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Jess Roxburgh

Attitude & Celebrity



Attitude is a British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Stream Publishing Limited. It is sold worldwide as a physical magazine and as a digital download. Studying Attitude as a digital media, the website for the magazine features several popular LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+ names. Dua Lipa, who is heterosexual but openly states she is an ally to the LGBTQ community, is used as one of the top stories for the Attitude website. Despite not being apart of the community, Dua Lipa has been represented as a 'gay icon' - a term in which she embraces. Gay icons can be male or female. They can be gay, straight, bisexual, or asexual.



Whilst her song 'illusion' does not actually have anything to do with the LGBTQ community, however it is about undergoing change and going on a journey of self-discovery. It is a topic that the community can relate to, but leaves the question as to if this article about a heterosexual celebrity is capitalising on her status as a 'gay icon'. In the article, she is represented positively, with a link to her song even at the bottom of the page. However, an article about a straight women on the homepage of a magazine that caters to the LGBTQ could arguably be seen as 'queerbaiting', and actively using her star power as a singer to garner in an audience for the magazine (and potentially her own fanbase, too!)



Celebrities who don't follow the new mainstream views, such as J.K Rowling, are represented very negatively by the magazine. The author has repeatedly stirred controversy over the last few years for her views on sex and gender. In this particular article, Rowling is portrayed as the aggravator, but claims to have no regrets. Whilst Attitude is very big on ensuring that the voices of the LGBTQ+ community are heard, this particular article also goes to show that they are also dedicated to discussing controversy and potentially bringing light to celebrities who are against a particular subgroup of the community.



Stuart Hall's idea of a 'shared conceptual roadmap' is particularly present in the article referring to celebrities who 'came out' in 2023. The term 'came out' is shared amongst society as a way for being apart of the LGBTQ community, referring to the idea of 'coming out of the closet'. Similarly, celebrities used in the main image are big names, some of who have previously been known for their relations to the LGBTQ community.


Billie Eilish, arguably the most known celebrity in the main image, is represented as having been always honest, but also not seeing her own sexuality as a big deal.

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