Representation media studies.

1. Representation

2. What is representation?
In the oxford dictionary, representation is defined as
“the description or portrayal of someone or
something in a particular way.” People can be
represented under many categories, these
include:
 Class and status
 Gender
 Regional Identity
 Age
 Disability/ability
 Ethnicity
 Sexuality

3. How each representation can be
broken down
 Class and status: people can be represented by their social class, e.g. Upper class, middle
class, and working class. Upper class people for example can be represented as
 Gender: this includes males and females. Males can be represented as masculine, strong
and fearless. Females can be represented as emotional, feminine and flirtatious.
 Regional identity: this can be broken down by each region in the UK for example Scotland,
Wales, Ireland, Bristol, Yorkshire, etc. people from each of these regions can be represented
in a particular way, for example, Scottish people can be represented as alcoholic and rowdy.
 Age: people under this representation can include children, teenagers, middle-aged people,
old people, etc. In this representation, each category of people can be seen in a certain way.
for example, old people can be seen as wise and grumpy where as young people can be
seen as youthful and energetic.
 Disability/ability: this includes people who have a disability and ones which have ability. For
example, people with a disability can be represented as dependent, weak and inspirational.
People who are able could be represented as strong, athletic and independent.
 Ethnicity: this can be broken down in to people who are Caucasian, White, Black and Asian.
Asian people for example can be represented as smart.
 Sexuality: under this representation you can have gay, lesbian, bisexual and heterosexual
people. Heterosexual people can be represented as confident and strong. Bisexual people
can be represented as free and open.

4. Representation theories
Laura Mulvey – the male gaze
 Her feminist theory argues that films represent women as passive objects
of men and their desires.
 She argues that heterosexual women are forced to view other females in
the point of view of a heterosexual male.
John Berger – “men look, women appear”
 Berger's theory states that women are here and shown on different
platforms of media simply for objectification.
Bell Hooks – the colour codes
 She argues that lighter skinned women are see as more desirable and fit
better in western societies ideology of beauty.
 She also argues that black women and darker women are objectified and
sexualised, for example in hip-hop music videos which present black
women as sexually disposable.

5. How our protagonist is
represented
In our short film, the main protagonist Alexa is a 17
year old girl and this is shown through the clothing
she has on during the opening sequence of our short
film which could be seen as typical teenage clothing.
Alexa is also represented as vulnerable, delicate and
emotional through her appearance and facial
expressions this could show her in a negative way,
however she is shown in a positive light during the
middle and end of our short film as bright colours are
shown during these parts to signify positivity and
happiness.