Critical Approaches.

By Joe Gough

Men’s Health is a fitness weekly Launched by Mark Bricklin in 1987 as a health-oriented service magazine, Men's Health has evolved into a lifestyle magazine for men, covering areas such as health, fitness, nutrition, relationships, travel, technology, fashion and finance. The magazine consists of big powerful words on the front along with a man standing there. The media could see this as inspiration; they’re all big lads who are on the front.

Representation.

Men's health magazine is biased towards men. The magazine is about fitness but also includes other little additions, for example: Relationships, travel, nutrition Etc. The biggest percentage of age range is 18-49 (73%), men's health sells around 12,359,000 copies monthly. This come to terms that only a few people buy it (1/5 th of the UK) most likely to be body builders.

Sounds quick, easy, simple. Makes the customer think you can burn loads of fat off in 24 hours.

Brain washes you also as if to say you’re un fit.

The media gives false evidence that it is ‘easy’ to get abs, it almost sounds like if you buy the magazine abs will just start to grow all of a sudden. There is never any mention about all the hard work and effort.

David Beckham is on the front cover of a ‘fast fat burning’ magazine issue because they wont have time to work out with family friends Etc, so he needs to train the fastest way possible.

Style.

The style is set out purely just to sell the magazine whatever it takes to do so. The quotes around the edges are linked up like a spider diagram with the man been the starting point. ‘sexplosion’ any girl likes a ripped man so the quote fits in perfectly. With the all white background everything stands out because its plain behind the gaps. All that is getting mentioned is different ways you can turn fat into muscle, the media is trying to get it planted into your head that ‘ I want to be like that man on the front cover’. The logo is always kept the same in every issue.

The media have set the scene with an index categorized style a long the front cover of the magazine. This must mean that the media have gathered enough evidence off the customers who by the issues to know what to say. Every month the media bring a magazine out on different styles of bodies, for example: beach body, power lifting, bulking Etc.

The media also use ripped people on the front cover; this sells the magazine. If there was a skinny person on the front then it would be a waste of time because everyone would think they will end up like that.

Symbolism.

Cultural.

‘men's health’ magazine has a very personal approach to there target audience.

Technical

The front cover of the magazines are full of text all about weight loss/bulking up. This makes the customer think that he is getting everything he needs to know in just one issue. It is usually some advertisements on the left hand side and ways to get big quicker on the right hand column.

The text is what the media try and specify in because hat is what catches the readers eye, a long with the different colours. The models are usually taken at about a medium shot, this is so that they get most of the models body, face and part of there legs.

The magazine in general the media always make sure the person they are putting on the front suits the pacific colours what goes on the magazine.

Changes Over Time.

2000

Black and White

2013

Colour

The changes over time have changed rapidly, this is due to knew technology, progress and most importantly, finding who there target audience is. There is a lot more writing now than there was thirteen years ago. Cameras, lighting etc has all changed into HD, new computers have come out so now, this allows the media designers capture the best shots. ‘men’s health’ has changed from black and white to high definition, this instantly makes the magazine look ten times better. The magazines in the year 2000 had hardly any writing, now where in the year 2013, thirteen years on and there is loads on every issue. Also the colours have changed overtime, from the same plain old but eye catching colours to colour coordinated reds, blues, blacks etc.

The magazine's slogan is "How the Best Man Wins". The magazine targets men ages 21–40 years and features in-depth articles on fitness, nutrition, and sports, as well as sex tips, fashion advice, interviews, recipes, and surveys. This is a bit of an all round magazine but also fills in the rest of the basic information in from ‘men's health’.

Representation

The image below represents a pacific category so your eyes focus on that piece of art straight away (Abs) that is what this magazine is focusing on this month as you can see. The fact that the man is looking down with a white vest on joining up with the white writing a long with all the other little quotes around the edges. ‘Men's fitness’ isn't as popular as ‘men's health’ so they try and offer this magazine out to as many people as they can where as the ‘men's health’ is pacifically aimed at men. All of the little quotes listed below are all intense but are able to do them in a smaller period of time.

A man on the front doing what it says on the side, it joins up with the quote. The use of 4 week makes you want to try it because its only a short period of time. The sign is over the mans right shoulder and he is stood on an angle to the right.

The quote about ‘curry’ is in yellow. This relates to curry and also stands out because its yellow is a (bright colour).

It sounds so simple by the use of ‘8 moves’. This is to brain wash you so you buy the magazine and maybe attempt the challenge given.

84% of readers are maleAverage of 3279% of have made purchase over the internet72% wear a different aftershave/fragrance for different occasions or different times of the dayOver 70% said that they read Men's Fitness to look and feel good

Style.In ‘men’s fitness’ the style is laid out in a way, the use of different colours and bold text really stands out;

Colours: The colours are the main part of the issue… they make the magazine look really officiant, this is why colours are important to the media. The different sizes, fonts etc make the magazine.

Text: The text goes from big to small, this is so when you look at the magazine, you follow it all the way down to the bottom.

Image:

Symbolism.

Cultural.

Technical.

Changes Over Time.