This document discusses class and status through a mind map and related topics. It explores stereotypes about class, such as upper classes being snobby and lower classes being uneducated. It also examines debates around how class affects opportunities and links between class and status. Finally, it provides examples of British television shows, films, and characters that represent different classes through costumes, settings, and appearances.

1. Class and Status
Gledis and Abigail.
Key code =
Abigail:
Gledis:
Group work:

2. Mind map of class and status.
Working class.
White collar Less manners
+ values. Hegemonic
Job titles.
masculinity.
Class and Aristocracy.
Blue blood. Status.
Wealth.
Mingling with
Political status.
the upper
classes.
High/low status.
Tories/Liberals/ Poverty –
Economic status Social
Labour. status

3. Stereotypes about our topic.
• Common stereotypes concerning class and
status are:
• Lower class families are uneducated and poor. They have bad manners and
are typically engaged in criminal activity.
• Upper class people are snobby, arrogant, rude and tend to look down on
others.
• Another upper class stereotype is that wealthy people usually tend to be
unaware of how people in the ‘real world’ live and the problems they face.
• Being lower class limits your chances to succeed in life.
• Lower classes come from a particular ethnic background, and the negative
stereotypes associated with that ethnicity are then linked to their class.

4. Debates about our topic.
• That your class affects who you become and what you can do.
• Whether class is relevant in today’s society (Boundaries of class are
fragmenting and people are finding it harder to identify themselves as a
particular class.)
• The varying limitations that being a lower class citizen enables, i.e. material
deprivation can stop you from having the funds to purchase things needed
for school (– your class is what has been your downfall).
• The link between class and status (i.e. Being a higher class gives you a
higher status and vice versa.) – If this can enable corruption amongst the
classes.
• Whether it is class that is important in society, or if its your
ethnicity/gender.

5. British TV Drama’s that can relate to
our topic.
• Downton Abbey –
• Upstairs Downstairs –
• - Merlin.

6. British TV Drama’s that can relate to
our topic.
• Trinity –
• Larkrise to Candleford -

7. Films that relate to our topic.
• Ever After – In this film, the character’s class
holds her back, as she is a slave. When she
pretends to be royal, this all changes for her, and
its obvious that her class affected her status.

8. Films that relate to our topic.
• Mona Lisa Smile – A teacher who attended a state university is
hired to teach at an upper class university. She finds that her
students treat her differently because of the school she went to. The
girls that she teach are taught to follow through with the traditional
upper/middle class life, where they marry into a good family and
become home keepers, which is traditional of the upper/middle
class of the 1950s.

9. People.
Brick wall behind,
The hairstyle which could allude to
reinforces her an estate/council
class, as it is housing.
slicked back and
looks quite chav-y.
The big hoops
reinforces the chav
stereotype,. An
audience can gather
Makeup of this this impression
character shows from just looking at
that she may be her face.
lower class, as the
makeup isn’t
conservative and
is overdone.
Soap Opera

10. People.
His neat hairstyle Exterior
reinforces his setting, which
upper class is crisp and
stereotypes as it clean looking,
makes him look which looks
very pristine and like it could be
well-kept. part of a big
garden.
He has a clean His shirt could
shave which again suggest
emphasises the sophistication
stereotype that which is normally
upper class people associated with
are very well-kept. people who are
deemed as ‘posh’ or
‘snobby’.
Soap Opera

11. People.
She looks arrogant, and quite
cocky. Her stance makes her look
like she doesn’t/won’t identify
with those beneath her.
Her makeup is neat,
This character’s but is much more
hair is styled toned down, this
well indicating makes her look more
she has more middle class.
time/money to
spend on her
hair, and may
even be middle
class. Her clothes are nice,
and look like they’re
from the upper end of
the high-street which
again suggests that
she is middle class.
Teen Drama

12. People.
Her makeup is
quite heavy, which
The character’s hair is is usually associated
very messy and wild. This
would enforce certain
with lower class
stereotypes and views people as it looks
which would deem her as quite tacky and
lower or middle class as it
would be assumed that unsophisticated.
she is not well groomed
and doesn't know how to
take care of her
appearance. This is
usually a stereotype of
lower class people. Facial expression: She has a little bit of a
cheeky grin which could suggest she’s up
to no good. This reinforces stereotypes that
Teen Drama lower class people tend to be disruptive
within society.

13. People.
The only part of this image
that suggests their class is
their costume, which
shows how important
costume is. Their costumes
are slightly worn,
suggesting they’re hard
workers, and may even be
manual workers.
Costume Drama

14. People.
Her jewellery and crown not
only imply that she is wealthy
but also of a very high and
important status.
-Crowns are associated with
royalty.
Her costume also emphasises
her wealth and status as it is
expensive clothing worn by
royalty at the time of when
the drama is set.
The pearl necklace implies
Costume Drama wealth as they are an expensive
piece of jewellery.

15. People.
They’re both well
presented and look The use of costume
professional and suggests that both
intelligent, which makes characters have
them seem middle class. well paid jobs and
therefore have a
high status.
Police/Crime Drama

16. People.
They are all well The use of costume
presented as their suggests that the
uniform is neat and so is characters are from a
their hair and make-up well respected
for the females. profession, which
therefore implies they
are most likely middle
class.
Police officers are
usually stereotyped as
being middle class.
Police/Crime Drama

17. Places.
It has connotations
of being quite
rough, where
working class/
It creates a negative under class live.
representation of Locations like this
stereotypes, as usually are low in status, as
in television dramas, an individual can
negative events instantly assume
happen in locations that negative thing
that look like this. will happen there,
e.g. muggings and
general crimes.

18. Places.
This stereotype is
reinforced by the
look of these types
Houses in London of houses.
suburbia are usually E.g. the large green
thought of to be front yard and the
owned by very wealthy size of such houses
upper class families as (quite big).
they are quite
expensive.
Houses such as this once
would normally be placed in a
nice quiet neighbourhood

19. Places.
A location like this usually creates
positive representations of what a
typical middle-class home would look
like. It looks like it is in a good area, so
an audience can instantly assume that
events that may take place here are
more likely to be safe.
This location matches up with what
you could assume the home of the two
barristers may look like, as it is
expensive-looking and is inviting.

20. Places.
Apartments located right in
the middle of major cities
like London are usually
quite expensive to rent out
or buy.
This is not only due to their
convenient location but also
the quality of the
apartments.
E.g. The building has a nice
design and looks quite new
and clean.
Such locations would
stereotypically associated
with people with middle or
upper class people.

21. Places.
This reinforces stereotypes
of the upper class, who
typically spend a lot of
money on massive homes.
This reinforcement in some
ways can be quite negative,
as it can lead to resentment
of the upper classes.

22. Places.
• The isolated location also
implies wealth and high class
as apartments which are on
the outskirts of the city tend
to be more expensive.
• The sleek white tables
suggest sophistication
and wealth.
• The white implies
sterility which is
stereotypically
associated with
someone who could be
hostile.

23. Themes/Topics/Real World Issues.
• A real world issue regarding class and status is the
way that lower class people are represented in the
media.
• E.g. the London riots in the summer of 2011 were
associated with lower class uneducated people.
• The people involved in the rioting were stereotyped
as lower class people who lived in poor estate
buildings.