CLASS AND STATUSBY OLIVIA AND JACK

STEREOTYPES

A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Common stereotypes are that all Americans are obese, Black people are good at sports and that men are messy and untidy.

CLASS

A SET OR CATEGORY OF THINGS HAVING SOME PROPERTY OR ATTRIBUTE IN COMMON AND DIFFERENTIATED FROM OTHERS BY KIND, TYPE, OR QUALITY.

STATUS

A RELATIVE SOCIAL OR PROFESSIONAL POSITION; STANDING.

STEREOTYPES OF HIGH CLASSThe media uses stereotypes to indicate to the audience information about a certain character.High Class can be stereotyped as:• Well spoken• Intelligent• Snobby• Well dressed• Rich• Superior• MaterialisticAn example of stereotyping the higher class in a TV drama would be Lord Grantham and his family in the TV Drama Downton Abbey.Downton Abbey conforms to the stereotypes of the upper class being well spoken, well dressed and superior to the lower social classes.A way of presenting the social status of the upper class is through a low camera angle to create the illusion of power in a character. The programme shows the family to have a materialistic outlook as they live in a large house with lots of expensive paintings and valuable heirlooms.

MIDDLE CLASS STEREOTYPES

Stereotypes of the middle class are:• Well educated• Owns own home• Nice Car• Plays Golf• Good JobAn example of middle class could be Jack Branning in EastEnders.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJJHBFKivcMJack arrives in a Mercedes C Class, he wears a smart suit and also in this clip he shows his police badge which portrays he has a good respectable job.

WORKING CLASSWorking class are stereotyped as:• Factory Workers• Rented Properties• Work for other people• State schooling• Manual WorkAn example of this in TV is within Gavin and Stacy:https://youtu.be/Qd7z_PLQ11EIn this clip, Smithy is driving a van. The audience can clearly see a ladder on top which implies he works in manual work therefore stereotyping him as working class. Also, he isn’t very intelligent or well spoken which also conforms to the stereotypes of the working class.