Nov 2007
How has the representation of gay men changed since Attitude was first published?
Initially when attitude was first being published, the people on the front cover were predominantly gay stars that would've been a recognisable and admirable figure to gay people when the magazine was released. The Boy George front cover was from the first ever Attitude magazine. However, after this many other celebrities that weren't gay were also included on a front cover, suggesting that they were all large supporters of the gay community and gay rights. For example Madonna was the magazine front cover for the issue released in November 2005. Attitude including a plethora of different celebrities on their front cover suggests that the representation of gay men has changed from the first publication as they were becoming more widely accepted in society
What representations of gay men are presented?
representations presented =
- they enjoy pop music - many of the celebrities are in the music industry
- they enjoy reading about other gay men within the community - article on Elton John's wedding
- there are a lot of straight men included within the front covers suggesting gay men enjoy looking at pictures of straight men - represented as feminine - as well as this the front cover of some of the men are mid-shots in order for their body to be included within the front cover
- represented as outgoing
- represented as being interested in fashion and style - the mise-en-scene of the outfits many of the celebrities are wearing on the front cover is bright and different to everyday clothing items
What is Attitude's target audience (beyond being gay men), and how does it target them?
Attitudes target audience beyond gay men is 20-30 year old women.
Attitude targets this audience by including many images of chiselled men practically naked, highly fashionable products and clothing items which they would enjoy looking at, celebrities are largely involved within the magazine.
---------
"Feminism is for everyone" wrote bell hooks. This is because the way in which women are treated in society also affects everyone else. If there is an expectation that women are emotional and are better at giving care than thriving in a difficult work environment, it is conversely expected that men are emotionless are will be terrible at looking after children.
We can take this idea further, and assume that the representation of any given group will in fact impact others, including gay men
- A few quotes from an article by Cliff Joannou, (editor in chief of Attitude magazine)
"Gender division is the most violent thing to ever happen to humanity. It’s suppressed the voices of millions of queer and gay people for millennia. Anybody who challenged the binary was silenced, often violently"
"Encouraging outdated ideas of masculine/feminine is buying into the ideals of murderers who believe that a man loving another man should be punishable by death. To them, gay love is unnatural and against God."
Why might there be an expectation for gay men to appear more masculine than heterosexual men?
There might be an expectation for gay men to appear more masculine than heterosexual men due to the fact gender stereotypes have declared that men are supposed to be strong and emotionless while women are supposed to be weak and emotional. Therefore gay men are more likely to try and put in extra effort to show that they are more masculine.
Joannou is discussing gender stereotypes here, as well as stereotypes surrounding sexuality. This is something we've looked at extensively. Why are stereotypes harmful? Make reference to Gerbner and Stuart Hall.
Stereotypes are extremely harmful to society due to the fact they group people into ways they should act, even though they might not act like this - reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits.
This can lead to people acting differently to the way they are.
George Gerbner's cultivation theory is the idea that if people are exposed to something for a large amount of time they are more likely to follow the dominant and majority view. In the media, men are largely represented in a stereotypical way and following the hegemonic norms of society by being strong and emotionless. Therefore if gay men are seeing this stereotypical idea of how a man should act over and over again, they are more likely to begin to start acting this way. As well as this, gay men aren't largely seen on TV therefore, there isn't many ways for gay men to identity with someone on screen which reinforces the idea of how they will begin to follow the hegemonic norms of society that they are different.
Stuart Hall's representation theory = Stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’ - this suggests that gay people are likely to be represented as abnormal and different as they don't adhere to the stereotypical representation of men.
----------
Stereotypical representations of gay men in the media and the demonisation of camp
Camp refers to many things, including a trashy, deliberately awful aesthetic, and a flamboyant or over the top style of performance.
In Hollywood films and other forms of media, one common way of signaling to the audience the fact that a character is an antagonist or a villain is by giving them camp attributes. In James Bond films, the villain is often represented in a stereotypically homosexual and 'camp' manner.
James Bond is a stereotypical, archetypal representation of a 'perfect' heterosexual British man. He is hegemonically attractive, knows how to dress and speak charmingly, and will have sex with a range of exotic women in each film with little effort.
In the James Bond film Casino Royale, the villain Le Chiffre kidnaps Bond in desperation after his master plan (to win a game of poker and get lots of money. This is literally the plot of the film) falls through.
However the villain tends to speak with a pronounced foreign (i.e. non-British accent), will dress in a surprising or tacky way, and will have little interest in conventional secual relationships with women, often treating them aggressively. Most of all, however, the villain will be presented in an over-the-top and camp way, unnaturally and even obsessively compelled to torture Bond in a cariety of cruel and exen sexualsied ways.
How is Le Chiffre represented in a scene from Casino Royale (this scene is very violent, and although the film is rated a '12' by the BBFC, by taking the scene out of context, it may be particularly powerful.)
What is he doing?
he is torturing Bond - Bond has been stripped of his clothing so is naked
takes his jacket off and sits close to Bond
What does he say?
"wow, you've taken good care of your body"
whispers a lot
talks about itching Bonds balls
What is he looking at?
looking at Bonds body and face constantly - this represents him as being a more sexual character
How is he torturing Bond?
Ties him to a chair
hits hit with a rope
slaps his face
has a rope and swings it in a sexual way
- the mise-en-scene of the products Le Chiffre was using to torture Bond suggests sexual activity
- proairetic code of the rope in his hands at the start of the scene highlight to the audience that this is going to be used against Bond but we are unaware how.
scene is particularly good to refer to in the exam as an example of how in modern cinema, gay people are still demonised and made the villain. Yes, Le Chiffre is technically straight. He has a girlfriend, who he incidentally clearly hates. Yet his obsession with Bond, his body, and the general mise en scene of this scene clearly identifies Le Chiffre as a sexual deviant, and this anchors him as the villain
- mise-en-scene of his hair is wet with sweat but nicely done
- he is very sweaty = sexualisation
-------
How do representations of gay themes position the audience of Attitude Online?
There is an argument that is sometimes brought up in the gay community that any form of representation is better than no representation at all. Even token representations and stereotypical representations lead to more visibility for the gay community in a heteronormative society.
token representation - where a minority character, for example a gay person or a black person, is placed in to a media product for the producer to 'tick a box'
visibility - a concerted effort to be more 'seen'
In what ways are gay men represented in this article?
- presented as being very open about their sexuality
- shy - the character doesn't say anything in the trailer - represents the difficulty it can be to speak out and be open
- represented as bubbly and funny
In what ways are the gay male audience positioned in this article?
Boy George = the first magazine front covers
Then Madonna - Nov 2005
Then McFly - Jan 2007
Then Kylie - Nov 2007
How has the representation of gay men changed since Attitude was first published?
Initially when attitude was first being published, the people on the front cover were predominantly gay stars that would've been a recognisable and admirable figure to gay people when the magazine was released. The Boy George front cover was from the first ever Attitude magazine. However, after this many other celebrities that weren't gay were also included on a front cover, suggesting that they were all large supporters of the gay community and gay rights. For example Madonna was the magazine front cover for the issue released in November 2005. Attitude including a plethora of different celebrities on their front cover suggests that the representation of gay men has changed from the first publication as they were becoming more widely accepted in society
What representations of gay men are presented?
representations presented =
- they enjoy pop music - many of the celebrities are in the music industry
- they enjoy reading about other gay men within the community - article on Elton John's wedding
- there are a lot of straight men included within the front covers suggesting gay men enjoy looking at pictures of straight men - represented as feminine - as well as this the front cover of some of the men are mid-shots in order for their body to be included within the front cover
- represented as outgoing
- represented as being interested in fashion and style - the mise-en-scene of the outfits many of the celebrities are wearing on the front cover is bright and different to everyday clothing items
What is Attitude's target audience (beyond being gay men), and how does it target them?
Attitudes target audience beyond gay men is 20-30 year old women.
Attitude targets this audience by including many images of chiselled men practically naked, highly fashionable products and clothing items which they would enjoy looking at, celebrities are largely involved within the magazine.
---------
"Feminism is for everyone" wrote bell hooks. This is because the way in which women are treated in society also affects everyone else. If there is an expectation that women are emotional and are better at giving care than thriving in a difficult work environment, it is conversely expected that men are emotionless are will be terrible at looking after children.
We can take this idea further, and assume that the representation of any given group will in fact impact others, including gay men
- A few quotes from an article by Cliff Joannou, (editor in chief of Attitude magazine)
"Gender division is the most violent thing to ever happen to humanity. It’s suppressed the voices of millions of queer and gay people for millennia. Anybody who challenged the binary was silenced, often violently"
"Encouraging outdated ideas of masculine/feminine is buying into the ideals of murderers who believe that a man loving another man should be punishable by death. To them, gay love is unnatural and against God."
Why might there be an expectation for gay men to appear more masculine than heterosexual men?
There might be an expectation for gay men to appear more masculine than heterosexual men due to the fact gender stereotypes have declared that men are supposed to be strong and emotionless while women are supposed to be weak and emotional. Therefore gay men are more likely to try and put in extra effort to show that they are more masculine.
Joannou is discussing gender stereotypes here, as well as stereotypes surrounding sexuality. This is something we've looked at extensively. Why are stereotypes harmful? Make reference to Gerbner and Stuart Hall.
Stereotypes are extremely harmful to society due to the fact they group people into ways they should act, even though they might not act like this - reduces people to a few simple characteristics or traits.
This can lead to people acting differently to the way they are.
George Gerbner's cultivation theory is the idea that if people are exposed to something for a large amount of time they are more likely to follow the dominant and majority view. In the media, men are largely represented in a stereotypical way and following the hegemonic norms of society by being strong and emotionless. Therefore if gay men are seeing this stereotypical idea of how a man should act over and over again, they are more likely to begin to start acting this way. As well as this, gay men aren't largely seen on TV therefore, there isn't many ways for gay men to identity with someone on screen which reinforces the idea of how they will begin to follow the hegemonic norms of society that they are different.
Stuart Hall's representation theory = Stereotyping tends to occur where there are inequalities of power, as subordinate or excluded groups are constructed as different or ‘other’ - this suggests that gay people are likely to be represented as abnormal and different as they don't adhere to the stereotypical representation of men.
----------
Stereotypical representations of gay men in the media and the demonisation of camp
Camp refers to many things, including a trashy, deliberately awful aesthetic, and a flamboyant or over the top style of performance.
In Hollywood films and other forms of media, one common way of signaling to the audience the fact that a character is an antagonist or a villain is by giving them camp attributes. In James Bond films, the villain is often represented in a stereotypically homosexual and 'camp' manner.
James Bond is a stereotypical, archetypal representation of a 'perfect' heterosexual British man. He is hegemonically attractive, knows how to dress and speak charmingly, and will have sex with a range of exotic women in each film with little effort.
In the James Bond film Casino Royale, the villain Le Chiffre kidnaps Bond in desperation after his master plan (to win a game of poker and get lots of money. This is literally the plot of the film) falls through.
However the villain tends to speak with a pronounced foreign (i.e. non-British accent), will dress in a surprising or tacky way, and will have little interest in conventional secual relationships with women, often treating them aggressively. Most of all, however, the villain will be presented in an over-the-top and camp way, unnaturally and even obsessively compelled to torture Bond in a cariety of cruel and exen sexualsied ways.
How is Le Chiffre represented in a scene from Casino Royale (this scene is very violent, and although the film is rated a '12' by the BBFC, by taking the scene out of context, it may be particularly powerful.)
What is he doing?
he is torturing Bond - Bond has been stripped of his clothing so is naked
takes his jacket off and sits close to Bond
What does he say?
"wow, you've taken good care of your body"
whispers a lot
talks about itching Bonds balls
What is he looking at?
looking at Bonds body and face constantly - this represents him as being a more sexual character
How is he torturing Bond?
Ties him to a chair
hits hit with a rope
slaps his face
has a rope and swings it in a sexual way
- the mise-en-scene of the products Le Chiffre was using to torture Bond suggests sexual activity
- proairetic code of the rope in his hands at the start of the scene highlight to the audience that this is going to be used against Bond but we are unaware how.
scene is particularly good to refer to in the exam as an example of how in modern cinema, gay people are still demonised and made the villain. Yes, Le Chiffre is technically straight. He has a girlfriend, who he incidentally clearly hates. Yet his obsession with Bond, his body, and the general mise en scene of this scene clearly identifies Le Chiffre as a sexual deviant, and this anchors him as the villain
- mise-en-scene of his hair is wet with sweat but nicely done
- he is very sweaty = sexualisation
-------
How do representations of gay themes position the audience of Attitude Online?
token representation - where a minority character, for example a gay person or a black person, is placed in to a media product for the producer to 'tick a box'
visibility - a concerted effort to be more 'seen'
'JUNGLE CRUISE' TRAILER GIVES ANOTHER GLIMPSE AT JACK WHITEHALL'S GAY CHARACTER - WATCH'
In what ways are gay men represented in this article?
- presented as being very open about their sexuality
- shy - the character doesn't say anything in the trailer - represents the difficulty it can be to speak out and be open
- represented as bubbly and funny
In what ways are the gay male audience positioned in this article?
- positioned as the main audience - they were the people who were intended to read this and get excited about the aspect of a gay character being in a Disney film
For what reasons are Disney including a gay character in their film?
- it attracts a larger audience which then brings in MORE MONEY
- it represents different groups in society so more people will want to go and watch it/ buy it which will make MORE MONEY for Disney
- it represents different groups in society so more people will want to go and watch it/ buy it which will make MORE MONEY for Disney
A quote in the article suggests Jack Whitehall's character will be “hugely effete, very camp and very funny”. What assumptions about gay men are being made here?
- that all gay men are very camp - shows that they act in a more feminine way - subvert hegemonic stereotypes
- assumes that all gay men will be able to relate to this character
'Explore the ways in which Attitude uses representations of gay men to position the audience'
Attitude uses representations of gay men to position the audience in an uncomfortable position. In the article based on Jack Whitehall playing a gay man in the new Disney film, gay men are represented as being "camp" which illustrates that the ideology of the producer is that a majority of gay men are subverts from the hegemonic stereotypical male, who would be strong and emotionless, whereas someone who is camp is more feminine. Representing gay people as different, positions the audience in an uncomfortable position as they are made to feel like they aren't accepted. However, gay men are also represented as being open about their sexuality which can lead the audience to feel empowered about who they really are. By including a gay man within the film, Disney are attracting a larger audience, which in turn would bring them more money.
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