Research - Representation of Families

 Race and Gender 

A male celebrity as a magazine cover with children showcase that not all fathers, especially those of color , are avoiding their life responsibilities. It can be found that men are typically on magazines as symbols or pieces of a human rather than an entire individual. Men have a history of being featured in “Playboy”, “Sexiest Man Alive” and music magazines that have subheadings that insinuate a sensual mood or showcase their talents. However, shifting focus to showcase men as an authoritative figure can remove that stigma from men on magazine covers. Having a background knowledge about the individual on the cover can spruce up the stories mentioned being that you know about their career life but now you’ll receive more information about their personal life. Stephen Curry is the face of parents magazine in the following example, he is known for being Point guard for the Golden State Warriors but from this image we can clearly examine his activity as a father. Being that Stephen Curry is a NBA player and a father of two toddlers, his feature story will hold more significance rather than him being a “standard” male. Furthermore, another additive towards this magazine is the role of genders. Being that he has two daughters it can be found that he can be seen as even more favored because of the stereotype that “daughters gravitate towards their dad.” Viewers appreciate men with their daughter since it releases a less masculinity side that won’t be seen if a son were involved. Like I mentioned earlier, race plays a factor within choosing models in a family magazine because African American men , men of color, have a history of leaving their families for a life they would rather live. This is why it was important to feature someone who not only holds significance as a father but holds significance as a man of color balancing all of life's responsibilities.

A family of four or more are most eye catching in family magazines. This structure demonstrates unity which is what most look for in  family based content.. Oftentimes, families are broken up and living situations can be difficult but providing images and stories of families who are still together provides a sense of hope and inspiration for those who haven't experienced that. This image includes a heterosexual couple with their 3 almost 4 children. Different from a magazine of a single father or mother, married couples can look at cover pages like these and be remembered of the importance of being together for the sake of their family. On the contrary, magazines like these could also be considered false advertisements to those parents who raise their children on their own. Magazines like these are seen as unrealistic because not couple who has children together always last to create an image like the one above.

Cover pages cater to the different situations of parenting, magazines provide a wide range of possibilities when it comes to children and their parents. Similar to a “dad and daughter” image, “mom and son” images are ideal for single parent individuals.  A mother and son bond has evolved for years into a well-known stigma that has not been shaken. The effect of this image can be many things such as women empowerment by raising her son, cooking ,as women are known for contributing to within a household, and even being active because their relationship appears to be full of activities which can also be seen in the subheadings. By not utilizing a celebrity model, the content of the magazine can be attended to more as well as utilized in future publications. Additionally, a family who is not colored plays a role in the representation of the magazine. This representation delivers an atypical effect being that Caucasian couples are more likely to remain together than other races so despite the circumstances Caucasian women can still be involved and as either family despite not having a husband. Race is a form of demographic which can ,mostly, be identified through the cover page. The demographic of this magazine appears to be for Caucasian individuals who are female.