The document discusses representations in media, focusing on how different groups are portrayed based on gender, ethnicity, age, and class. It notes that representations often reflect societal ideologies and can influence audiences, especially youth. Women are frequently sexualized in music videos, while men are commonly depicted as violent, criminal, and wealthy. Younger people, working classes, and attractive individuals tend to be overrepresented compared to their proportions in reality. Certain locations like Los Angeles and Ibiza are also commonly featured.

1. Representations

2. Media representation theory
• The word representation is a reference to how something is constructed
such as within mass media. The four main important representations
consist of Class, Age, Gender and ethnicity.
• The importance of representation is due to the reception from the public
who hold different ideologies which can agree with the way someone or
something is presented.
• Due to this, producers often construct their characters or places on
account of societies ideologies. For example, the male gaze theory is often
used within music videos so that women are presented in a sexualised
manner so that the audience are forced to view the characters within the
video from the perspective of a heterosexual male.
• Semiotics and content analysis are methods of which to discuss
representation with. Within music videos we often look for meditated
codes, with a construction of reality. This means that when looking at
representations, we analyse it through looking at societies ideologies and
what is deemed as realistic to base our reception of the product on.

3. • When a representation of a particular gender, ethnicity, class or age group is
presented in a way which doesn’t match our beliefs shaped by societies ideologies
there is controversy.
• For example, these music videos are controversial due to the degrading way in
which the women are presented to their audience.
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• The lack of age rating on these music videos is surprising, due to the way the
artists choose to present themselves in this provocative manner. This poses an
issue in consideration of the younger generation who are easily influenced by this
behaviour. If you take into consideration that these women and men are their role
models, it’s only explanatory that they may aspire to act in the same derogatory
manner in which these artists do.
• The video Anaconda by Nicki Minaj is not only the overly sexualised with the
dancing, but also includes offensive lyricism such as “Fuck the skinny bitches, Fuck
the skinny bitches in the club, I wanna see all the big fat ass bitches in the
motherfucking club, fuck you if you skinny bitches. What?” not only does this song
lack grammar, but offends her fans who are mainly younger teenagers who would
have this figure.

4. Women’s representations
• Being more interested in the lyrical side of music, I find it difficult to comprehend how
producers and particular artists would choose to portray themselves in a sexualised way.
Lately, there has been articles by newspapers, stating that ethnicity representations are a
problem as the newspaper states black women are commonly “reduced to blank receptacles of
male desire”.
• I find it hard to sympathise with the women in these videos who present themselves in this
manner, as it’s technically their own choice to do so. However, I do find it disheartening that
other normal girls may feel degraded due to the way the media perceives them to be as an
ethnicity.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mAGq9LnUrM This speech by Charlotte Church states to
try and “Picture … Jay Z, stripped down to a T-back bikini thong, sex kitten-ing his way through
a boulevard of suited and booted women for their pleasure. You can’t. But that’s the point”
This shows the difference between men and women’s roles in pop culture today, differing due
to the male based media we have where usually it’s “middle aged men” telling these normally
teen girls such a former Disney stars to remove their clothing as they know its what sells.
• This type of representations aren’t only present in Pop, but also Rock music too. In 2008 on the
Taste of Chaos some rock bands were told by their record labels to go round and objectify
women by getting them to strip for backstage passes on camera.
• This saying of “Sex, Drugs and Rock and roll” is sometimes wrongfully used by rock stars who
demean women in order to fulfil their title of being in a rock band. When talking about this,
Gerard Way stated to his audience that if any bane members ask them to take off their top for
backstage passes to “spit in their face”. This shows how even female fans of rock music can be
objectified as what is made of them by bad rock bands. Gerard Way from My Chemical
Romance, is part of a more current rock movement as they don’t live up to usual expectations
of rock bands which shows a change within rock music, bands becoming less stereotypical.

5. Male Representations
• Males within hip-hop music have a large influence upon males in particular in society.
• A superficial representation of males within hip-hop is a sense of violence, dominance, criminality
and wealth.
• This type of behaviour of taking drugs and various other criminal behaviour is glorified in music
videos, which fans may replicate in order to be like their idol.
• Other producers such as in the music video Whatever You Like by T.I, the artists appear as the
financially adept ones while the women appear to be working at lesser jobs such as a fast food
restaurant.
• 50 cent stated that No. No. The kids know the difference between entertainment and reality. If not,
something’s the matter with that kid.” Which unfortunately isn’t always true.
• Many “Men don’t feel like they are currently being portrayed correctly [by the media],” states Keith
Richman as many male viewers see their gender portrayed as “skirt-chasers”, “metro-sexuals” and
“macho-men”. This type of portrayal isn’t correctly reflecting behaviour of males today, as many
aren’t the sex driven animals in which the media portrays them to be.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjXBaDCWuTk This music video of 50 cent creates an impossible
target for male youths, as they cannot reach the stereotypes set for them such as having a
disposable income, having perfect physique and being popular with women.
• These stereotypes in music videos are not only unattainable but creates divides within the male
gender as those few whom are able to match this stereotype will be better treated than those who
are unable to, such as in the My Chemical Romance video where a divide is shown between jocks
and nerds within a high school setting.

6. Age and Class representations
Youthful
Working class
Wealthy
Attractive
Used for advertising the artist in
magazines and album covers.
Street cred from coming from the
streets.
More desirable, usually pictured with
women where money is evident.
The majority of artists are
attractive as it can be used as a
selling point, such as young boy
groups like McFly.

7. Location
LA
London
Ibiza
The American dream, usually
music videos set here are done on
beaches or near the city.
Represented as wanting to be like
America, or used for style due to
Brit-pop.
These types of places are known
for being holiday destinations and
therefore usually include shots of
the artist/band partying.