2. How does your media product represent particular social groups?
My media product represents ethnic minority groups, this is shown in my magazine as it has three separate models all from different ethnic backgrounds like Kurdish, Jamaican and Nigerian. I believe that using models from different ethnic minority groups helps to represent the diversity and cultural cohesion that has been created from hip hop, as many people from varied social backgrounds tend to listen to this genre. Furthermore, using models from different ethnic minority groups will help prevent racial groupings/cliques amongst teenagers. This will help to create a platform for people to explore talents from different races and ethnicities creating a diversity and sense of belonging for the younger generations.
Moreover, my magazine particularly represents young adults as this is also my target audience (16-19). I did this by using younger models which helped to create the urban atmosphere needed for this age group. Furthermore, using models of the same age range as my target audience will help my audience to relate to their music and interviews. In addition to this, as youths are usually portrayed as rebellious and violent I resorted to taking single photos rather than group photos to avoid the representation of gang violence and activity in my magazine. This will help to shine a positive light on young people and possibly inspire my readers to not allow themselves to become these stereotypes.
Women are usually objectified for their sexuality in hip hop magazines, I created a counter type for this convention by avoiding clothing that would sexually objectify and expose the female models to the 'male gaze' (I found this in my theory research) I believe that I brought a new image as to how females are portrayed in hip hop magazines by doing this. I chose to represent them as a part of hip hop rather than accessories of the genre. Furthermore, during my case studies I saw that females were not featured on magazines as much as males, I challenged this by choosing to use two female models and one male model. Lastly, I successfully represented my target audience by using shots of female models that represent confidence and sense of belonging within the genre. This will help attract young females.
