Evaluation question #2

How does your media product represent particular social groups ?

I feel as though my magazine not only represents a particular group but it also challenges them. The particular group that I feel my magazine is aimed at is young ‘hip’ males aged between 17-24. With a particular interest in rap/hip-hop music, and are keen with popular street culture and fashion. I feel that my magazine is aimed at these people but is designed in a way which challenges them, rather than having a hooded youth on my front cover, or a black man in a puffed coat, I decided to go in the oposite direction but still with the same genre, aimed at the same social group. Similar to how Esquire works, I decided that I would do a up-market rap magazine. I dressed my models a lot more formal, similar to GQ and used more formal english, but with the use of rap artists and street slang. Creating a more formal rap artist. Showing that they don’t all have to be violent thugs.

Looking at a picture of both my artist and the rapper Mr Hudson, there are immediately quite a few similarities that can be seen. In both pictures the artists appear to be in deep thought, as though they are quite complex character, leading to the idea that there is more to them that meets the eye. The most obvious similarity is that both rappers are white, seemingly putting a stop to the stereotype that all rappers are black, along with Eminem. Both dressed very sharply then gives them their own stereotype, that if they want to succeed as white rappers they may feel as though they have to dress more formally to become a successful artist.

The differences between these two photos and the artists I feel is the fact that my artist is looking into the camera, where as Mr Hudson isn't. To me this shows my artist as stronger figure, and possibly a bigger star than Hudson and therefore has more confidence.