Attitude Online - initial discussion and analysis 2024

For this initial analysis, the site attitude.co.uk was accessed on 18/03/2024

Key terms for this study:

• Camp - refers to a deliberately silly and trash aesthetic. Often over the top and very visible, it may involve the combination of both high and low culture
• Heteronormativity - the assumption that everyone is straight 
• Out/coming out - being out is being openly gay, either to a select group of people, or to the world at large. Coming out is the process of announcing this 
• Homoerotic - that which connotes eroticism and appeals to gay people. Homoerotic content may be explicit (two men kissing), or more subtle (a sexually charged gaze shared between men in a film)
• Queer coding - the construction of an individual as ‘gay’ through a series of symbolic codes
• Advertorial - a combination of an advert and an article. In the UK, it is legally essential for producers to declare if an article is actually an advert, in order to allow the audience to make an informed decision, and so as to mislead anyone
• Queer - A catch-all and potentially inclusive term to refer to gay, lesbian, transgender etc people. 
• Ally - a straight person who supports the LGBTQ+ community
• LGBTQA+ - Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, asexual and so on

Analysis

• A number of adult themes are alluded to, including references to sex toys, and sponsored advertorials about adult toys 
• The representation of out and proud gay people is still a point condition among some people in society, and even teaching attitude online may be seen as problematic to certain people
• The website often features highly sexualised images that verge on soft-core pornography
• The article “14 not entirely SFW images of gorgeous guys from BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! volume 7”. This article features full frontal and sexualised nudity, yet justifies its inclusion by taking an artistic and even classy mode of address. The article also allows gay men to feel the gratification of seeing representations of themselves. By being represented, Attitude attempts to avoid the othering of gay men, presenting a strong and proud representation of queer identity. Also, the article provides the audience with sexual gratification
• The politics tab covers broadly UK political news, indicating a British target audience. However, every story discusses how this political news related to queer people, and therefore allows the website to target its audience. In the article “Keir Starmer was ‘beaten up’ as a teen after protecting gay friend”, Starmer is represented as an ally, and therefore aligned with the ideological perspectives of the website. Additionally, by being ‘beaten up’ Starmer is represented as being brave, selfless and even vulnerable. By being beaten up for his beliefs, Starmer therefore is highly relatable to many gay people. 
• However, Attitude will often fixate of a negative and upsetting representations of discrimination against queer people. 
• In the article “Trans campaigner Jaxon Feeley vows to fight Liz Truss’ bill targeting trans children and healthcare”, a defiant mode of address is constructed, while it still being acknowledged that that rights of queer people are under threat 
• In the article “Prepare to sleigh with MODUS VIVENDI’s Party Collection for Christmas 2023”, the male models are heavily queer coded. The extravagant elbow high leather gloves, the revealing and highly sexualised costumes, and the emphasis on muscles all construct a stereotypically gay representation. The article is clearly objectifying and sexualising these male models in a manner switch is highly conventional for mainstream 
• The ideologically and hegemonically cultivated norm in media is that women are often sexualised. However, by drastically subverting this norm, attitude online is specifically differentiating itself from mainstream, hegemonic and ‘heterosexual media’ 
• A different standard of male attractiveness is cultivated through the website that clearly presents it as a product targeting gay men
• In the article “14 not entirely SFW images of gorgeous guys from BOYS! BOYS! BOYS! volume 7”, gay men are represented as both beautiful and appreciated. In a black and image of A nude man on a horse, a series and yet artistic mode of address is constructed. The target audience for this website is clearly gay men, and the specific emphasis of muscled bodies and buttocks points to a queer coded and highly sexualised representation of gay men for gay men. The emphasis on buttocks is quite different from the sexualisation of men in non-queer media, and presents a rebellious over-emphasis on sexuality to challenge the dominant ideology that gay people ‘should’ be invisible 
• In the article “Mary & George’s Tony Curran on gay roles and giving Nicholas Galitzine a ‘Glasgow kiss’ during an intimate scene”, the website focuses on queer aspects of a new TV show itself focuses on queer themes. By featuring a new and popular TV, Attitude is able to appeal to a broader gay audience
• There are a variety of articles featuring celebrities coming out. The target audience will look up to celebrities as inspiration. The normalisation of coming out, itself a huge aspect of many gay people’s identity, and promotes an ideology of being comfortable and proud of one’s sexuality 
• Even straight men are objectified in the website. In the article Harry Judd wants you to watch him getting nailed for Sport Relief”, Attitude represents a heterosexual man as a sexualised representation for a gay male audience. The sole purpose of many of these articles is sexual gratification. Such representations are vital for certain artists, as it helps them to attract a completely new audience. Statistically, gay men are less likely to have dependants, and more likely to have disposable income. Sometimes referred to as the pink pound, this means gay men are often particularly desirable to advertisers
• While many articles focus on positive and cheerful representations of smiling gay men, many other articles focus on negative representations. For example the article “LGBTQ charities respond after NHS England pauses puberty blockers for children” discusses a measure which will be close to the heart of many people reading this . Additionally, articles such as “Trans campaigner Jaxon Feeley vows to fight Liz Truss’ bill targeting trans children and healthcare” serve to reinforce the ideally that queer people are being erased, and marginalised in society. However, these representations of queer people as vulnerable are balanced out through the ideology that such measures should be fought against. These articles represent queer people as both vulnerable, yet strong, as political and willing to fight
• The inclusion of ‘style’ as a subheading in the menu bar reinforces a stereotypical assumption that gay men are stylish and interested in fashion
• In the article “Prepare to sleigh with MODUS VIVENDI’s Party Collection for Christmas 2023”, a camp mode of address is constructed.