Blog & Discussion Assignment

Retailers Say No-Go to Music Magazine’s Racy Gaga Cover

U.K.’s Q turned away by some stores over provocative image of pop music star.

By Jason Fell
02/26/2010 -12:37 PM

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Whoa, under boob!

OK, now that that’s out of the way … U.K. music and news title Q Magazine is facing some closed doors across the pond in the U.S. in terms of retail distribution. The “100 Most Shocking Moments in Music” issue, on newsstands this week, features current pop music sensation Lady Gaga on the cover. As we see to the right, there's some exposed lower breast and, yes, she's wearing some type of, ahem, attachment.

According to the magazine’s Web site, the racy cover has sparked some negative response from retailers in the U.S. It says Borders stores are refusing to carry the issue unless the “offending area is covered up, also expressing some concerns over ‘crotch grabbing.’” In addition, the magazine said New York State law prohibits retailers from carrying magazine “showing anything below the nipple.”

While other retailers haven’t said whether or not they’ll carry the issue, Q said some have requested it be sealed in a bag not only because of the cover but due to the “shocking” moments associated with the feature story (read: Murder! Beastiality! Kidnapping! Incest! Necrophilia! Rollerskating coke dealers!).

At first glance, this cover does look potentially offensive and honestly pretty ridiculous. But Lady Gaga is arguably the best music artist to have on the cover of a “most shocking” magazine issue. The magazine obviously exploited the 23-year-old’s eccentric personal style and well-reported sexual ambiguity for this cover.

Of course, this isn’t the first time recently that a magazine has been deemed too racy or controversial by retailers. Hudson News placed a piece of paper over the window display copies of GQ’s January 2009 issue, which featured actress and former John Mayer flame Jennifer Aniston on the cover wearing only a tie and a smile. Last March, Jo-Ann Fabrics banned an issue of, yes, Quilter’s Home for a feature called “Shocking Quilts,” which included images of “fabric falluses,” "gun-toting Jesuses” and a “newborn peering out from his mother’s lady parts.”

Who knew quilters were so naughty?

I thought this article found on folio.com was perfect for this assignment. This article about Lady Gaga and Q Magazine relates with what we have learned in class because it deals with a major controversy within the magazine industry. Not only does this article about Lady Gaga promote synergy, but it also deals with censorship. A lot of people do not want their children to come across this cover of basically a "naked" women. This can relate to when in 1998 a New York school district removed Seventeen, Teen, and YM magazines from their middle school library's because they had concern over sex and health columns that were in the magazine. The cover of the magazine also deals with ethical issues. Is Q Magazine trying to seek innovative ways to sell their magazine, or do you think Q Magazine knew exactly what they were doing and went against many reader's ethical views?

Media Journal Assignment #1

February 5, 2010 was the day I started my personal media journal. You never realize how much media you really do take in everyday, until you write it all down. Media is there the minute you wake up for class, to the minute you go to sleep at night. I kept track how the way I use media throughout the day, my purpose for tuning in or turning the page, kept track of my mood and how my consumption affected my mood, and kept track if I learned anything new that day.

While looking at my final product of my media journal, I realized that I use all types of different media throughout the day. I watched television, read magazines, read a book, listened to my IPOD and radio, and surfed the web a lot. In the morning, the first thing I did was turn on the television to watch Regis and Kelly. I’ve grown up watching that show because of my mom so I enjoy listening to it while I’m getting ready for class. Then right after that, I went onto the internet to check my e-mail, look at my facebook account, and look at the weather. I do not read the newspaper often, but The Keystone had just came out the day before and was sitting on the kitchen counter, so I read the cover story while eating breakfast. The rest of my day consisted of listening to the radio on my way to class, listening to my IPOD, going on the internet multiple times throughout the day, watching television shows, reading magazines, watching a movie, and finally ending the day by watching the news on television.

My purpose for tuning in or turning the page for all my uses of media were all for social functions. I watch my different television shows for enjoyment, I read my magazines, books, and watched the news for surveillance, and went onto the internet multiple times for enjoyment as well. I love watching and reading about celebrities and their lives so, my purpose to reading the magazines and going onto the celebrities websites is so I can keep up with the social currency.

My mood throughout the day changed all the time. When I was on the internet looking at all different websites about celebrities my mood was excited and happy because the information was something I wanted to read about. When I was on campus checking my e-mail or reading in my textbook, my mood was slum because I was doing things related to school work and was not too excited about it. When I was watching television I felt relaxed because it didn’t feel like I was really doing anything. I had the same feeling of relaxation when I was reading the magazines and reading my book.

I learned throughout the day about a lot of different things. I learned about what was new in celebrity’s lives, learned something new while reading a case study in my textbook, learned about how a Kutztown student was in Haiti during the earthquake from The Keystone Newspaper, and I learned about what was going on in the world that day when I watched CNN Anderson Cooper 360. I don’t normally watch CNN, but it was late and I think Anderson Cooper is interesting. I don’t think that any of the news with celebrities was very useful, but the information I learned in my textbook, the cover story in The Keystone Newspaper, and the news I watched at night I feel were useful because it was about important things going on in the world. I definitely think that I should change how much celebrity media I consume throughout the day. By looking at my journal I kind of see that it controls my day looking at celebrity media or even watching it on television. I should watch more news on television or read more newspapers with useful content that I can actually relate to.