A Semiotic Analysis : Signs of Masculinity on 'Grazia Men' Magazine Cover.

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Maranatha Christian University

ABSTRACT

Saya menyusun skripsi berjudul A Semiotic Analysis: Signs of Masculinity on GRAZIA Men Magazine Cover ini dengan memfokuskan pada muatan tanda-tanda maskulinitas dalam elemen-elemen visual dan tekstual yang terdapat pada halaman muka majalah GRAZIA Men yang diterbitkan di Australia pada Desember 2012. Edisi yang diambil sebagai sumber data merupakan edisi khusus pria pertama sekaligus terakhir dari majalah GRAZIA, yang semula memosisikan diri sebagai majalah gaya hidup khusus wanita.

Tujuan dari penyusunan skripsi ini adalah untuk mengurai penanda-penanda visual dan tekstual melalui proses signifikasi sesuai teori Semiotika yang dikemukakan oleh Saussure. Konsep-konsep yang terkandung pada penanda-penanda tersebut pada akhirnya dianalisis dan dicari keterkaitannya dengan konsep maskulinitas yang berlaku di masyarakat.

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APPENDIX

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Representation of gender can be sensed almost everywhere, as stated by David Gauntlett, a professor of Media and Audiences at Bournemouth Media School, Bournemouth University, in his book Media, Gender and Identity,

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According to an Australian sociologist and expert of masculinity Raewyn Connell in her Masculinities, “masculinity is what men ought to be” (Connell 70). This definition presupposes the idea of men that are somehow expected to be possessing some traits that are considered masculine. Dr. Will Courtenay, a professor of Sonoma State University, USA, states in his scholarly article entitled

Constructions of Masculinity and Their Influence on Men’s Well-Being: A Theory of Gender and Health, that “gender is constructed from cultural and subjective meanings that constantly shift and vary, depending on the time and place” (Kimmel, 1995 quoted by Courtenay 1387). On that account, I understand that both masculinity and femininity are subjects of construction defined by their surroundings.

In her book that I have previously mentioned, Connell has also stated that “Semiotic approaches abandon the level of personality and define masculinity through a system of symbolic difference in which masculine and feminine places are contrasted. Masculinity is, in effect, defined as not-femininity” (70). In the above statement, it is implied that any signs that are not considered feminine are to be taken as signs of masculinity.

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Saussure states that the former is a sound pattern and the latter is a concept (Chandler 14).

In this thesis, I decide to discuss the signs of masculinity in GRAZIA Men magazine cover. I chose a magazine cover as the source of my data as I agree with Gauntlett’s opinion that “the magazines are indeed a ‘significant site’ for discourses of masculinity, which are reflected, reproduced and perhaps manipulated on their pages” (117).

I decide to analyse how the magazines has put the elements of masculinity onto the cover of its first edition in order to distinguish the male version of the magazine from the female version.

The brand name GRAZIA claims itself as “Italy’s fashion bible and one of the most prestigious European fashion magazines” (Grazia International). It has been previously famous only as a female lifestyle magazine and has now been published in 22 countries including Indonesia. The publisher of GRAZIA later on decides to publish the male version of the magazine under the name “GRAZIA Men” (ibid.). The official Web of GRAZIA International states that “Grazia Men presents Grazia’s easy-chic menswear fashions with interviews and info about celebrities presenting Grazia’s menswear style” (Grazia Men).

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magazine that was published in Australia, as well as being aware of how GRAZIA Men magazine has tried to show the image of masculinity through some signifiers on the cover that differentiates the magazine from the original female version of GRAZIA.

(Words: 702)

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The problems in this study are formulated as follows:

1. What are the visual and textual signifiers and signifieds of the data? 2. How do the signifiers of the data reveal the concept of masculinity?

1.3 Purpose of the Study

Following the statement of the problem, the purposes of the study are: 1. to find out the visual and textual signifiers and signifieds of the data.

2. to figure out how the signifiers of the data reveal the concept of masculinity.

1.4 Method of Research

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1.5 Organisation of the Thesis

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

In this chapter, I will provide a conclusion of the study which is based on the findings and discussions in the previous chapter. I will also present my personal opinion about the topic of the study, as well as some suggestions for general readers and other researchers who might also be interested in conducting further research related to Semiotics, media, and masculinity.

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one idea: masculinity—be it from the general point of view or from the western culture point of view.

Moreover, after analysing the data, I understand that the signifiers can reveal the concept of masculinity through many ways. Some of them conform to the concept of masculinity directly. For example, the colour blue, the word

competition, the wrist watch, and the tattoos are directly associated to the concept of masculinity. Another example is the names of male celebrities that are featured on the cover of the magazine, which have been considered as the icons of masculinity by society. Therefore when we read their names, there is a strong probability that we would associate the names with the concept of masculinity.

Meanwhile, some others have to be related to other concepts first before they can finally be associated to the concept of masculinity. For example, on the cover of the magazine, we can find a signifier in the form of an emblem on the denim jacket worn by Joel Madden, which shows the flag of the United States. To analyse this signifier, I should first relate it to the concept of nationalism and then relate it to the concept of masculinity, as nationalism has often been seen as a masculine thing.

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Furthermore, one of the textual signifiers mentions the name of a Puerto Rican male celebrity, Ricky Martin, who is actually known worldwide as a gay but still considered as an icon of masculinity. This finding has led me to the conclusion that homosexuality is one thing, while masculinity is another thing. From this study, I understand that a man can be a homosexual yet still is considered masculine. This means that masculinity has got nothing to do with a person’s sexual orientation. This tells us that men ought not to be straight in order to be considered masculine.

In conclusion, GRAZIA Men magazine Australia has featured many elements of masculinity in its first edition that help distinguish the male version from the female one. Out of twenty signifiers found on the cover and discussed in the previous chapter, only three signifiers do not conform to the concept of masculinity found. Seventeen signifiers have proved that the concepts of masculinity are carried by the magazine through its visual aspect, which can be seen from the colour selections, gestures of the model, body and facial attributes, and font selections; and its textual aspect, which involves the choices of diction and name to be featured on the cover.

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In my personal view, gender is one of many things that are interesting to study, because it is simply everywhere to see and it is related to our life. Studying masculinity helps me understand that the construction of gender identity can be found even in a small thing like the typography, where the shapes of the edges of a written letter can define whether the character of the font is considered masculine or feminine.

I also find that gender plays an essential role in building some images of magazines; the other way around, magazines also have a great influence upon the construction of the stereotypes of gender.

It is quite ironic that due to the falling of the magazine sales, Bauer Media has discontinued both the female and male versions of GRAZIA magazine Australia early in 2013, thus making the first edition of the GRAZIA Men its only edition ever published. It would have been more interesting if the signs of masculinity on the cover of this edition could be compared to those of other editions.

Regarding that matter, I suggest that researchers who want to discuss a similar topic choose one magazine that has several editions as primary sources of the data so that the covers of the editions can be compared to each other to give a richer and more interesting results and findings.

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reading sources in order to be more aware of the signs of the gender identity that appear in our surroundings.

I also suggest that Maranatha Christian University, especially the English Department, provides the students with more recent and updated resources and literary works that discuss the Semiotics, gender and media issue as well as their interrelation. The aim is to help students solidify their knowledge about the connection between the science of signs, gender and the media.

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