Empire Magazine - Representation of men

 Empire magazine represents both men within the magazine and the men reading the magazine. However the audience are clued in and understand the text, they know that the men within the magazine and the men on the cover of the magazine are constructions and are mediated to be powerful, the heart throb and the hero. This is more of an appeal for the audience, they don’t look at the characters and see them as aspirational they look at them and see it more as this is the power of cinema and this is what Hollywood do all the time for stars.  

Men within the magazine are strong, independent and business orientated. They are successful through every aspect of the magazine weather that be in character, as director, in interviews and adverts etc.  

This is demonstrated with the cover of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine on the cover of Empire. Jackman is the perfect male to show this as he represents a typical male idol through being so muscular, he represents the idea that men want to be him and women want to be with him meaning he is desirable. His typical toned body and being attractive reinforce him as a dedicated actor and the aspect of him being charming but also strong and the bad boy are juxtaposed with each other. The dominant and powerful low angle shot is aggressive and confrontational as well as the added dull and dystopian background give the magazine a lot of tone and atmosphere and reinforce the idea that the magazine is for males as all of the cover lines show conflict highlighting the target audience as conflict is stereotypically linked to males. However the audience understand that this is an unrealistic physical appearance, massively successful and wealthy, they know it is not realistic and is not aspirational. The audience understand that this is what film does and that is part of its appeal, the audience like both film and this magazine and the fact that the magazine has the magic of cinema within it is a bonus for them, it is an alternative form of cinema. All of the representation of the magazine all adds to the escapism and entertainment of film.   

However, like every media text this magazine does reinforce dominant ideologies within society. Empire magazine suggests that men should be: hold positions of authority and responsibility, be dominant and desirable, be media savvy etc.   

Empire also in ways represent their audience as smart, funny and assume they enjoy action, comedy, fantasy, sci-fi more than culture and alternative cinema. Like every media text Empire magazine assumes what the audience want and like which may be wrong but may also be right. The main assumption of this magazine is that the audience love film and will understand that the magazine is a construction it is not meant to be taken at face value. They assume the audience will understand that they will never be Hugh Jackman or Wolverine but this is all just for show and to attract the audience and give them the aesthetics they want.