Stereotypes in media

1. Danielle Duffy
STEREOTYPES

2. Males: are strong, masculine, have physical/dirty jobs
e.g. builders and mechanics, unemotional, enjoy
outdoor activities like fishing and camping, play sports
like football and basketball, play video games, in
charge, control their wives, at the top, do not cook or
do crafts, do not do housework or care for kids
Females: jobs like housewives and librarians, make
less money than men, responsible for taking care of
kids, quieter than men and not meant to speak out,
submissive, take on the role of damsel in distress in
media, are flirts, love to sing and dance, weaker than
men
GENDER

3. EXAMPLES IN TV DRAMA
Representation of gender in Hotel Babylon [Mise en scene]
The woman has the job of the
receptionist. She is dressed up rather
nicely; her hair and makeup done and
her shirt revealing part of her chest
emphasising the conventional appeal
that white woman are supposed to
have in order to appear attractive,
linking to Mulvey’s theory of the male
gaze, proposing that female characters
are to be viewed by males. Additionally
her white clothing symbolizes purity.
The white males occupy the most
important/dominant jobs as investigators; and
appear serious and take advantage of their
high authority. Their rather smart dress shows
their serious demeanour and the uniform may
also show affluence. Also as are white and
take on jobs of apprehending illegal
immigrants; this might portray whites (and
particularly males who take more forceful
action) as generally racist and against people
of other nationalities being in their country.

4. Young: cute, mischievous, annoying, cry -babies, hyper, happy, carefree
Teenagers: moody, lack respect, like drinking, partying, smoking, young
pregnancies, uninterested in getting an education, wearing hoodies and
dressing casually, young drives are irresponsible, that ‘we’ve got it easy’,
loitering youth, criminals – getting blame for things that go wrong, have
no interest in politics, couch potatoes, sex crazed, impulsive, liars,
vandals
Adults: mature, busy, obsessed with money, ‘know everything’, alcoholics,
don’t listen to their children, irresponsible, boring, out of touch with
trends, overprotective, uptight, nagging, stressed, mid-life crisis, old-
fashioned
Old: boring, forgetful, dependent on relatives or require care and support
from others; therefore are a burden, suffer from sickness and disability,
are weak and helpless, grouchy, lack feelings, living in institutions and
care homes, rude
AGE

5. EXAMPLES IN TV DRAMA
Representation of age in Blackpool [Camerawork]
Upon seeing their daughter’s new boyfriend,
the parents are highly concerned, expressed
by a reaction shot followed by a close-up to
show their disapproval of the man’s
appearance. This presents parents as
protective of their children, which is a
conventional representation and I believe it
to be a positive one as parents should look
out for their children to ensure their safety –
however as their daughter is nearing 20 she
is due some freedom of her own.
The man’s relaxed position; sitting on the sofa
shows his confidence, and as a rather old suitor
for the younger girl he feels empowered and
doesn’t worry for what her parents think. His
arm round the sofa behind her supports this, and
the use of a behind the shoulder (from her dad’s
perspective) view of the couple reflects how her
parent can only watch and not interfere with
their daughter’s love life, again conventional as
parents have to let go of their children when they
mature.

6. White: powerful, born leaders, racist, affluent, moral, rational,
socially awkward, arrogant, well-educated, royal
Black: criminals, lack of education, athletic, gangster, involved
in drugs, impoverished, victim, hero
Asian: smart, know martial arts, interested in electronics,
physically weak, hard working, sinister, quirky, businessmen
Muslims: religious, terrorists, ignorant, women
are conserved and controlled by men
ETHNICITY

7. EXAMPLES IN TV DRAMA
Representation of ethnicity in Bend it like Beckham
Asian (Sikh) families are represented as being highly concerned with traditional values, especially
the role of the woman. This is shown through the use of dialogue and the girl’s mother's concern
over her interest in football, what she thinks is a boy’s sport. “She’s divorced, that’s what she is”,
says her mother (concerning a relative), “I don’t want that shame on my family!”. These lines
reveal how her mother’s intentions for her are to become a good wife as traditionally a woman’s
role revolved around family life and so this is why she disapproves of her daughter following her
dream. This is conventional as the situation is close to real life and events that would have
happened, adding realism to the text and making us empathise with the young girl. Her father
agrees; “you must start behaving like a woman” reinforcing the restrictions on this girl’s life.

8. Physically disabled: incapable, inferior, childlike, outsiders,
weaker, unattractive, villains represented as deformed,
laughable, a burden, a ‘cripple’, non-sexual, pitiable,
Mentally disabled: strange, childlike, a burden
Able-bodied: ‘ideal’, normal, proper, capable,
physically fit
DISABILITY

9. EXAMPLES IN TV DRAMA
Representation of disability in Secret Diary
The boy in the wheelchair is followed
by his father who helps him with tasks
he is unable to do – even reaching for
an envelope in his bag, representing
him as incapable and depending on
help from those who are abled.
His father places a kiss on his forehead
before leaving him, showing his love for
him, perhaps communicating that those
with disabilities require extra care and
support, which is conventional as it shows
the strong bond that disabilities develop
between family members.

10. Heterosexual:
Males – promiscuous, physically and mentally strong, aggressive,
lazy, competitive, irresponsible, awkward, selfish,
Females – loyal, loving, seductive, frigid, virginal, deviant,
monogamous
Homosexual: STDs
Males – camp, promiscuous, funny, supportive, bitchy, loud,
overbearing, flamboyant, superficial, sensitive, female friends
Females – butch, male-like, feisty, unattractive/plain, sincere,
erotic, feminist, man-hating
Bisexual: indecisive, confused, slutty, in a “phase”, cannot be
happy in a monogamous relationship
SEXUALITY

11. EXAMPLES IN TV DRAMA
Representation of sexuality in Glee [Sound – use of dialogue]
Fellow character assumes
Kurt is homosexual and
wanted to ask him to be his
prom date; presumably due
to the character’s high-
pitched voice. Kurt has to
deny this showing how
homosexuals are
discriminated against by
straight males.
Kurt (homosexual) is reluctant
to put on the helmet (to
partake in sport), commenting
that “it’ll mess up my hair.”
This portrays homosexuals as
highly concerned with their
appearance and therefore
rather irritating.
Again, use of dialogue is
used to show bigotry. “He
doesn’t belong here.”
(heterosexual male
character about
homosexual). The straight
man is presented as
typically butch and rather
aggressive with a tough
hairstyle.

12. Northerners: poorer, lower class, have bad weather, lack of culture,
less clever, working class jobs, aggressive
Southerners: centre of culture, modern, classy, sunny, affluent,
middle class jobs e.g. managers
Essex: glamourous but cheap, dramatic, footballers’ wives, dumb,
partiers
Scottish: money obsessed, consume a lot of alcohol, loves the
outdoors, wear kilts, eat haggis, rather violent
Irish: living in the countryside, working in rural areas like farms,
religious,
Welsh: living in the middle of the countryside, people making jokes
about them ‘shagging sheep’
REGIONAL IDENTITY

13. EXAMPLES IN TV DRAMA
Representation of regional identity in TOWIE
Use of Essex dialect – characters speaking with slightly
different pronunciations of words, and using colloquial
language. Repetition of the phrase ‘like’ in-between
sentences presents them as rather common.

14. Lower: criminals, bad parents, lack of family values, homeless,
unclean, lives in an estate, unemployed
Working: poorer, less happy, strong community links, less
intelligent, problematic
Middle: ‘normal’, well behaved, good family values
Upper: rich, clever, snobby, posh, condescending classes below
SOCIAL CLASS

15. EXAMPLES IN TV DRAMA
Representation of social class in The Street
Working/lower class families are presented as highly problematic; as within the clip there were
numerous issues such as a mother and father fighting, him blaming her for their problems and verbally
abusing her; failing to consider their children in the next room, therefore presenting them
conventionally as having a lack of family morals. Consequently the mother ended up cheating on her
husband with another married man who is also betraying his family, again representing them as
lacking care for others’ feelings, and committing adultery to escape from their troubled lives.
Additionally a mother nagging at her children, something common within families, whilst the father is
rushing about and evidently there isn’t good communication between the family. As a result, one of the
families’ child is hit by his car as he rushes out, which is perhaps a rather dramatic representation, but
it emphasises how these dysfunctional families impact the lives of themselves and others.