Representations in

MediaEmily Capon

These seven representations are based upon characteristics

that have been stereotyped into society by the media and not in

fact realistic or modern.

A stereotype is ‘ A portrayal of people or places through a few

obvious characteristics’

SexualitySexuality characteristics

Homosexual male;

Feminine stance and characteristics including an interest in clothes and hair , Loud and promiscuous.

Homosexual female;

Butch, short hair cut, tattoos.

Sexuality is put into different categories of how they are shown by;

Dress sense

How they come across to the audience

Personality

How they communicate with other people, are they loud/quite? Etc.

Interests

Sexuality Example 1.

One example of how a homosexual is portrayed in TV Drama is Kurt Hummel from Glee, Kurt conforms to the Stereotype of a homo-sexual man. This is portrayed by his costume consisting of over-the-top glittery outfits, caring about his appearance as well as the tone of his voice and is not afraid to express his sexuality and is very naive when it comes to typical male interests such as sport

Example 2

Thomas Barrow in Downton Abbey does not conform the stereotype of a typical gay man. Due to his job of being high up in the housekeeping ranks; he wears a formal costume and speaks with no exaggerated tone as well as making no reference to his sexuality. Thomas’ characteristics are determined by the time period as homosexuality was illegal and seen as abnormal, against humanity and beliefs. Thomas defies the stereotype a he is represented to be ashamed of his sexuality and furthermore this shows how the stereotypes have developed in society, Thomas happens to be gay rather than giving an stereotypical view upon his character.

ClassThe hierarchy of social class in the media creates stereotypes and influences our thoughts of characters because of the way we think as a society. When we see a character on a TV programme we can assume almost straight away what social class they are based on appearance. Working/Lower Class – people who work in basic jobs that don’t require much skill. Jobs such as cleaners, bin men, plumbers, warehouse men and many ‘blue collar’ jobs. Coronation Street, EastEnders. Because these jobs don’t require higher education training, people tend to assume people in these jobs lack intelligence and this leads to thinking they lack common sense. We make assumptions on peoples behavior based on their class, when you think of a working classed middle aged man going into a bar you’d imagine him to stereotypically order a pint of larger rather than something thought to be sophisticated like a glass of wine. Middle Class – People with 9-5 jobs that are more respected and require advanced higher education such as teachers. Have the typical ‘house wife and kids’ life, considered to be normal, with good family values and well behaved. My Family, Outnumbered. Upper Class –often shown as wealthy, a stereotype is very snobby and posh, tend to look down on others. Made In Chelsea, Downton Abbey.

Regional identity Regional Identity is identifying a person based on the setting of the film but also judged on speech, costumes, and the region they are from which can be shown through accents, costumes, dialogue and makeup. Also can be linked to social class. Stereotypes shown in television using regional identity include: Scottish – wear kilts, eat haggis, play bag pipes, quite aggressive. Welsh – often shown living in the countryside Irish– very friendly shown to be like leprechauns, stereotyped to wear green and live in the countryside. English – 2 stereotypes are popular, 1 being the posh English person who eats tea and cucumber sandwiches, the otherbeing rude and drinking alcohol. Southern – again 2 stereotypes, the posh rich Londoners, and the rural urban Londoners who are shown to be common, criminalistics lower class people.

DisabilityPeople with disabilities in the media are thought to be incapable to do anything for themselves and are frail people. They are cast as outsiders, less attractive and different for the wrong reasons. Its shown in ‘coronation street’ with the character of ‘Izzy’.One storyline is emphasised where she is desperate for a child but cannot have one herself so her friends help her out and has a baby for her. Traditionally in films villains were given a disability as a sign of weakness and that they are different. Although society has changed this view it is still thought that disabilities make people seen like they have a weakness and are difference and not equal to other able bodied people.

AgeYoung people are usually associated with crime and

rebelling against the older generation (the stereotype from

the 80+) The typical outfit which is stereotypical for a

teenager is a hoodie, jeans and trainers. The stereotypes

for older people are things such as rude and snobbish.

Slow, un-active, boring and constantly sleeping. All these

stereotypes are true to a certain extent in some places

within society. However the majority of these are

inaccurate because only a small amount of people fit into

this bracket.

GenderTraditionally, the female stereotypic role is to marry and have

children. She is also to put her family's welfare before her own;

be loving, compassionate, caring, nurturing, and sympathetic;

and find time to be sexy and feel beautiful. The male stereotypic

role is to be the financial provider. He is also to be assertive,

competitive, independent, courageous, and career‐focused; hold

his emotions in check; and always initiate sex, this can be found

in the likes of period drama for example Downton Abbey and Mr

Selfridge

EthnicityEthnicity is stereotyped in all ethnic groups. Stereotypically African-Americans are good at dancing, people of Asian ethnicity are geniuses and driven to serve their employers well. Furthermore, doing exceedingly well in academics. People of Hispanic origin do not have a good command over English and more often than not, are not fluent in the language. Gambling is one of the favorite pastimes of Native Americans. Typically African-Americans are good at playing basketball. This stereotype emerges from the fact that a large percentage of professional players are of African-American origin. Caucasians are stereotyped into being racist and guilty of a racist attitude towards people of different ethnicity. Every one who belongs to the Middle East hates America and is a fundamentalist. This is one of the stereotypes that was perpetuated further in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. African-Americans are not very intelligent, tend to be involved in nefarious activities, and have big lips.