MEDIA & GENDER

JULY 1ST 2008 - 0CTOBRE 1ST 2011

Male body depiction in French gay magazines:

Is Mass Media a Tool to Caricature Masculinity?

 

Main Focus :

Upon observing gay publications over the last 30 years in France, it is possible to notice their huge contributions, first to inform gays and lesbians about the evolution of their rights, second to provide social visibility to homosexuals and so engage the battle against homophobia.

In fact, the struggle to represent all the potential diversity of male/masculine identities tends to appear into the editorial content. However, in the fashion portfolios and commercials, and even more on front pages, the representation of masculinity is blurry. Indeed, analysis of images in current gay publications shows that men tend to be always depicted in the same way.

In Têtu, Préfmag1 and MMensuel, the three French gay magazines existing on the market today (they actually all disappeared), male models strike the unchanging static pose and are mostly portrayed in suggestive poses, well shaped, young, hyper-muscular, white skin and topless. It looks like these publications use this particular male body on their covers because they need to generate the purchase of the magazines’ issues. It seems that the only way is to produce some sexy pictures portraying attractive tough models because magazines appear to believe this is what the gay reader target is pushed by.

According to this point of view, masculinity seems to strictly echo eroticism and sexuality because the images are enticing and seducing: physically appetising. Focused only on the analysis of the images, how can we define masculinity through gay magazines and in Têtu in particular? How do we explain the manner in which masculinity is portrayed? Have this manner changed over time ? If so, according to which criteria? The way masculinity is embodied, what does it mean to readers? In a broad perspective and even if male models on covers are not necessarily gay men, they strike the pose for magazines labeled as gay. Does their performance of masculinity have any impact on the way to consider or identity gay men?