How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Audience and representation within the media is a serious issue that is addressed, and the producers of media need to take into consideration the effects of the way social groups are stereotyped and presented within their products. I believe that I have done this within the production of my music magazine, trying to avoid stereotypes, particularly negative, and present my new band in a fair and unbiased way.

The genre of an artist is often depicted through how they're styled and positioned, with more grunge bands being styled with darker colours, and more serious faces, and pop artists colourful and extreme poses. For my front cover, I have styled by band 'The Crows' in almost casual clothes. Both girls wear grey, purple and black colours, and with the limited colours they wear allows the colour theme of the magazine to follow. I think that this is a positive of the cover, as by limiting the colour theme it keeps the magazine from looking messy, and remains mature and  also shows a structure throughout the magazine, particularly connecting the front cover with the double page spread featuring an interview with 'The Crows'. The colours of greys and blake connote a more grunge sort of sound, which is the sound of the band. The addition of the purple connotes the fun that they also show from their music, and that they're a mix and enjoy the girly things, whilst bringing the casual, darker, fun side of them into their music. The casual clothing (t shirts, a top and jeans) connotes that the music industry wont change them, and I wanted them to appear more dressed down on the cover so that they don't seem fake at all. Not particularly wearing much make up, with a t shirt and clear direct address shows them stripped back. I wanted to represent them in this way as they are 'starting' their career, so the representation of them will connote the type of unconventional female grunge band, that at the same time as being career driven, is about having the best time of their lives.
The direct address was deliberately used in the cover to draw the reader in, but also present them as confident, and that they have nothing to hide. The quote 'Simon Cowell hates us..." reinforces this representation of confidence. I've positioned the front cover as a headshot of the band, avoiding stereotypical representation of women by exposing body or dressing them up extravigantly for fear of readers being more worried about the appearance of the band rather than the music. By using the headshot it avoids this, and focuses on the direct address, increasing pull of the reader.
My band is new and young, and has a target audience of young people with no gender specifications, however they do target people that care about music and not just the people that are in the top 10 of the week. I think that this is communicated well through how they are styled and presented, and is also working due to the fact that they are a kind of mirror image of the audience they are appealing too, young people (girls), interested in the same things as them (music, fun, parties at their age ect).
In some senses the representation of the Crows does not support dominant ideas about the social group. I think that young people are often perceived in a very negative way, with the idea that they do not care about anything serious, and are interested in breaking rules and making life harder for people around them. Associations with crime ect are often brought about with the subject of young people, teenagers in particular. 'The Crows' are presented to have the best balance between the fun of rule breaking whilst you're young, which will attract a younger audience, representing them as exciting and also real as the target audience will be able to relate to this and the frustration at the restrictions of youth, but also being able to be looked up to as a music artist through their manners (example of this through offering to buy reporter a drink and apologising for being late), sense of humour and how to stay responsible (mainly) whilst being in the spotlight of fame.
My band covers the social groups of females and young people, allowing the dominant social views to be challenged and met in different ways, however I think predominantly presenting them as respectable role models for the target audience of teenage music lovers.