Many objects are also stereotypically perceived to be either masculine or feminine due to what awareness we have that constitutes 'appropriate' charactistics for each gender.
Women
-the representation of women are the same as 30 years ago despite the fact that feminism has been around since then.
-they seem to include beauty, size, sexuality, emotional dealings and relationships
-they are often represented as being part of context (family, friends, colleagues) and being part of a team. They tend to be passive rather than active.
-in tv the main women contradict the societal expectations and are seen as dangerous and deviant.
Men
-representations of men include strength, power, sexual attractiveness, physique and independence
-they tend to be portrayed as not having to rely on others (lone hero)
Age
We often quickly judge people based on their age. Different ages have different representations and stereotypes.
Common representations of age:
Rebellions teen
Senile old woman/man
Cradle robbing woman
Male in mid life crisis
Middle age woman clinging to her youth
Silly old man
Ethnicity
There are many representations based on race and ethnicity in the media. Stereotyping race is often seen as more offensive than other representations. They are often based on social myth, passed down generations. Most work on race and the media has concentrated on the representation of black men and women because of the strong African-American counter culture which provides alternative role models and demands that they are represented.
They can often be portrayed as
-gangster
-impoverished
-criminal
-victim
-hero
Asian representations can consist of
-intelligent
-martial artist
-obsessed with electronics
-quirky or weak
-lack emotion
-women can be seen as ditzy in some cases
Representation of sexuality
The main sexual orientations are heterosexuality and homosexuality.
Representations of heterosexual women:
-loving,respectable
-promiscuous
-frigid
-pure
-gold digger, pregnant teen, cougar
Representations of heterosexual men:
-Respectable
-promiscuous
-ladies man
-heart throb
-nervous when talking to women
Representations of homosexual women:
-monogamous
-Promiscuous
-embarrassed
Representations of homosexual men:
-promiscuous
-monogamous
-overbearing
-embarrassed
Class and status
This establishes who is powerful and fortunate and who is less fortunate and inferior. This includes lower class, lower middle class, working class, upper middle class, upper class, rich.
Physical ability/disability
Representation of Disability clip - BBC
In the scene from the BBC series which displays the representation of disability, we are first introduced to the main character, Gary, by his voice narrating the scene. This alarms us as he is telling the story from his point of view. The non–diegetic mood music, the theme and stings of the show, is used to set the scene and give us a glimpse of what the drama is about. We then see the character introduced throw an establishing, pan shot. This allows us to conclude as much information as we can about Gary in a short amount of time to jump to assumptions about his role within the role of disability. We can hear him discussing killing his brother – of whom is disabled. This is through the non-diegetic narrating voice which again portrays his character to us as he is seen as his brother’s carer however it’s become too much for him. The dark light constantly reflected on Gary highlights how he’s seen as dangerous as he’s contemplating his brother’s death, although he doesn’t mean it. The dark light indicates how we shouldn’t trust him and reflects his bad characteristics in contrast to his disabled brother who is increasingly shown in the light –he’s innocent and needs someone to be there for him. Zooms and close ups are also used to portray the character of the disabled brother – we are not exposed to his actions as his actions cannot be helped; we are only shown his facial expressions to feel sympathy for the character. The various clips of the living animals of whom are dangerous represent Gary’s nature towards his disabled brother.
In the next scene, the themes and stings music is used once again to set the scene. This time, an establishing shot of the block of flats that they live in combined with the dark light makes the atmosphere seem very negative. The close up of the disabled brother moreso makes him seem weak and helpless in contrast to Gary who is superior in this situation. The narrating voice of Gary portrays how he has to do everything for his brother and he’s getting fed up of it –which is power vs powerlessness; the disabled brother is unable to do anything for himself. The establishing and long shots combined makes the kitchen seem like a negative place which is where they argue on a regular basis; the constant synchronous drops and smashes of the kitchen food items on the table reflects the chaos that is in their home. Gary and his parents are constantly illustrated through long and mid shots, so that we can view their body language and facial expressions in contrast to the disabled brother who is just shown through close up shots; reflecting his youth.
After this, the themes and stings comes back once again – this depicts how this is the definite mood music of the TV drama as it is used for the beginning of every scene. The establishing shot of the bus stop and diegetic car sounds of which are ambient reflect the chaos and violence in both Gary and his brother’s lives. The disabled brother is then seen through the unclear mirror of the bus stop, in contrast to Gary of whom we can see clearly and this highlights his disabilities and lack of being able to do normal, every-day things. We are then shown a series of various scenes displaying how his brother is learning things which many people learnt in their childhood – such as riding a bike etc, which again displays the youth of the disabled child. Gary is then seen picking up a toy gun, pointing and aiming it at his brother and the synchronous sound of the non diegetic ‘bang’ foreshadows his wish for him to be no longer around. In most shots, the disabled brother is shown from beneath therefore enticing his inferior position in the TV drama which contrasts to Gary and his family as they are shown as superior to him as they impact his life and are the cause of his actions as he is unable to control his own.
In the last scene of the clip, a close up and long shot is used to highlight the location of the school. The theme and stings is used yet again to depict the atmosphere. We can see Gary taking the mick out of a fellow student in class of who is answering a question. This could be caused by the stress from caring for his brother and reflects how he cannot physically and emotionally take anymore – the buildup of caring for someone for so long is too much for Gary and this reflects the representation of disability to be overbearing. The long shot indicates his friendship group – we can see their body language and pick up on assumptions from the friends that he associates with. The diegetic dialogue of Gary and his friends indicates their conversation, and how they’re contemplating leaving the disabled child to have their own fun. Gary’s friend references ‘babysitting’ which connotes how the disabled brother is seen as a child by many people due to his various inabilities caused by his down syndrome; he’s weak. Gary gives his brother money to bribe him into not telling his parents that he had left him alone (foreshadowing his guilt) and using ‘chocolate’as another way to lead his brother away from spilling the truth. Candy is a rewarding system that parents use for their children therefore this again indicates the youth of the disabled brother. The children laugh at the disabled child on the bus when he is on his own, and take the mick out of him whilst the clip ends with Gary narrating the scene again and discussing how he is unable to care for his brother anymore.
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