Media (REPRESENTATIONS)
Children
Children Express found 7 stereotypes of kids in news:
- Victims
- Cute
- Little devils
- Brilliant
- Accessories
- Kids these days
- Little angels
Young people
Negative stereotyping, news values create dramatic and exaggerated headlines making the young look deviant.
COHEN - young people
Found young people are an easily identifiable group to blame for problems, moral panic against 'folk devil' who pose a threat. Labelled as troublesome.
Old people
Either invisable or negatively viewed. Seen as poor, burden, in ill-health.
Men - positive, in movies seen as experienced, wise, succesful, businessman.
Woman - symbolically annhiliated because expected to be forever young and youthful.
WHITE ET AL - old people
Audiences accuse media of being ‘insulting’ and ‘out of step’ with ageing society, negative stereotypes of older women focusing on their aged views.
Working class
Main representations of working class include:
- Dumb and stupid Buffoons.
- A source of trouble and conflict.
- Living in idealised/romanticised working-class communities.
- 'Chavs' demonisation.
CURRAN AND SEATON - working class
Argue content of newspapers aimed at w/c audiences (Eg. Sun, Daily Mirror) suggest w/c have little interest in public affairs, but instead are interested in over-dramatised made-up human interest stories.
Middle class
M/C highly over-represented in media content: too much exposure for the proportion of the population who is m/c. Represented as mature, sensible, educated and successful. Such representations are product of the media gaze: confirming and promoting dominant hegemonic ideology of m/c life.
Upper class
Seen as 'well-bred', cultured, superior. Portray lavish lifestyle, luxury homes, cars, holidays.
Pluralist view of upper class
Coverage of upper-class lifestyles is simply providing what media audiences want to see.
Neo Marxists and upper class
Coverage of upper-class lifestyles is a celebration of hierarchy and wealth, promoting dominant ideology and seeks to legitimise existing inequality.
Black people
Negative, used as scapegoats in media. Main stereotypes:
- Deviants and lawbreakers.
- Posing a threat.
- Causing social problems, conflict and trouble.
- Having limited talent and skills.
- Having problems internationally.
HALL ET ALL - black people
Media exaggerate black crime, and suggest black people more criminal. Led to moral panic of the ‘black mugger’ in 1970s, became seen as folk devil. However, ‘black mugger’ became distraction for wider social and economic crisis of the time.
Women
Industry unrepresentative of women, men being owners of large media corporations so women have little say. Women are sexually objectified. Media spreads patriarchal ideology. Main stereotypes:
- WAG
- Sex object
- Supermum
- Angel
- Ball Breaker
- Victim
MULVEY - women
There's male gaze in media, which occurs when audience is viewing through lens of a heterosexual male. Women are viewed as erotic object for spectators or characters, highlighted by cinematic conventions like slow motion. Females in films only exist in relation to the male.
FERGUSON - women
Teenage girls magazines prepare girls for feminized adult roles, generates 'cult of femininity’, themes such as being a good wife, keeping a family happy and what to wear. Sociolalised into stereotypical values and roles.
McROBBIE - changing representations of women
New form of feminism in postmodern society emerged, shown in females magazines. Promotes female assertiveness, control and independence.
Men
Men represented more often, appearing in public sphere and higher status than women. Main stereotypes include:
- The joker
- The jock
- The strong, silent type
- The big shot
- The action hero
- The buffoon
RUTHERFORD - men
Argues media reasserting traditional masculine authority by celebrating traditional male concerns such as football and women.
GAUNTLETT - changing representations of men
Media portrayals of men changing, wider representations, opening new choices for men to construct identities different from traditional.
Homosexuality
Media view of homosexuality formed through heterosexual media gaze. Fear loss of profits if people are offended, so homosexuality been treated by the media as deviant and perverse.
GILL - homosexuality
Argues that to avoid risk of offending heterosexual, mainstream media represent gay in ‘sanitised’ way. Gay men rarely seen sexualised, but instead as stylish and attractive figures. However, opposite for lesbians, who are highly sexualised, linking to heterosexual male fantasy.
Disability
Disability under-represented among workers in industry and content, therefore, face symbolic annihilation. Main stereotypes include:
- Pathetic.
- An element of atmosphere or curiosity.
- As sinister or evil.
- As the super cripple.
- As laughable or as an object of ridicule.
- As his/her worst enemy.
- As a burden.
- Non sexual.
- Unable to live normal life.
BARNES - disabled
Majority of info about disabled in books, films, the press and TV is negative. Stereotypes which medicalise, patronise, criminalise and dehumanise disabled people.