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Representation and Stereotypes

By Emma, Lauren and Nathan

Representation

Media representations are the ways in which the media portray particular groups, communities, experiences, ideas and topics from a particular ideological or value perspective. Rather than examining media representations as simply reflecting or mirroring reality.

Gender

Gender is represent in media by masculinity or femininity. Both males and females can be represented as either.

Masculinity- strong, tough, muscly

Femininity- gracious, delicate, beauty

Age

Age is the length of time that one has existed. Age is represented by-

Babies

Children

Teenagers

Adults

Old people

Sexuality

Sexuality is a persons sexual preference or orientation. Some examples of different sexualities would be:

Heterosexual

Homosexual

Bisexual

Asexual

Polysexual

Pansexual

Transsexua

Class and Status

Classes-

Upper Class: social class composed of the wealthiest members of society

Middle class: middle of a societal hierarchy

Working class: those employed in lower tier

Lower class: lower than middle rank in a society

Status: Somebody with a higher or lower status within a particular class.

Physical Ability/disability

Physical Ability- the ability to perform a physical act and with the same mental ability

Disability- the condition of being unable to perform as a consequence of physical or mental unfitness

Examples: people in a wheel chair, missing a limb

Regional Identity

Regional identity is identification with a specific geographic region of a nation. Some examples if different regional identities are:

Northern

Southern

Eastern

Western

Stereotypes

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

Ethnicity

Different ethnic groups are subject to stereotype. Examples of this would be:

A Jamaican person would be stereotypically represented as a Rastafarian person who has little worries about life.

An English person would stereotypically have a stiff upper lip, enjoy drinking tea and be very patriotic towards Queen and Country.

Age

The stereotypes of age would be that the elderly would be slow and have grey hair, teenagers would be moody and spotty, babies would be crying all of the time, children would be really energetic and running around and adults would be sensible, focusing on their career, maybe wearing suits.

Gender

The stereotypes of gender would be that the female would be very feminine, and as portrayed in the media, they’d be delicate, beautiful and shown to have to be skinny and always being the ones needing to be saved where as males will be shown as masculine, strong, tough, and be the savior all of the time. Men are also stereotyped to have little emotions and therefor will never cry.

Sexuality

People will different sexualities are stereotyped in different ways, for example, homosexual males have the stereotype that they act effeminate by liking pink, talking slightly girly and walking similar to female. Homosexual females can either be stereotyped as feminine or masculine, one with short hair and a muscly body and the other with exactly the same characteristics as a heterosexual female.

Class and Status

Upper Class: Posh, rich, stuck up, they hunt, have butlers, the play Polo

Middle class: Play golf, have a nice car, nice houses

Working class: they play rent, have room mates, wear suits

Lower class: poor, work for others, old cloths, they wear there older siblings cloths, not well educated

Physical Ability/disability

A physically able person would be stereotypically fit and able to take part in sporting activities.

Somebody who has a disability would stereotypically be segregated from society. The symptoms of the disability may be exaggerated for dramatic effect. For example, a mental illness and its symptoms may be exaggerated in order for the audience to be aware of the problems that the character is facing.

Verisimilitude

The definition of Verisimilitude is pretty much just the appearance or being true or real.