This document discusses representation in media and provides an overview of several representation theories. It summarizes Laura Mulvey's "male gaze" theory, which argues that films portray women as objects of male desire. It also outlines theories by Bell Hooks on the objectification of black women and John Berger's view that "men look, women appear" in media depictions. Finally, it introduces the document's main character, Jack Stone, an 18-year-old homeless black male alcoholic and drug abuser living in London, and notes his representation may perpetuate stereotypes about troubled teens.

1. Representation
ABIDUR RAHMAN

2. What is representation?
The oxford dictionary defines representation as: The description
or portrayal of someone or something in a particular way.
However, representation can be different for many different people. It also
depends on things such as:
 Age
 Gender
 Race
 Social Class

3. Representation Theories
 Laura Mulvey has a theory known as the ‘male gaze’. This theory says that
films represent women as objects of male desire. This means that the
audience watching the film see the woman from the viewpoint of a
heterosexual male
 Bell Hooks has a theory based on the ‘The Colour Codes’. It basicallt says
that women fit into the western ideology of beauty. It also mentions that
black women are objectified and sexualised in hip hop and can be sexually
disposable.

4.  John Berger mentions that ‘Men look, women appear’. It is widely
interpreted that women are there for objectification amongst all platforms
of the media. He criticises the western culture and focuses on depictions of
women.
 Stuart Hall has a theory known as the Encoding/Decoding Theory. It says
that the media appears to reflect reality and constructs society. The
meaning of text is not fixed and it open to interpretation.

5. Representation Of Our Main Actor
Jack Stone is a 18 year old black male. An alcoholic teenager who also abuses
drugs a lot. He is a homeless person who got kicked out by his parents for
failing to change his bad habits. He lives in the outskirts of London and the
representation of him is a sympathetic one; this allows our target audience to
relate to him and his troubled life easier. It may be argued that the character
of Jack may be a typical stereotype of teens his age. It may be stereotyped
that they are all drug users and out of school ‘hoodlums’.
Jacks costume is arguably a stereotypical attire for thugs and teenagers who
are in the same area as shown by his tracksuit attire. This may be an indication
of his wannabe attitude.