Class and StatusGledis and Abigail.

Key code =

Abigail:

Gledis:

Group work:

Mind map of class and status.

Class and Status.

Working class.

Aristocracy.

Poverty – Economic status

High/low status.

Blue blood.

Job titles.

Political status.

Hegemonic masculinity.

Less manners + values.

Mingling with the upper classes.

Wealth.

Social status

White collar

Tories/Liberals/Labour.

Stereotypes about our topic.

• Common stereotypes concerning class and status are:

• Lower class families are uneducated and poor. They have bad manners and are typically engaged in criminal activity.

• Upper class people are snobby, arrogant, rude and tend to look down on others.

• Another upper class stereotype is that wealthy people usually tend to be unaware of how people in the ‘real world’ live and the problems they face.

• Being lower class limits your chances to succeed in life.

• Lower classes come from a particular ethnic background, and the negative stereotypes associated with that ethnicity are then linked to their class.

Debates about our topic.

• That your class affects who you become and what you can do.

• Whether class is relevant in today’s society (Boundaries of class are fragmenting and people are finding it harder to identify themselves as a particular class.)

• The varying limitations that being a lower class citizen enables, i.e. material deprivation can stop you from having the funds to purchase things needed for school (– your class is what has been your downfall).

• The link between class and status (i.e. Being a higher class gives you a higher status and vice versa.) – If this can enable corruption amongst the classes.

• Whether it is class that is important in society, or if its your ethnicity/gender.

British TV Drama’s that can relate to our topic.

•Downton Abbey –

•Upstairs Downstairs –

• - Merlin.

British TV Drama’s that can relate to our topic.

•Trinity –

•Larkrise to Candleford -

•Ever After – In this film, the character’s class holds her back, as she is a slave. When she pretends to be royal, this all changes for her, and its obvious that her class affected her status.

Films that relate to our topic.

• Mona Lisa Smile – A teacher who attended a state university is hired to teach at an upper class university. She finds that her students treat her differently because of the school she went to. The girls that she teach are taught to follow through with the traditional upper/middle class life, where they marry into a good family and become home keepers, which is traditional of the upper/middle class of the 1950s.

Films that relate to our topic.

People.

Makeup of this character shows that she may be lower class, as the makeup isn’t conservative and is overdone.

The hairstyle reinforces her class, as it is slicked back and looks quite chav-y. The big hoops

reinforces the chav stereotype,. An audience can gather this impression from just looking at her face.

Soap Opera

Brick wall behind, which could allude to an estate/council housing.

People.

He has a clean shave which again emphasises the stereotype that upper class people are very well-kept.

His neat hairstyle reinforces his upper class stereotypes as it makes him look very pristine and well-kept.

His shirt could suggest sophistication which is normally associated with people who are deemed as ‘posh’ or ‘snobby’.

Soap Opera

Exterior setting, which is crisp and clean looking, which looks like it could be part of a big garden.

People.

This character’s hair is styled well indicating she has more time/money to spend on her hair, and may even be middle class.

Her makeup is neat, but is much more toned down, this makes her look more middle class.

Her clothes are nice, and look like they’re from the upper end of the high-street which again suggests that she is middle class.Teen Drama

She looks arrogant, and quite cocky. Her stance makes her look like she doesn’t/won’t identify with those beneath her.

People.

The character’s hair is very messy and wild. This would enforce certain stereotypes and views which would deem her as lower or middle class as it would be assumed that she is not well groomed and doesn't know how to take care of her appearance. This is usually a stereotype of lower class people.

Her makeup is quite heavy, which is usually associated with lower class people as it looks quite tacky and unsophisticated.

Teen Drama

Facial expression: She has a little bit of a cheeky grin which could suggest she’s up to no good. This reinforces stereotypes that lower class people tend to be disruptive within society.

People.

Costume Drama

The only part of this image that suggests their class is their costume, which shows how important costume is. Their costumes are slightly worn, suggesting they’re hard workers, and may even be manual workers.

People.

Costume Drama

Her jewellery and crown not only imply that she is wealthy but also of a very high and important status.-Crowns are associated with royalty.

Her costume also emphasises her wealth and status as it is expensive clothing worn by royalty at the time of when the drama is set.

The pearl necklace implies wealth as they are an expensive piece of jewellery.

People.

Police/Crime Drama

The use of costume suggests that both characters have well paid jobs and therefore have a high status.

They’re both well presented and look professional and intelligent, which makes them seem middle class.

People.

Police/Crime Drama

The use of costume suggests that the characters are from a well respected profession, which therefore implies they are most likely middle class.Police officers are usually stereotyped as being middle class.

They are all well presented as their uniform is neat and so is their hair and make-up for the females.

Places.

It has connotations of being quite rough, where working class/ under class live. Locations like this are low in status, as an individual can instantly assume that negative thing will happen there, e.g. muggings and general crimes.

It creates a negative representation of stereotypes, as usually in television dramas, negative events happen in locations that look like this.

Places.

This stereotype is reinforced by the look of these types of houses.E.g. the large green front yard and the size of such houses (quite big).

Houses in London suburbia are usually thought of to be owned by very wealthy upper class families as they are quite expensive.

Houses such as this once would normally be placed in a nice quiet neighbourhood

Places.

A location like this usually creates positive representations of what a typical middle-class home would look like. It looks like it is in a good area, so an audience can instantly assume that events that may take place here are more likely to be safe.

This location matches up with what you could assume the home of the two barristers may look like, as it is expensive-looking and is inviting.

Places.

Apartments located right in the middle of major cities like London are usually quite expensive to rent out or buy. This is not only due to their convenient location but also the quality of the apartments. E.g. The building has a nice design and looks quite new and clean.

Such locations would stereotypically associated with people with middle or upper class people.

Places.

This reinforces stereotypes of the upper class, who typically spend a lot of money on massive homes. This reinforcement in some ways can be quite negative, as it can lead to resentment of the upper classes.

Places.

• The sleek white tables suggest sophistication and wealth.

• The white implies sterility which is stereotypically associated with someone who could be hostile.

• The isolated location also implies wealth and high class as apartments which are on the outskirts of the city tend to be more expensive.

Themes/Topics/Real World Issues.

• A real world issue regarding class and status is the way that lower class people are represented in the media.

• E.g. the London riots in the summer of 2011 were associated with lower class uneducated people.

• The people involved in the rioting were stereotyped as lower class people who lived in poor estate buildings.