WJEC media AS Representation of Age - elderly, youths, mediation, Harry Brown

1. Homework due: Monday 22nd Feb
Gender Stereotypes/countertypes research
Select one text (any media platform) that
clearly demonstrates female stereotypes
Then comment on whether it shows clear
masculine roles
Finally find a contrasting text which offers
counter-typical roles.

2. To discuss and identify how age
is represented in the media

3. • Quickly discuss and list at least 5 things to
describe how the following are represented in
the media:
– Youths
– Old people

4. Age

5. After gender, age is another
obvious category under
which we stereotype people,
and there are a whole range
of judgements which go along
with our categorisation.

6. Positive and negatives of
youth and old age

7. What are the representations?
How are they constructed? Why are they constructed?

8. YOUTH OLD AGE
POSITIVES Active
Sociable
Innocent
Strong
Long future ahead
Adventurous
Fun
Wise
Authoritative
Well educated
Freedom
Wealth
Stability
However, as we know
stereotypes are often negative…

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

10. We criticise mature women
for going about as mutton
dressed as lamb

11. We criticise young
girls for tarting
themselves up as jail
bait

12. Film stars who start to
show signs of aging in
their forties are swooped
on with cries of horror by
gossip columnists ("Movie
star gets wrinkles... and
her tits start to sag"
shocker!!)

13. YOUTH OLD AGE
POSITIVES Active
Sociable
Innocent
Strong
Long future ahead
Adventurous
Fun
Wise
Authoritative
Well educated
Freedom
Wealth
Stability
NEGATIVES Lazy
Rebellious
Rude
Hormonal
Vulnerable
Naiive
Dependent
Weak
Vulnerable
Fragile
Mentally incompetent
Not in control of their own bodies
Lonely
Dependent
Boring
Unwilling to try new things
Desperate

14. Dominant representation of young
people
• Yobbish/anti-social behaviour
• Chavvy
• Gang culture
• Disrespect
• Drink and drugs
• Teen pregnancies
• Which media texts perpetuate this image?

15. Eastenders: Martin Fowler
• First character to be born in the programme.
• Stereotypical youth from many news stories.
• Anti-social behaviour with gangs
• Teenage, unmarried father
• Prison sentence for manslaughter
• Continued criminal behaviour upon release

16. Age
Youth:
• All youths believe that the police have it in for them
• negative stereotypes as hoodie wearing criminals
• Young people are portrayed by the media as alcoholics and drug abusers, criminals, bludgers,
lazy, complaining and aggressive
• A common misconception for parents is that every middle school kid of this generation is
conceited, gossip-ridden, hormone-raging and naive. This is a stereotype. The irony of
labelling children with stereotypes is not just hypocritical, but a huge overgeneralization.
Pensioners and the elderly:
• Pensioners stereotyped as being grumpy
• The elderly are stereotyped as being old, frail and lonely
• They are not wanted and a burden to their family
• The image of old people as childlike has been with us for a long time. there was a high level
of agreement that old people are unproductive, have to go to bed early, need a nap every
day, are in the "happiest" period of their lives, cannot manage their own affairs, and are in
their second childhood.
• Pensioners are fed up with being stereotyped on television as grumpy Victor Meldrews or
sweet little old ladies, according to a study.

17. What are the wider implications?
Moral panics!

18. Theorist - Stanley Cohen (1972)
• Studied youth groups in 1960s.
• A moral panic occurs when society sees itself
threatened by the values and activities of a
group who are stigmatised as deviant and
seen as threatening to mainstream society’s
values, ideologies and /or way of life.
• Mods & Rockers (1960s), football hooligans,
muggers, vandals, mobile-phone snatchers...

19. Working class males
• Represented as yobs.
• Stuart Hall (1978) argues that the negative
representation of young people is deliberate
as it justifies social control by authority figures
such as the police and government. The media
has a key role in this ‘social production’ of
news.

20. Jamie Bulger
(2000 – 2003)
No evidence was presented
that either boy had watched
‘Child’s Play 3’. The judge
made the connection and this
was picked up by the tabloid
press. It led to a change in
the law so the BBFC now has
to take into account ‘the
influence’ of videos as well as
their content.

21. From media text to legislation
1. Occurrence of deviant act or social
phenomenon.
2. Act or problem widely reported in media:
news outlets; internet chat rooms; fictional
narratives; video games…
3. Call for government control either from
legislation/policy initiatives or the more
vigilant operation of already existing social
controls. e.g.:

22. Pensioners

23. Does gender make a difference?

25. Harry Brown
• Watch the first 15 minutes. How does it link
to Cohen’s idea of Moral Panics?
• How is represented?
– Analyse the clip for visual, technical, audio and
cinematography codes

26. Film vs TV
Why do you think there are more opportunities for
older women in fictional TV than film?

27. Stereotypes
• Poor
• Fussy
• Senile
• Infirm
• Interfering
• Victims
• Dependent
• Kind
• Generous
• Happy
• Engaging in stereo-
typical pastimes

28. • Humorous idiosyncrasies:
– Forgetfulness
– Senility
– Grumpiness
– Saying the wrong thing
• Does this reinforce the stereotype?
Sitcom