Representation

However realistic or compelling some
media texts seem they never present
the world direct. They are always a
construction – or re-presentation –
rather than a mirror.

The important thing to remember is that
things can be presented in a number of
different ways

Cute Bunny

Psycho
Bunny

Sexy

Evil
Bunny

Gangster
Bunny

The concept being
represented changes
depending on who is
creating the text.

Any representation is a mixture of:
• 1 The thing itself.
• 2 The opinions of the people doing the
representation
• 3 The reaction of the individual to the
representation
• 4 The context of the society in which the
representation is taking place.

Representation
By definition, all media
texts are re-
presentations of reality.

This means that they are
Representation
intentionally composed, lit,
written, framed, cropped,
captioned, branded, targeted and
censored by their producers, and
that they are entirely artificial
versions of the reality we perceive
around us.

When studying the media it is vital
to remember this - every media
form, from a home video to a
glossy magazine, is a
representation of someone's
concept of existence, codified into
a series of signs and symbols
which can be read by an audience.

Representation – is very political
• Media representations -
and the extent to which
we accept them - are a
very political issue, as the
influence the media exerts
has a major impact on the
way we view the world. By
viewing media
representations our
prejudices can be
reinforced or shattered.

What is the study of
representation?
The study of representation is about
decoding the different layers of
truth/fiction/whatever.
In order to fully appreciate the part
representation plays in a media text you
must consider:

Who produced it?

What is represented in the text?

How is that thing represented?

Why was this particular
representation (this shot,
framed from this angle, this
story phrased in these terms,
etc.) selected, and what might
the alternatives have been?

Analysing Representation
The analysis of different sorts of representation
forms an important part of Media Studies.
The factors of representation most commonly
addressed are
• Gender
• Race
• Socio-economic status
• Disability

Gender

Gender
• Gender is perhaps the basic category we
use for sorting human beings, and it is a
key issue when discussing representation.
• Essential elements of our own identity,
and the identities we assume other people
to have, come from concepts of gender -
what does it mean to be a boy or a girl?

Gender
Many objects, not just humans, are
represented by the media as being
particularly masculine or feminine -
particularly in advertising - and we
grow up with an awareness of what
constitutes 'appropriate'
characteristics for each gender.

What are typically masculine
characteristics?
•Tough
•Hard
•sweaty

Gender
What are typically
feminine characteristics?
• Fragile
• Soft
• fragrant

Gendering Objects
How might the following
objects be 'gendered' through
advertising, given that both
sexes will use the product?
•A sports car
•Bottled beer

Representations of femininity
Representations of women across all media
tend to highlight the following:
• beauty (within narrow conventions)
• size/physique (again, within narrow
conventions)
• sexuality (as expressed by the above)
• emotional (as opposed to intellectual)
dealings
• relationships (as opposed to
independence/freedom)

Women are often represented as
being part of a context (family,
friends, colleagues) and
working/thinking as part of a team.
In drama, they tend to take the
role of helper or object, passive
rather than active.

Representations of femininity
The representations of women
that do make it onto page and
screen do tend to be
stereotypical, in terms of
conforming to societal
expectations.

Female
characters who
do not fit into
the mould tend
to be seen as
dangerous and
deviant.

Representations of
Masculinity
• 'Masculinity' is a concept that is
made up of more rigid
stereotypes than femininity.
Representations of men across
all media tend to focus on the
following:

Strength

Power

Physique

Sexual attractiveness

Representations of Masculinity
Male characters are often represented as
isolated, as not needing to rely on others (the
lone hero). If they capitulate to being part of
a family, it is often part of the resolution of a
narrative, rather than an integral factor in the
initial equilibrium. It is interesting to note
that the male physique is becoming more
important a part of representations of
masculinity

Increasingly, men are finding it as difficult to live up
to their media representations as women are to
theirs. This is partly because of the increased media
focus on masculinity - think of the burgeoning
market in men's magazines, both lifestyle and
health.

Race

Race
Representation of race in the media can
consist of the same sort of rigid
stereotypes that constitute gender
portrayal. However, stereotyping of
race is seen as more harmful than
stereotyping of gender, as media
representation may constitute the only
experience of contact with a particular
ethnic group that an audience
(particularly an audience of children)
may have.

• Racial stereotypes are
often based on social
myth, perpetuated down Race
the ages. Thus, the media
depiction of, say, Native
American Indians, might
provide a child with their
only experience of Native
American Indian culture
and characters, and may
provide that child with a
set of narrow prejudices
which will not be
challenged elsewhere
within their experience.

• The need for a
more accurate
portrayal of the
diversity of
different races is
a priority for
political agendas,
but, as ever, it
seems as though
it will take a while
for political
thinking to filter
through to
programme and
film-making.

Race
• In recent years, the success of
actors such as Denzel Washington,
Whoopi Goldberg, Laurence
Fishburne and Morgan Freeman in
a diversity of roles has meant that
black characters in movies and on
TV are no longer 'stock' types.

Some of the time.
However, there are
many negative
representations of
black people,
portrayals which
seem deliberately
designed to inflame
the fear and hatred
of other cultures -
how positive a
representation is the
archetypal African-
American gangsta?
Yet these are
representations
coming from within
black culture itself...

Attention is now being paid
to the representation of
other ethnic groups - notably
Asian Americans and Latinos.

Age

After gender and ethnicity,
age is the most obvious
category under which we file
people, and there are a
whole range of judgements
which go along with our
categorisation.

We quickly deem other people too
old, or too young.