For this activity, we shall be exploring how audiences can receive and interpret the ideological perspective encoded through the representations included in attitude Online. However, we shall be omitting the responses of heterosexual audiences. Why? Simply because they make up such a small proportion of the audience, and that straight people are unlikely to interact with a website like attitude by design. This form of othering through the very marketing of the website allows this product to expressly target gay people in the most effective way possible.
However, it can be noted that certain other groups may interact with attitude online. Straight women may enjoy the hegemonically attractive 'beefcake' representations of hypersexualised men. Straight men may simply enjoy the fashion advice, or may gain valuable insights in to their gay friend's lifestyles. And given the complexity of sexuality, some audiences may check out attitude and realise that they may actually be gay or bisexual.
Dominant ideological perspective: to be gay is to be proud, and it is right and natural to find other men attractive
Alternative ideological perspective: “A safe space for gay people to be out, proud and happy”
Preferred readings
- Yes! It is good to be gay, and to be proud and out is 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.
- The audience would feel represented and seen by the representations of proud, out and sexually attractive gay men. While not every audience member would look like the models representing gay people, the gay target audience would relish the positive and straightforward representation
Oppositional readings
- Gay audiences may be angry at the use of stereotypes. The focus on celebrity, camp[ culture (Girl’s Aloud) and hypersexualised representations of men all reinforce negative stereotypes about gay men. Stereotypes are an ordering process, and a widely held belief. Stereotyping always b=puts groups in a box, and reduces gay people to a reductive series of casual signifiers, for example ‘hot’, ‘camp’ and/or ‘slut’.
- By having a website that essentially ghettoises gay identity, gay audiences may feel frustration at being othered, and having to exist in a completely different space
Negotiated readings
- While some gay audience members may be interested in the fashion content and the political content, they may be completely uninterested in the sexualised representations of men for a variety of reasons. Firstly, because they may feel that this hypersexualised representation of men reinforces negative stereotype. Additionally, the body type favoured by Attitude is bulky, muscular and buff, which while being hegemonically attractive, clearly does not appeal to everyone.
- Some gay men may find the representations of gay identity either positive or negative.
- Some gay audiences may take pleasure in being represented, yet may also be frustrated that to be gay is essentially to be othered.
- Some gay audiences may be frustrated at the perpetuation of the stereotypical representation of gay men being obsessed with fashion.
- The extremely objectified representations of men may be problematic for many gay men. Gay men are often objectified in mainstream media, and are defined through their sexuality. However, gay audiences may take exception to this… while also enjoying other aspects of the magazine
- The fetishization of gay men, which is encoded through the MES of rubber and thongs etc may be simultaneously appealing and also off-putting. Many gay men may simply feel that the objectification of men here is simply as bad as the historical objectification of women. Yet other audience members may realise that sexuality is extremely complicated. Yet further audiences may negotiate this sexualistion as empowering.
- Older gay men may object to the straightforward representation of gay men as young, buff and hegemonically sexually attractive. Yet these audience would find pleasure elsewhere.
- While stereotypes can be reductive, they provide certain gay audiences with 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 for closeted gay men
- The conflation of sexuality and personality is highly problematic. To be straight doesn’t involving constantly referring to this, but the hypersexualised and stereotypical representations in attitude seem 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