*muscular
*strong
*smug
*intimidating
*massive
*tough
This magazine cover of Arnold makes me feel that he is a pretty intimidating guy. He is shown flexing his biceps and it appears that there is an explosion behind him. I also find him to be a cool, calm, and collected individual based on the setting of the explosion.
Characteristics Based Solely on Look of Cover #2*well-dressed
*confident
*personable
*outgoing
*friendly
This second magazine cover depicts Arnold as a personable and friendly person. It also appears that he is a powerful, wealthy person based on his appearance and dress.
Deconstruction of Cover #2
The cover from Esquire Magazine is attempting to depict Arnold as very personable guy who society would definitely want as a governor of their state. The conveyed message would be an idea of both Esquire Magazine and the Republican Party. The magazine would be interested in using Arnold for the cover as it could spark revenue and sales as the actor/politician was a hot topic at the time. The Republican Party would definitely be interested in the magazine cover as it is positive press for their candidate.
The target audience for this cover is primarily voting males, typically businessmen or more wealthy individuals. The text of this cover suggests this as the target audience as Arnold was running for Governor of California at the time, and his appearance and facial expressions attempt to relate with the wealthy business class, but also show himself as personable at the same time. The other text that relates to Arnold is the caption "The Next Governor of California, Really" to entice the audience into believing that Arnold's campaign is not a joke, but a full fledged campaign with a serious possibility of being elected.
The subtext of this cover only represents positive messages from Arnold's life in order to improve his candidacy. The cover represents a "strictly business" approach for Arnold to deter the audience away from thinking that he is purely a "meathead". It suggests that Arnold is more than an actor and that he could govern the people of California in a highly effective manner. I think the subtext also suggests that Arnold is a very family oriented man by having him point with his right hand in order to show his wedding band. Such a symbol is huge as Americans typically want a family oriented person in office, not a playboy or movie star.
This message serves to empower the people of California to vote for Arnold. It may not lift up their spirits in any major way, but it serves to establish public confidence in Arnold as a politician. And as we all know, the public opinion is just about the only thing that matters when it comes down to election time.
The magazine cover uses a few tools of persuasion to try and woo the audience over. The first major example is the wedding ring that is shown on Arnold's hand in the image. Stories had surfaced about Arnold being a player amongst the ladies, yet the small band on his finger gives the viewing audience a symbol of marriage. It shows that Arnold has committed to a woman just as he would commit to the state if elected, or at least that's what the magazine wants us to believe. The hopes of the magazine editors is that the readers associate the wedding band with Arnold being a strong family man. Another example of persuasion is the business casual dress. I don't know about you but when I think about Arnold, I'm thinking about the sleeveless, extra buff Terminator. In this case, the magazine exemplifies him as a classy individual, one that looks like he could run the affairs of an entire state on a day to day basis.
Overall, the magazine does a good job of painting a quality image of Arnold yet it leaves out several portions of his story. The magazine cover does not hint to or tell about Arnold's steroid use, or allegations of sexual misconduct, or about about his divorce. In order to get the full story, you would have to do an internet search or follow newspaper articles on such events and then decide for yourself.
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