The document discusses different ways that teenagers have historically been represented in media. It describes how teenagers in the 1950s were often portrayed negatively as the cause of social problems through the creation of "moral panics". However, media also began promoting a more positive "teen as fun" image to encourage teenage consumerism by portraying them enjoying music, fashion and movies. Even today, teenagers tend to be represented through either the "trouble" stereotype, threatening adult culture, or the "clean teen" stereotype exploiting their identity for commercial purposes.

1. Representing Young People...

5. Teen as Trouble

6. The Wild One Trailer 1953, directed by Laszlo Benedek

7. Kidulthood Trailer 2006, directed by Menhaj Huda

8. Now have a look at the Hug A Hoodie tasks in your pack and analyse the way young people are being represented. Here is the link to the Radio 5 Interview: Radio Interview (Radio 5 live) with Ryan Florence

9. However, sometimes the media can challenge these dominant views and offers us something we don’t expect!

10. Lady Sovereign Hoodie Song How do this song and music video represent the hoodie? (2005)

11. The skinhead was a demonised youth culture of an earlier time – what sort of images does the word ‘skinhead’ conjure up for you? What connotations does the image have for most people?

12. Guardian Point of View Ad How do you think people would have made of this advert featuring a skinhead? (1986)

13. This trailer for Shane Meadows’ film This Is England (2006) also portrays skinheads in the 80s. How does it incorporate the expected and unexpected elements in its representation? This Is England

14. Teen as Fun

16. Here is an example of an early ‘clean teen’ image: Bachelor Boy - Cliff Richard (1963) See if you can identify the elements that show the fun, clean teen image.

17. And here’s a more up-to-date version of the teen as fun / clean teen stereotype. How is it constructed and why are Disney so keen to promote this teen character? High School Musical (2006)

18. Can you think of any other teens who are promoted as having this image? Why do you think they are given this image? How is it exploited?

19. Just to show that it is not just fictional media forms that represent teens in this way, here is an advert for scouting that also presents a teen as fun image. Think You Know Scouting? Think Again!

20. You may also like to follow this up by looking at the news article in your pack on scouting.