Task 6 - The Male Gaze

The Male Gaze is a theory penned by Laura Mulvey that addresses the power that woman can have over men with there sexuality. Take this image for example...

In this image we can see a cover of the music magazine Q with Lily Allen on the cover. In this image she is not being shot in a way which celebrates her music career or achievements in the industry, no, she is shot in a way that flaunts her sexuality and appeals to the Patriatical society that they want to buy the magazine. The seductive pose to the tagline 'SEXY BEAST LILY ALLEN & HER WICKED WICKED WAYS' are there specifically to appeal to the male demographic. This can be seen more clearly when I compare and contrast it with this image...

When it is a man on the cover it is the complete opposite. This is the same magazine but it now has Noel Gallagher of Oasis and now The High Flying Birds, he is not being exploited for his sexuality to appeal to the audience, because that isn't what the audience wants to see. He is actually being celebrated for his music and is pictured next to a speaker with a tagline that empowers rather than exploits him. The Male Gaze is a powerful thing. Now if we look at this next magazine...

 

This is Beth Ditto who took the theory of the Male Gaze and parodied it hard. She is not what most people would call sexy or attractive, so this was a powerful statement. But as Ditto, lead singer of punk band The Gossip, has already starred in her own porn movie with her lesbian transgender lover, and regularly takes all her clothes off on stage because she gets overheated, this nude stunt is not out of character for her, either. Therefore not really having the effect she wanted it to have.

Task 5 - Feminism

Feminism is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. This includes seeking to establish equal opportunities for women in education and employment. A feminist advocates or supports the rights and equality of women.

History of Feminism

Feminism has always been prevalent in all societies, as children everyone would argue on whether boys or girls are better, but the major push for it was in 1945 after the end of WW2. After the Allies had defeated the Axis forces all over the world the men who had gone off to war returned to there jobs at home, but there was a problem, they where occupied. While the men had been away fighting woman had taken over the workforce at home since there where no men left to do it and do you know what? They loved it! 

So what else was going to happen when the men returned from the battle lines expecting woman to just return to there homesteads like good little girls, NO! There where protests and riots, womankind had a taste of independence and it tasted sweet. Ever since then Feminism has put it's foot up the backside of society and it's not pulling out without a fight. They have secured jobs, rights and respect that woman simply didn't have back in the day and the world is a better place for it.

Task 4 - Semiotic Theory

Semiotic theory focuses on the social and cultural meaning of signs and codes and conventions. Signs consist of an image, a word, an object or even a certain type of practise. The meaning of signs depends on the relationship between the signifier, the signified and the referent. We all respond to signs in many different ways whenever if that is to agree or disagree on a certain topic or if we just respond to it from our own actions. These signs can be presented in many different forms whenever that is from an image, a word or a video. We identify and respond to these signs by two terms which are Denotation and Connotation.

Denotation

Denotation is the literal or primary meaning of a word or sign, in contrast to the feeling or ideas that the word or sign suggests. For example a stop sign has the denotation of stopping a vehicle. Even without words we would recognise the meaning from the shape and the colour.

Connotation

Connotation is the idea or a feeling that a word or a sign portrays for a person in addition to its primary meaning. It sets a tone or an emotional association that a word or sign has. It can be negative and positive but is usually something seen by the population in general. For example the stop sign would have the connotation of risk and danger of an accident if the person decided to ignore the sign because of the red colour background which portrays this meaning. 

Applying Semiotic theory

Let's look at this cover...

Task 3 - Questionnaire

 Please take the time to complete my Questionnaire it will be a great help.

Task 2 - Research Methods

 I need to research for my music magazines, these are the two methods I will be using to do this are:

• Quantitive analysis - used to measure and predict leading to a final course of action,
• Qualitative analysis - uses to uncover and understand thoughts and opinions.

The two types of data recorded during this is:

• Primary - Data found by you, not recycled,
• Secondary - Data retrieved second hand.

Applying Research Methods

Music Magazines can use these methods to get all of there information that they publish in there magazines... obviously. But furthermore they can use Quantitive