REPRESENTATION OF CLASS IN MEDIA

Representations of the Monarchy• The British monarchy are often in the news, magazines

and on television and are rarely presented in any way other than positive

• The royal family are presented in a patriotic way, and encourage a sense of national identity and pride.

• The royal wedding and the Queen’s jubilee were televised throughout the world, particularly in the commonwealth and over 24.5 million people watched the royal wedding on BBC or ITV.

• This shows media representation of media affects millions of people throughout the world

Representation of upper class• Generally, in terms of media, the upper class are

presented in a positive way.• The lower classes are encouraged to feel envious of the

luxurious lifestyles of the upper class by the way their lifestlyes are presented in television shows such as Made in Chelsea or any of the ‘real housewives’ series’.

• Consumer items such as cars and mansions are desired by middle/lower class and therefore are featured in these programmes to further lure in the lower classes

Representation of Middle Class• Middle class nuclear family commonly portrayed in tv

dramas and sitcoms, making it the ‘norm’• Compared to ‘Made in Chelsea’ where their lifestyles are

portrayed as extravagant and abnormal • Injust behavior among the middle class such as racism,

crime and violence is less commonly shown than crime in the working class.

Representation of Working Class• Generally labelled as a problem• Crime, poverty and unemployment are generally the main

focus of shows that surround this class• Newspapers such as ‘the Sun’ are aimed at the working

class and tend not to include articles about politics and more serious public issues because the workng class are seen as being uninterested in such things and have more articles about celebrity gossip and sport.

Representation of Poverty• The poorest of our society are often portrayed negatively• The media seems to mainly reveal statistics about poverty

such as unemployment and homelessness more than real life stories about the people affected.

• Most TV dramas avoid addressing the issue of poverty however ‘Shameless’ focuses on the issue directly and makes the audience connect with the lowest of the classes

• However ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ exploits the working class and their issues as a form of entertainment.