The Big Issue - Representations

Messages and values:

• Editorial content is often critical of big businesses and banking
• Champions the political cause, and a role of individual within our society
• Often focuses on personal and social issues in their representation of celebrities
• Front covers tend to convey more left wing political beliefs in their representation

• It could be argued that the Big Issue privilages a white male perspective owning to an under-representation of people of colour and women on covers where an individual is a focus
• However, ethnic minorities and women are represented positively and they are featured as counter-types
• The big issue challenges stereotypes in its representation of excluded groups e.g. homeless people and street vendors shown in a positive and celebratory way

Social and cultural contexts:

• It reflects celebrity culture by often featuring a celebrity positively as their main focus of the cover as something that will appear to the audience. It is assumed the audience will recognise the people featured and their significance.
• Social inequalities are often reflected in their representations (perspectives is often a concern over issues of equality or campaigning for the less powerful in society
• Multiculturalism and feminism are reflected in their generally progressive representations of a variety of social groups.