Representations
Male Stereotypes
Jock
Tough
Strong
Cannot cook, sew or do crafts
Cannot clean or take care of children
Sexualising everything
Must work every day
Doctors, not nurses
Must do all the hard work
Play video games
Play sports
Do the dirty jobs - construction and mechanics
Enjoy working on cars
Do not do housework
Enjoy outdoor activities - camping, fishing, and hiking
In charge
Tell the wives what to do
Are lazy and/or messy
Good at maths
It is always men who work in science, engineering, and other technical fields
Female Stereotypes
Housewives
Have babies
Lower than men
Have to constantly look good
Unemployed
Youth Stereotypes
Wear hoodies - label people - the mental picture of what a young person is through the media - effect the way we respond to youth
Have life easy
Insecure
Easier exams
Criminals
Drugs
Alcohol
No interests in politics
Knife crimes
Phone obsessed
Brain dead
Can't drive
Moody
Wear a full face of makeup
Tracksuits
Age Stereotypes - Elderly
A bit slow
Old fashioned
Dumb
Bafoon - Men
Grumpy
Black People Stereotypes
Archetypical strong black woman
Dance
Can't swim
Likes chicken
Sing
Loud
Violent
In gangs
Thugs
Essex Stereotypes
Spray tan
Loud
Short tempered
Short/tight clothing
Over the top
Slang
Dumb
Scottish Stereotypes
Alcoholics
Argumentative
Drug addicts (heroin)
Rugby
Gingers
Pessimistics
Love haggis
Always wears kilts
Tough as nails
Always saying 'wee' and 'laddie'
Bag pipes
Ethnicity vs. Race
Definition - An ethnic group or ethnicity is a population group whose members identify with each other on the basis of common nationality or shared cultural traditions
Significance - Ethnicity connotes shared cultural traits and a shared group history. Some ethnic groups also share linguistic or religious traits, while others share a common group history but not a common language or religion.
Race
Definition - The term race refers to the concept of dividing people into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of physical characteristics (which usually result from genetic ancestry).
Significance - Race presumes shared biological or genetic traits, whether actual or asserted. In the early 19th century, racial differences were ascribed significance in areas of intelligence, health, and personality. There is no evidence validating these ideas.
Representation of race in the media can consist of the same sort of rigid stereotypes that constitute gender portrayal. Stereotyping of race is seen as more harmful than stereotyping of gender, as media representation may be the only experience of contact with a particular ethnic group that an audience may have (especially children and young people). Racial stereotypes are often based on social myth perpetuated down the ages.
Alvarado's Race Theory - Four key themes in racial representation:
-exotic
-dangerous
-humorous
-pitied
Black racial stereotypes: Positive and negative stereotypes are often seen in contemporary British media:
-Musicians – jazz, hip-hop and soul
-Sportsmen and women
-Comedians
-Criminals
-Socially dysfunctional
-Prostitute/sexually promiscuous
-The stud/pimp
However, more positively, we have also become accustomed to seeing black people as successful athletes. But of course, the problem with these representations is that black people have far more diverse talents than just those these stereotypes suggest.
Recently, however, due to the increase in reporting of gang-related crime, young black people have been associated with knife and gun crime and are frequently cast as criminals. The rise in popularity of American Hip Hop music has also spread the stereotype of young black men as gangsters.
Rebellious
beauty (within narrow conventions)
size/physique (again, within narrow conventions)
sexuality (as expressed by the above)
emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings
relationship(as opposed to independence freedom)
Women as housewives or mothers
Sex objects (sexualized and objectified) represented to entertain and titillate the male
Young
Slim
Overwhelmingly white
Conforming to our image of ideal beauty (perfect skin, hair and alluring gaze).
Laura Mulvey was a theorist and a feminist. Mulvey came up with the concept of the male gaze in 1975. Here Mulvey wrote a very influential essay ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’. Stating that women are used for visual pleasure- women are made to seem like sexual objects through voyeurism. She argued that women took the passive part of a film and that all men played an active part, in her eye the women were objects
Van Zoonen (feminism and patriarchy) believes the media portray images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views. The media does this because they believe it reflects dominant social values (what people believe in) and male producers are influenced by this. This is a patriarchy (a society ran by men for men) which dominates and oppresses women.
Women's roles tend to be smaller and fewer than their male counterparts. Due to the Patriarchal nature of our society - women are less likely to be the source of leading news stories (politics,
business, law and religion stories). Since their roles in these areas tend to be fewer in number.
Men:
Strength - physical and intellectual
Power
Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above)
Physique
Independence (of thought, action, finances)
Male characters are often represented as isolated, as not needing to rely on others (the lone hero). If they submit to being part of a family, it is often part of the resolution of a narrative, rather than an integral factor in the initial balance. It is interesting to note that the male physique is becoming more important a part of representations of masculinity.
How can you identify regional identity?
Setting
Accents
Dialogue
Props
Makeup
Class of characters
Costumes
Essex – often shown as being glamorous but cheap, footballer’s wives, lots of partying, being quite stupid
South England (such as Lord Sugar) – often shown as being the centre of culture, modern, classy, clever, sunny, richer, doing middle-class jobs such as managers.
Gramsci’s theory of hegemony can be visualised as the Middle classes (media, Judges (rule of law), Public, Education sector and religious bodies) using their influence to preserve the status quo.
The poor and working class are often represented in an unsympathetic /biased way (trouble makers, deviant as a means of preserving the power of the middle and upper class).
Representation of Upper class -
Mainly represented through the coverage of the monarchy,
Seen as well bred and cultured,
Represented through their accents, estates, and a taste for shooting and hunting,
Usually represented in costume and period drama.
Representations of poverty and underclass -
Portrayal usually negative and stereotypical,
Portrayed in the form of statistics in news bulletin such as figures of unemployment,
Recent media interest in the labelling of the poor such as “chavs” which according to Shildrick and MacDonald (2007) suggest that the poor are undeserving of sympathy,
Hayward and Yar (2006) – the term chav is used as an amusing term of abuse for young poor people
Representations of the working class
Newman (2006) argues that there are very few situation comedies, television or drama which focuses on the everyday lives of the working class who constitute a significant section of society,
Newman argues that when in the media working class are often depicted in a very non positive light dumb buffoons (Homer Simpson) and immature machos (Phil Mitchell),
Butsch (1992) – working class portrayed as flawed individuals (benefit cheats, etc.)
He plotted to set fire to the family home with his wife Mairead to frame Philpott’s former live-in lover Lisa Willis
The gamble was to save the youngsters, win back custody and get a bigger council house
After he was convicted, it also emerged that ‘Shameless Mick’ faces a fresh police investigation for allegedly raping a woman
He was jailed for trying to kill a schoolgirl lover, stabbing her 27 times after she ended their relationship
He planned to ‘get rich quick’ – turning funeral funds donated by the local community into Argos vouchers
Working class - flawed individuals
Voice over the top
“Leg it” “Bird” “Drunken”
Running away from problems
Swearing around children
Camera going from one persons face to another
Quick zoom in and out
Everything happens quickly
Forcing someone to say stuff
People doing a runner
Borrowing money off people without they’re already getting money
Smoking in the bar
Saying “fuck” a lot
Drinking during the day
Quiet and peaceful in the morning
Running motion in the morning
Camera kept jumping to to different people
Nigel Farage
UKIP, the party which Nigel Farage supports, wishes to cut net migration levels to zero within five years by almost halving immigration into the UK; unskilled and low-skilled labor to be banned for five years, and skilled workers and students would need visas; a freeze on the opening of new Muslim schools until more progress has been made by integrating Muslims into mainstream society; ban Sharia courts and the wearing of face coverings in public places; postal voting on demand to be scrapped, with applicants having to demonstrate a genuine need before a postal vote is granted. In the poster that Farage is standing in front of, there are people of different races such as Asian and people of different religions such as Muslims - using them in the poster as they have stereotypes such as Islamophobia in the UK. The big queue of people almost represents the desperateness of the people trying to get in, it also shows the extreme of how many people are coming in; the amount of people coming in is too much for the UK to handle. The big, bold red letters purvey danger that the migrants will bring with them. At the end of the say, Britain is going to be the same that it used to be - everyone is going to look the same some people realise that we need migration.
Common stereotypes and theories of Youth/Age
Rebellious
Artificial tribe
Sexual
Nihilistic
Violent
Self-destructive
Through watching The Inbetweeners Series 3, Episode 5 (Will Is Home), it is clear that there are stereotypes of youth happening. For starters, they were disrespectful to the front garden and the flower sign on the roundabout, vandalising the properties around them - however, they thought it wasn't vandalism as they think it is when you break and smash items that do not belong to you. When one of the characters denies wanting to take part in the vandalising and tells his friends that he is going to a golf event, he gets told by his friends that it is a sport for the elderly and that he shouldn't be taking part. The teenagers are also put in the stereotype where they are sexually active, including wanting to date one of their friends' mum due to her recently signing up to Facebook and when they were playing on the Wii, the teenagers tried to make innuendoes on Will's mum to distract Will. The teenagers also asked their friend to throw a party whilst their parents were away, a clear stereotype being portrayed.
Hegemony - Head of Sixth Form
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| The Inbetweeners - Series 3, Episode 5 (Will Is Home) |
Common stereotypes and theories of Gender
Women:beauty (within narrow conventions)
size/physique (again, within narrow conventions)
sexuality (as expressed by the above)
emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings
relationship(as opposed to independence freedom)
Women as housewives or mothers
Sex objects (sexualized and objectified) represented to entertain and titillate the male
Young
Slim
Overwhelmingly white
Conforming to our image of ideal beauty (perfect skin, hair and alluring gaze).
Laura Mulvey was a theorist and a feminist. Mulvey came up with the concept of the male gaze in 1975. Here Mulvey wrote a very influential essay ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’. Stating that women are used for visual pleasure- women are made to seem like sexual objects through voyeurism. She argued that women took the passive part of a film and that all men played an active part, in her eye the women were objects
Van Zoonen (feminism and patriarchy) believes the media portray images of stereotypical women and this behaviour reinforces societal views. The media does this because they believe it reflects dominant social values (what people believe in) and male producers are influenced by this. This is a patriarchy (a society ran by men for men) which dominates and oppresses women.
Women's roles tend to be smaller and fewer than their male counterparts. Due to the Patriarchal nature of our society - women are less likely to be the source of leading news stories (politics,
business, law and religion stories). Since their roles in these areas tend to be fewer in number.
Men:
Strength - physical and intellectual
Power
Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above)
Physique
Independence (of thought, action, finances)
Masculinity and Violence One area that has been the focus of many studies is the relationship between males and violence in the media. Earp and Katz (1999) studies male representations in the media and found “a widespread and disturbing equation of masculinity and pathological control and violence”. They claim that the media is responsible for a steady stream of images that define ‘manhood’ as connected with violence, dominance and control - and create it as a normal and accepted part of masculinity.
One recent development in the representations of masculinity is the Metrosexual (mid-1990’s). The young single man with a high disposable income, living in the city - as it is near to the best shops. Metrosexual man is not gay but is often confused with being homosexual. He is objectified and sexualised (turned into a sex object) which goes against traditional representations of masculinity.
The fool/buffoon stereotype is a tried and tested formula e.g. the bungling father in TV ads and Sitcoms. Usually well-intentioned and light-hearted, these characters range from slightly inept to completely hopeless in work or parenting and domestic situations. On the surface, it may seem a very pejorative representation of men However they still always come out on top!
One recent development in the representations of masculinity is the Metrosexual (mid-1990’s). The young single man with a high disposable income, living in the city - as it is near to the best shops. Metrosexual man is not gay but is often confused with being homosexual. He is objectified and sexualised (turned into a sex object) which goes against traditional representations of masculinity.
The fool/buffoon stereotype is a tried and tested formula e.g. the bungling father in TV ads and Sitcoms. Usually well-intentioned and light-hearted, these characters range from slightly inept to completely hopeless in work or parenting and domestic situations. On the surface, it may seem a very pejorative representation of men However they still always come out on top!
Comparing Genders
Lana Del Ray is naked and in a fetal position for her picture causing her to look innocent and childlike and childlike, her nakedness also causing her to attract more attention (this being a male magazine will most likely cause more copies to be bought). She is being stereotyped to be as an object for men - a sexual object - due to her weak pose and the absence of clothing. Stereotypically, Ray is being put in a stereotypically lower position with less power and for her to be more vulnerable. The societal norm for women is mainly to be used as a way of attracting people
Representation of Regional Identity
Regional Identity refers to the part of the United Kingdom someone is from. It could refer to a general area such a “North” or “South”, a country such as “English” or “Scottish” or specific towns such as “London” or “Manchester.”
Regional identity is identifying a person's identity which is rooted not only in the setting of the film but also in speech, costumes etc and in the region they live in.
How can you identify regional identity?
Setting
Accents
Dialogue
Props
Makeup
Class of characters
Costumes
Essex – often shown as being glamorous but cheap, footballer’s wives, lots of partying, being quite stupid
South England (such as Lord Sugar) – often shown as being the centre of culture, modern, classy, clever, sunny, richer, doing middle-class jobs such as managers.
North England – often shown as being poorer, bad weather, lower class, aggressive, less culture, less clever, doing working class jobs (such as builders, engineering and postmen).
Representation of Class
Working class - Those individuals engaged in manual work, often have low levels of educational achievement. The classic, traditional working class jobs include heavy labouring and factory based work. Comes from a heritage that can go back thousands of years.
Middle class - Those individuals engaged in non-manual work, often have higher levels of educational achievement. Classic middle-class jobs include everything from doctors and lawyers to clerical workers.
Upper class - The elite class that controls the majority of wealth and power in British society.
Underclass - unemployed, unemployable - below working class
Hegemony is a way to describe people or ideas that become—and seek to remain—dominant in society. The development of the term “hegemony” in media studies follows the work of Antonio Gramsci and Stuart Hall
The poor and working class are often represented in an unsympathetic /biased way (trouble makers, deviant as a means of preserving the power of the middle and upper class).
Mainly represented through the coverage of the monarchy,
Seen as well bred and cultured,
Represented through their accents, estates, and a taste for shooting and hunting,
Usually represented in costume and period drama.
Portrayal usually negative and stereotypical,
Portrayed in the form of statistics in news bulletin such as figures of unemployment,
Recent media interest in the labelling of the poor such as “chavs” which according to Shildrick and MacDonald (2007) suggest that the poor are undeserving of sympathy,
Hayward and Yar (2006) – the term chav is used as an amusing term of abuse for young poor people
Middle class (stereotypes) -
Presented as educated and successful as well as able to cope with problems,
Over represented in the media due to their lifestyle
Representation fits in with the hegemonic ideology of the dominant class in society,
Representation justifies the existing class structure and inequalities by suggesting people need to become more competent and successful in order to cope with life.
Presented as educated and successful as well as able to cope with problems,
Over represented in the media due to their lifestyle
Representation fits in with the hegemonic ideology of the dominant class in society,
Representation justifies the existing class structure and inequalities by suggesting people need to become more competent and successful in order to cope with life.
Representations of the working class
Newman (2006) argues that there are very few situation comedies, television or drama which focuses on the everyday lives of the working class who constitute a significant section of society,
Newman argues that when in the media working class are often depicted in a very non positive light dumb buffoons (Homer Simpson) and immature machos (Phil Mitchell),
Butsch (1992) – working class portrayed as flawed individuals (benefit cheats, etc.)
From this picture, it is clear that this man has lots of children and is probably in the working class. Due to their clothing, they are definitely not in the upper class - they are wearing t-shirts and jogging bottoms. The family are being portrayed in a negative light due to the family being a "vile product of welfare" in the views of the writer. At first glimpse, the reader may feel sympathetic for the man as he is being called "vile" in a newspaper, however, to be called "vile" publicly, he must have done something to be called that. Looking into what the man has done, it is clear that he deserves to be called a "vile product" of the "welfare"; he has "bred 17 babies" through "five women" just to "milk benefits system" and has then been found "guilty of killing six of [the children]". The title relates to the picture due to the there being his children in the picture with him who he has treated "like cash cows"; this anchorage generalises that everyone on welfare is like this, no one is different. Him being scruffy and dirty further enforces a negative view on the working class. Other people have payed for him (through the taxes they pay the government) so that he can look after his children - to which he has generated £60,000 a year in benefits - abusing the system and is a drain on our resources.
demonising working class - all working class are like this
"product" - dehumanising them - not human, they're objects
benefit cheats
"vile" - taxes aren't worth going to him
morally bad - planned to use funeral funds by local community into Argos vouchers
outfits - cheap ragged clothing - not wearing the best clothes
Mick Philpott treated his children like cash cows generating £60,000 a year in benefitsHe plotted to set fire to the family home with his wife Mairead to frame Philpott’s former live-in lover Lisa Willis
The gamble was to save the youngsters, win back custody and get a bigger council house
After he was convicted, it also emerged that ‘Shameless Mick’ faces a fresh police investigation for allegedly raping a woman
He was jailed for trying to kill a schoolgirl lover, stabbing her 27 times after she ended their relationship
He planned to ‘get rich quick’ – turning funeral funds donated by the local community into Argos vouchers
Yesterday Philpott, 56, shouted obscenities before saying ‘it’s not over yet’ moments after Mrs Justice Thirlwall asked for the verdicts to be received in silence ‘out of respect for the memories’ of the children he had killed.
In the opening shot of the episode, the camera begins far away - overlooking the council high rise flats/estate buildings and identifies the place in which the Gallagher's live and the fact that they are people of the working class. Whilst looking at the surroundings of the wide shot, it gives the viewers an example of the environment that the Gallagher's live in - a run down area, dull, dar, mess and dirty, with the streets scattered with litter. The editor in this shot has made the the sky grey and cloudy - making it look darker and duller than it actually is causing everyone to be more miserable than usual. Even in the opening credits, it is made clear that the people in Shameless have grown up around crime and that it stills goes on - the violence and stealing portrayed in the first few seconds; someone starting a fire in cars on the street for everyone to see; gangs full of people - scaring the children away from the spots that they were talking. When the car is on fire, there are plenty of people surrounding the car suggesting it to be an organised attack or a gang attack. The conflicting with the police reinforces the rebellious, dysfunctional and lack of respect that happens in Manchester. The violent scenes have generic and normal music in the background suggesting that this is nothing out of the ordinary - violence has become normalised - which then desensitises the people from violent attacks. During the scene at the party, the man is given knuckle rings for his birthday present by his father-in-law creating an urgency that he needs to protect himself. It is then led on to him being brought into the toilets and it's almost an initiation scene in which he has to hit a random "bloke" in the bathroom and beat him up; however, when he declines and walks away, the man still gets beaten up by the men who are holding him. The representation of the poor has become a figure of fun and humour, something to look down upon; it also represents them as being not independent and depends on those around them. Their lack of dependence can be seen when the characters are borrowing money, unknown to cooking and how to cook for themselves - leading to a house fire - and being not being able to know how to look after self, and that they live all together in one house creating a cramped environment. The father of the Gallagher family can always be smoking - probably is a chain smoker - and is always present with a cigarette in his hand; he also doesn't work and is getting money from welfare benefits (money which is meant to support you, but he uses it excessively); creating the effect that people who smoke and are not working waste their welfare benefits on cigarettes and not themselves beneficially. The close-ups of the camera tend to be shakey as if it is being shot in a first persons view; the fast pace of the camera moving shows how crazy and fast-paced the show is anyway - the people of Manchester live a disordered, chaotic lifestyle - with the camera moving from one scene to another proving a disorientated life
Voice over the top
“Leg it” “Bird” “Drunken”
Running away from problems
Swearing around children
Camera going from one persons face to another
Quick zoom in and out
Everything happens quickly
Forcing someone to say stuff
People doing a runner
Borrowing money off people without they’re already getting money
Smoking in the bar
Saying “fuck” a lot
Drinking during the day
Quiet and peaceful in the morning
Running motion in the morning
Camera kept jumping to to different people
Lots of swearing - poor parenting skills
Inappropriate sexual behaviour - in front of children
Heavily accented - reinforces that it is not a place where you don't want to be
Heavily accented - reinforces that it is not a place where you don't want to be
Men don't have the complete power - women step up when men misbehave
Bar scene - wherever they go, doom follows - dull lighting - negative representations of individuals
No need for sympathy - through behaviour to children (can't remember the birthdate of his child) - no respect for general society - disrespectful and rude - swearing
Stereotypes -
Chav
Violence/Crime/Stealing
Swearing a lot
Adults scaring children
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| Shameless Season 4 Episode 1 |
