1. Learning Objectives:
• Learn a variety of theories on
representation.
• Understand how to answer question 1b on
representation.
• Decide which of your productions you
would write about for a question on
representation.

2. Laura Mulvey
“The Male Gaze”
Mainstream Hollywood adopts the position of the
male’s gaze – the camera lingers on legs, lips and
breasts. Men are not objectified in the same way:
they are active. Women are presented as passive.

3. Laura Mulvey
“The Male Gaze”
Critics point out that most women don’t seem to have
a problem with such patriarchal texts.
Also, women can gaze at each other for comparison,
not for sexual reasons.

4. Laura Mulvey
“The Male Gaze”
Critics also give examples of mainstream texts
where women are active and not objectified – e.g.
the ‘Aliens’ films.

5. Laura Mulvey
“The Male Gaze”
But even then …

6. Dyer
Stereotypes are a way of reinforcing
differences, and representing these
differences as natural.

7. Baudrillard
Society is so reliant on representations we
have lost contact with the real. This leads to
hyper-reality (e.g Disneyland)

8. Representation
• Identify characters, events or issues within the
production to discuss.
• How does your video represent different social groups/
people/ places/ lifestyles? What values/ ideologies are
you representing/ promoting?
• Discuss the specific elements of character
representation, i.e. modes of address, facial
expression, costume, behaviour etc.
• Have any stereotypical representations been
generated?
• Does the production conform to, or subvert, any
dominant ideologies?
• What would Laura Mulvey say about your production?

9. Sample Question
“Representations in media texts are often
simplistic and reinforce dominant
ideologies so that audiences can make
sense of them.”
Evaluate the ways that you have used/
challenged simplistic representations in
one of the media products you have
produced.