2. The Question
• How does contemporary representation
compare to previous time periods?
3. Translation
• Compare how contemporary media construct
(represent) British Youth as opposed to how
historical media texts constructs British Youth.
4. Examples
• Compare how British Youth are represented
through film texts and TV in contemporary
media text and historical media texts.
• Why were young people represented in a
particular way? Has it changed or stayed the
same?
5. 1930s-
• Teen as a collective group was not established
• Example TV programme associated with
representing young people where limited-
• one example is Good Manners-
• Constructed a positive representation of young
people.
• Well spoken, well mannered, very polite when
addressing each other and their tone is overall
very calm.
6. 1950s-
• Rock n Roll Culture-
• Approach taken by young people: Not trying to ‘fit’ into
adult mainstream- happy to rebel against it-
• first indication of a ‘generation gap’-
• change in values and lifestyles-
• Example film 1954 The Belles of St Trinian’s–
• Negative representation –
• synopsis- A new term opens at St Trinian's School for
Young Ladies, striking terror into the local residents and
police.
7. 1960s-70s-
• sub culture to counterculture- Mods and Rockers In Britain
• Example film Quadrophenia (1979)- representation of the
sub cultures
• ‘Quadrophenia‘ theModsand rockers are represented in
traditional clothing so as to be instantly recognisable and
shown engaged typically getting into fights in 1960s
Brighton, often involving innocent bystanders.
• A mode of behavior roundly condemned by hegemonic
opinion leaders (press reports) ‘perfectly capturing the
teenage need to belong and identify with their peers.‘
8. 1960s-70s
• In 1961 the war in Vietnam started, it lasted
almost 10 years and ended in 1970.
• During that time the Hippie movement first
appeared.
• This movement was very peaceful.
• In general these people were against the war.
• Associated aspects- drugs, peace, rock, Peace
and Love and Long hair.
9. 1970s
• Between 1974-1976 Punk Culture within young people-
aesthetic and political rebellion.
• TV Programme- Hippie and Punk Cultures represented
in The Young Ones produced in the1980s.-
• The main characters were four undergraduate students
sharing a house: violentpunkVyvyan, pompous would-
be anarchist Rick, long-suffering hippie Neil, and the
smooth and diminutive Mike.
• ‘Representation of the young generation as
upbeat, exciting and refreshingly fun’
Bill Osgerby
10. Hebidge
• Hebidge studied British youth subcultures in the
late 1970s.
• youth subcultures are a way for young people to
express their opposition to society, and to
challenge hegemony. This is primarily expressed
through style.
• Representations of young people are quite
limited showing them as either fun or trouble.
Again this suggests media representations of
young people do not really relate to reality.
11. Today-
• Gang Culture/
• Gangster Culture/
• ChavCulture/
• Drinking Culture/
• Sexualisation of young females.
12. Overall
• It is evident that negative representations of
young people in TV and Film is not a new
construction.
• The change in representation could be argued
to relate to the specific sub cultures of the
time period. E.g. Mod and Rockers and the
representation of Youth in Quadrophenia.
