Online Media: Applying Reception Theory to Attitude Online
Dominant ideological perspective: to be gay is to be proud, and it is right and natural to find other men attractive
The sole reason why Attitude Online exists is to promote the Attitude magazine
Negotiated Reading
The audience do not fully agree or disagree with the ideologies of the producers
- like the way that gay people are presented as powerful and shows the achievements
- disagree with the way that these gay people featured are represented as hypersexualised and have their personality be their sexuality
- stereotypes can be reductive, but provide certain gay audiences a set of codes to live by
- while it is pleasurable to look at hegemonically attractive and hypersexualised men, the representations of hypermasculinity reinforce and construct unrealistic body images
- clearly, very few gay men look like this - this can make it so much more difficult for gay men who are in an already difficult situation
- can promote eating disorders, body dysmorphia and 'bigorexia'
- articles about celebrities realising when they are gay can provide reassurance and structure about positive gay men
- the conflation of sexuality and personality is highly problematic
- to be straight doesn't involve constantly referring to this, but the hyper-sexualised and stereotypical representations in Attitude seems to suggest that the only important aspect of gay lifestyle is to be gay itself
- many gay people are not interested in 'gay culture', although many aspects of this are represented, therefore some audiences may focus on theatre coverage while ignoring the fashion sections
Preferred Reading
The audience like the way that gay people are presented within the online magazine- presents these people as powerful and show how gay people achieve so much - providing role models for the audience
- it is good to be gay and be proud about it as it's an essential part of the gay experience
- for example, audiences would particularly delight in stories about celebs coming out, as it would reinforce ideological perspectives of pride
Oppositional Reading
The audience reject the ideologies of the producer
- like the way that gay people are presented as powerful and shows the achievements
- disagree with the way that these gay people featured are represented as hypersexualised and have their personality be their sexuality
- stereotypes can be reductive, but provide certain gay audiences a set of codes to live by
- while it is pleasurable to look at hegemonically attractive and hypersexualised men, the representations of hypermasculinity reinforce and construct unrealistic body images
- clearly, very few gay men look like this - this can make it so much more difficult for gay men who are in an already difficult situation
- can promote eating disorders, body dysmorphia and 'bigorexia'
- articles about celebrities realising when they are gay can provide reassurance and structure about positive gay men
- the conflation of sexuality and personality is highly problematic
- to be straight doesn't involve constantly referring to this, but the hyper-sexualised and stereotypical representations in Attitude seems to suggest that the only important aspect of gay lifestyle is to be gay itself
- many gay people are not interested in 'gay culture', although many aspects of this are represented, therefore some audiences may focus on theatre coverage while ignoring the fashion sections
Preferred Reading
The audience like the way that gay people are presented within the online magazine
The audience like the way that gay people are presented within the online magazine
- presents these people as powerful and show how gay people achieve so much - providing role models for the audience
- it is good to be gay and be proud about it as it's an essential part of the gay experience
- for example, audiences would particularly delight in stories about celebs coming out, as it would reinforce ideological perspectives of pride
Oppositional Reading
The audience reject the ideologies of the producer
- binary opposition between the representation and connotations of the way men and women are presented and the contrast between the acceptability of the way they're presented
- e.g if a woman posed the same way the man does, she would be called derogatory names
- the focus on celebrity camp culture (e.g Girls Aloud) and hypersexualised representations of men all reinforce negative stereotypes about gay men
- stereotypes are an ordering process, and a widely held belief
- stereotypes always puts group into a box, and reduces gay people to a reductive series of casual signifiers, for example 'hot', 'camp' and/or 'slut'
- e.g if a woman posed the same way the man does, she would be called derogatory names
- stereotypes always puts group into a box, and reduces gay people to a reductive series of casual signifiers, for example 'hot', 'camp' and/or 'slut'
Attitude magazine facts
- British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Stream Published Limited, a horizontally integrated UK magazine publisher who are able to minimise risks and maximise profits
- sold worldwide as a physical magazine as well as a digital download
- first appeared in May 1994
- the magazine is bi-monthly
- does not declare figures, but calls itself the "best selling gay magazine"
- the website attracts up to 1.7 million users a moth and 1.2 million social media followers
- therefore, the website which targets a larger, younger and mass market audience
- uses male and female photographers, but calls them "gay-literate"
- characterised as a "gay (and less laddish) version of GQ"
- Boy George said "it's not all cock and arse with nipple rings, eight-inch penises and pecs like most gay magazines are. This magazine has some stuff to read"
- has a mix of gay and straight cover stars
- the longest stretch where straight celebrities have not appeared on the cover is three months until 2017
- Editor Matthew Todd argued there was not enough gay people on the cover, so now there is more
- Prince William was the first member of the British Royal Family to appear on the cover of a gay magazine in 2016, where he met 9 LGBTQIA+ people who experiences homophobic abuse growing up which caused mental health issues
- this made television media worldwide, appearing on BBC, NBC, ITN, Sky News and many more
- Tony Blair gave an interview in 2009 for Attitude's 15th birthday where he questioned the Pope's attitude to homosexuality, arguing religious leaders must start 'rethinking' the issue
- Daniel Radcliffe gave an interview in 2009 where he discussed his support for Liberal Democrats and how much he hates homophobia
- other celebrities who appeared on the front cover were Tony Blair, Daniel Radcliffe, David Cameron and George Michael
- this allows the magazine to potentially appeal to a wider audience, and increases the share of the gay audience, and a chance for heterosexual celebrities to present themselves as a gay ally
- founded by 2 straight people, but most staff writers are gay
- there are separate editions published in different countries, most notably Belgium and Vietnam as well as Thailand
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