How does your media

product represent particular

social groups?

GOODMUSIC is targeted at British males and females aged

around 16 to 26. The majority of which will be

students, either in further or higher education.

Students are often represented in the media as

lazy, drunk, unmotivated, disrespectful and dangerous. I

wanted to avoid these negative representations with my

product.

Skins is a TV drama based on a group of sixth form students in

Bristol. Using it as an example of how the student social group is

represented in mainstream media, I will compare it to the

representation in my media product.

The program reproduces the negative stereotype that students are

troublesome, sex obsessed, drug and alcohol abusive, work-shy,

untidy, reckless and emotional.

Student representation in Skins (channel 4)

These representations are shown in Skins through the use of

mise-en-scene. Their costumes and make-up are often messy,

showing their untidiness and could reflect their drug and alcohol

misuse. They frequently skip college or work which represents

teenagers as work shy. They constantly have arguments and

fallings out which shows how emotional teenagers are.

However, the characters in Skins are into popular music,

parties, nightclubs, gigs and festivals. They enjoy their

friendships and have fun. These are all things that I tried to

represent the student social group as being like in my

music magazine, but in a positive way. Without the classic

stereotypes such as lazy or drunk.

I wanted to make sure that the student social group is

attracted to my product. So I represented them in a positive

way.

The model on the front cover of my magazine is relatively young, around

the age of students. I didn’t dress her in extravagant costume and make-

up because I want to keep the down to earth image of my magazine and

represent my model as a normal person. This fits the way my magazine

represents students. Unlike in Skins, where students are often dressed

untidy and messy.

Student representation in my media product

My artist is dressed relatively smart and presentable, giving her the

representation of being realistic as opposed to usual magazine photo

shoots, where the models will be overly made-up and Photoshopped to

perfection. Students will like this representation because there is no

effects or costume to change the way the model looks.

The unconventional pose in this

picture shows the is similar to a

student representation in Skins. It

is quite uncouth and may

represent the model as being wild

and maybe controversial which is

the kind of style that would appeal

to students.

Students are often trying to save or budget their spending because

they mostly only have part time jobs. I for this reason, I priced the

magazine quite cheaply for a monthly magazine.

This is also the reason why I used

this puff. Student will like the fact that

they get something extra free when

they buy the magazine. However I

have done it in a way that won’t

offend the audience by saying they

are poor or cheap.

Many students like things to be made easy, which is why my magazine

has a simple layout. In mainstream media such as Skins this could be

taken that students are lazy. I have avoided this assumption by trying to

make the layout and style of my magazine looking minimalist in a

sophisticated way instead of looking bare and empty. Therefore

presenting students with something easy and simple without them

thinking that it is designed this way because they are lazy.