This document discusses representations of sexuality in TV dramas. It begins by listing shows that include gay characters. It then discusses traditional representations that center heterosexuality and stereotypes about homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual and other groups. Key concepts discussed include Laura Mulvey's male gaze and how sexuality is represented through techniques like camera shots, editing and sound. The document prompts the reader to consider examples from media and how different techniques shape representations of sexuality.

1. TV DRAMA &
SEXUALITY

2. SEXUALITY

3. Some TV Dramas with ‘gay’
characters
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Willow & Tara
Dawson’s Creek – Jack & Doug
Queer as Folk
The Sopranos – Vito
Six Feet Under – David & Keith
24 – Mandy
The Wire – Kima, Omar, William
The Sheild – Julien
The O.C. – Marissa, Alex
Nip/Tuck – Julia et al
One Tree Hill – Anna
Lost – Tom
The L Word
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
Shameless
Grey’s Anatomy
American Horror Story
Being Human
Ringer
Bones
Dr Who / Torchwood – Captain Jack
Ugly Betty – Justin, Mark, Alexis
Waterloo Road
Dexter – Isaak
Heroes – Gretchen
Reaper – Tony & Steve
The Tudors
Gossip Girl
Mad Men
Skins
True Blood
Sons of Anarchy
FlashForward
Southland
Boardwalk Empire
Lip Service
Suburgatory
Game of Thrones
Smash
Orange is the New Black

4. Traditional representations of
sexuality
“It is a truth universally acknowledged that a
single man in possession of a good fortune
must be in want of a wife” – opening
sentence of Pride and Prejudice
 Heterosexuality
 Male and Female as Couple
 Traditionally centred around male ‘acquisition’
of the female
 Female attracted to male physical attributes
and/or wealth

5. Representational Stereotypes
Males Males
Homosexual Hetrosexual
Females Females

6. Stereotypes about
Heterosexuals
 It is the ‘norm’
 ‘There is nothing at all wrong with
heterosexuality’
 Male partners are the abusers
 Straight couples always have children
 Women dream of getting married
 Men see marriage as a trap

7. Homosexual Male Stereotypes
 Gay men are portrayed as overly effeminate
 There can be the belief that all gay men desire to be women or are
feminine
 Gay characters are condemned to a life alone without children
 Mothers regret being too close to their sons, thinking that is what
"made" them gay
 The idea is that its just a phase.
 Drifting from one sexual liaison to another, they end up old and
alone; Gay men are only concerned with sex
 Gay men are flamboyant , feminine characters, have camp
mannerisms
 Represented as often feared, pitied or being the subject of laughter
 Gay men do professions like fashions, material design and hair
styling
 Gay men are often depicted as suffering family rejection
 Speak with a lisp

8. Choose TWO
Of the previous bulletpoints and use examples
from media you have seen/know about to justify.
e.g.
Gay men are flamboyant , feminine
characters, have camp mannerisms
= Cameron from Modern Family in the moment
where he screams running after the guy who hit
their car.

9. Homosexual Female
Stereotypes
 Gay women are portrayed as overly masculine
 Often represented to be aggressive and mouthy
 There is always the ‘masculine’ and the ‘feminine’ partner in
any gay female relationship
 Drifting from one sexual liaison to another, they end up old
and alone
 Gay women do jobs such as sports/P.E. teachers and military
and are butch
 Lesbians commonly represented as pursuing heterosexual
women.
 Gay women are often depicted as suffering family rejection
 They hate men and are aggressively feminisnt

10. Choose TWO
Of the previous bulletpoints and use examples
from media you have seen/know about to justify.
e.g.
Gay women are portrayed as overly masculine
= Crazy Eyes in Orange is the New Black is
masculine and aggressive in her approach to
Piper.

11. Stereotypes about Bisexuals
People deny that bisexuality is real
They are confused, undecided, dabblers, insecure,
experimenting or “just going through a phase”.
People are either ‘gay, straight or lying’
They are promiscuous
They are greedy

12. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
THROUGH THE MICRO-

13. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze
(1975)
 What is the Gaze?
The concept of gaze is one that deals with how
an audience views the people presented.
 It can be thought of in 3 ways:
1. How men look at women,
2. How women look at themselves,
3. How women look at other women.

14. Laura Mulvey’s male gaze
(1975)
 She believes that in film audiences have to
‘view’ characters from the perspective of a
heterosexual male.
Features of the Male Gaze
 The camera lingers on the curves of the female
body
 Events which occur to women are presented
largely in the context of a man's reaction to
these events.
 Relegates women to the status of objects.

15. Male sexuality
 The ‘Male Gaze’ – Laura Mulvey
Fragmentation – Viewing of the female body in
‘sections’ e.g. The camera will show a close-
up of a female body part – eyes, legs,
breasts...to typically represent the female from
a male viewpoint
 Objectification of women vs. romantic, caring
male

16. Female sexuality
 Sex and the City as a watershed moment in
TV Drama
 Female characters expressing their sexuality
freely
 Introduced the convention of girls chatting about
their sex-lives round a coffee table
 Women sometimes shown as using their
sexuality to gain the upper hand or outwit a
Man

17. Representations of
homosexuality
 Gay Men and Women
 Normalised vs. Sensationalised
 Sympathetic or Humorous
 Lip Service

18. Question to Consider

19. Sexuality
 Watch this clip and LIST 2 editing techniques,
camera shots, sound features and aspects of
mise en scen they use.
 Next to each item in the list, suggest why it has
been used.
 Now pick out a 2 or 3 techniques and suggest
how it adds to the representation of sexuality.