Week #4 Activities - ARNOLD!!!!

The two faces of Arnold.  Arnold recently divorced his Kennedy wife, he is out of politics after serving as California Governor for several years.  A search for images of Arnold through Google shows a variety of images.  Talk about body image, from sculptured & fabulous to looking like a normal, physically fit individual.  He has run the gamut.

 

As a middle aged female I would stop and look at this cover on the newsstand.  Bright, bold colors with what strikes me as flames which implies heat & Fire makes the cover jump.  Of course, I’m drawn to Arnold.  A muscle bound super hero of my youth, ahhh yesssss Arnolddd….  Sighhhhhh….

This is a fitness magazine geared towards body builders who want to chisel and tone their bodies.  This magazine is typically read by males, although there are some female body builders.  Utilizing Arnold as their “cover girl,” supports their primary article in this issue, “20 inch arms.”  Arnold was known for his massive shoulders and arms.

This magazine provides tips and tricks to develop your physique and it alludes to action packed insides and encouragement as to the amount of content by referring to the page number on the cover.

The cover conveys power, strength, endurance, brutish reality.  If help is needed, don’t call in the calvary, call Arnold!

I remember seeing this cover and thinking really?  Arnold?  Wow, you’ve changed.  The softer colors and graphics as well as the inset cover image cause the magazine to appeal to a softer man or even a female audience.  The content is geared toward the intellectual mindset as opposed to the physical and brutish of the previous piece.

I believe the strategic placement of Arnold’s hand and his wedding ring are creating a connection to individuals with family values and a connection to others.  This magazine cover showcases a man who was known for his physique and strength for more than 20 years and in this image he looks normal, just like the next guy.  The use of a dark suit with a power tie is intentional.  His personal strength and potential power (be it physical or political) are alluded to in the large hand.

This magazine is geared towards provide confidence in the educated readership, which is predominantly male that this historically physically powerfull male as the same values (marriage, family) as they do, that he is a serious politician (power suit & tie) and that he will be there for the reader (the “Uncle Sam” pose.   His smile and facial expression show him to be a non-aggressive, happy individual which instills confidence.

 

Activity #3

There is an incredible contrast between the two covers which represent two very different points of view.

I believe I covered the majority of these items in the deconstructs, but to summarize.  In showing Arnold in two separate settings there is a very clear comparison on how altering the tone of the color through the use of graphics, color, and content affects the perception of the exact same person.

I am also struck by the use of Arnold on the cover of Muscle & Fitness in 2003, which is the same time that a much milder, and sedate Arnold is on Esquire.  This is an intentional marketing ploy and may have been orchestrated by Arnold’s PR team to broaden his readership and following.  Typically, those who read one of these magazines would not read the other.

It is the simple things that show a difference as well, the script of the second title shows a certain feminity, while the bold., block style of the first reinforces power and strength.  Bold state of content vs. a sublt use of text with the addition of a feminine graphic.

It would be interesting to make minor modification to each piece to see if it would be possible to balance out the message and exude the exact same message, mjust by alter the colors and the fonts.