1. Dominant Ideologies
• Stereotypes are ‘socially constructed’ and exist as
‘myths’ and are neither ‘true’ nor ‘false’ but simply a
reflection of dominant ideologies.
Stereotypes can be. reinforced challenged or even
constructed by the media through representation
• The group of ideas that make up the dominant ideology in
Britain are not something that remains static- they change
as new ideas enter the are encountered and people
discuss them. For example one of the dominant
ideologies in Britain is that youths are thugs; there is an
anti-youth culture
2. Changing representations – Countertypes
• In the Sci-Fi blockbuster film Independence Day there is a character
played by Will Smith who is clearly intended to be a positive and
strong hero. As such, he goes against many of the previous negative
stereotypes of black people in American films. In one crucial scene
from the film we see him responding to the danger of an alien's attack
by simply kicking it.
• In another blockbuster Sci-Fi film - Mars Attacks - there is also a
black hero who also responds to the attack of a bunch of aliens by
punching one of them. Both of these films were made virtually
simultaneously.
• The directors wanted a change from the ‘norm’ and they have in fact
created a new positive stereotype, a countertype
• A counter-stereotype is the reverse of a stereotype. Although
counter-stereotypes arise in opposition to stereotypes, they may
eventually become stereotypes themselves if they are too popular.
3. Mediation
• Mediation…what is it?...
• The fact that any representation is not a reflection of
reality but someone’s version of it
• Another way to look at it is through the following theory:
• Encoding and decoding model (Stuart Hall)
• The media encodes the representation
• The audience decodes it…
• Therefore your job as media students is to decode TV
dramas to understand the encoded message
4. Feminine Representation
• Feminism
• 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 (Propp) or object,
passive rather than active.
• Men are still represented as TV drama characters up to 3 times
more frequently than women.
7. Masculine Representation
• '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 - physical and intellectual
• Power
• Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above)
• Physique
• Independence (of thought, action)
• Male characters are often represented as isolated, as not
needing to rely on others (the lone hero).
• If they submit 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.
