AQA A-Level Media Studies - GQ

Semiotics of the front cover

Robert Pattinson - famous male actor

Represented in a ‘thuggish’ way, bruised eyes, thick chains, dirty and greasy, forehead tattoo (one of the most painful spots for tattoos) - representing him stepping away from the boyish Twilight character into him playing roles like Batman (magazine released around time of Batman film)

Background is a gradient colour - transition

“Who is Robert Pattinson?” - questioning reader knowledge with direct address and furthering the idea of him changing

Mainstream appeal

Typical conventions of magazines - layered masthead behind model, hierarchy of information (e.g. important articles over less important and marketable ones)

Robert Pattinson and Johnathon Bailey from Bridgerton

Coverlines incentivise impulse buyers

Social and cultural context

Could be considered “metrosexual”

Skincare, expensive clothing etc.

Presents men in a conventionally/traditional attractive masculine way - despite things like skincare advertisements

Common narrative in interviews about hard work and success

Conde Nast/Industry

Technolgical convergence - mobile app, website etc.

Average circulation of 212,000

Refers to themselves as an “authority” on fashion

Lazarsfeld’s two-step flow theory

GQ seen as opinion leaders and exploit their position to sell products by having interview narratives and advertorials focused on monetary success and buying expensive products (consumerism)

GQ - earns a cut of the profit when buying from GQ’s online advertorials (products disguised as reviews with links to buy the product)

Hesmondhalgh - cultural industries

Low risk - owned by big conglomerate, recognisable brand, sticks to usual conventions of magazines - mainstream audiences trust this

Affiliate commissions - easy to produce and influence customers to buy

Other media formats - youtube interviews and other social media like instagram

Star power - like Robert Pattinson - this draws in impulse buyers

Psychographics

The Mainstream

The Succeeder

The Resigned

Curran and Seaton

Owned by big conglomerate (conde nast)

Creates content regarding currently popular topics - leads to a lack of choice for consumers and minimal diversity in products. They are simply producing magazines for profit (unlike ‘gentlewoman’)

Hebdige - Subculture

The idea that post-war Brtain working-class youth’s style and ideas revolved around challenging the dominant ideology.

GQ does not do this, it simply reinforces the dominant ideology - following male lifestyle magazine conventions and traditional masculine ideas of ‘success, careers and hard work’ (grind culture)

Johnathon Bailey Interview

He discusses his role in Bridgerton, his experience with sexuality, his career and a brief career history

Appeals to target audience - talks minimally about sexuality and mostly focuses onhis career and hard work. The clothes he wears in the photos are also labeled with price tags too (ABC1 audience - expensive clothes")

Unconventional: his role is in Bridgerton a romance show with predominantly female audience. Bridgerton producers could be exploiting GQs ‘metrosexual’ identity and audience to draw male attention to the show