2. What is Representation?
Representation can be defined as the way something or
someone is being portrayed in a particular way in order to
present a meaning.
All media texts have their own representation that they try
to portray as reality in the way that they are intentionally
put together to target their specific audiences to create an
artificial rendition that the target market can look up too.
Each representation that is created has been formed by
someones perception of something.
Within media texts such as films and programmes their are
many representations that represent various social groups
including gender, age, disability, ethnicity, sexuality and
culture.
3. Representation Theorists
Laura Mulvey – Laura Mulveys theory consists of the ‘male gaze’ which was
introduced in 1975 and she believes that within film audiences everyone views
characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male. This is because when a male
looks at a woman he may decided that she is attractive and also when a woman looks
at another woman she may also agree that she is attractive where as if a man was
looking at another man he would not see the attraction as confidently as a woman
looks at another woman even though they are not homosexual.
Paul Willis – In 1990 Willis stated that based on the modern return of feminism ‘pop
stars are symbolic vehicles with which young woman understand themselves more
fully – shaping their personalities to fit the stars’ alleged preferences.
Branston and Stafford – Their theory stated that representation has characteristics
including:
-A categorising and evaluation of the group being stereotyped
-- the evaluation that is often negative, but not always
Merrin – In 2005 Merrin came up with the theory that ‘the media do not reflect and
represent the reality of the public but instead produce it, employing this simulation to
justify their own continuing existence’
4. Representation Theorists within
Horror
Laura Mulveys theory can be linked to the horror genre as in many
horror films their is usually a woman to create a sub-plot love story
and she is portrayed as beautiful although weak. The use of these
women in this genre is to help target the main demographic target
audience of most horror genres being young males. Women in horror
films are typically portrayed as sex objects as they enhance the sub-
genre of ‘exploitation horror’ which can be recognised in films
including: piranha, strippers VS werewolves and Jennifer's body.
The Branston and Stafford theory also relates to horror films as within
the genre of horror the female becomes the vulnerable one and is
often saved by a male hero who defeats the vilain. It is also known that
horror films especially by the ending, is mostly negative which seems
accurate as it is seen in most horror films.
