Miss - representation

Miss - Representation

• 17- 31 hours - media consumption
• Values based upon looks rather than power, approval to society
• 53% of girls are insecure about their looks by the age of 13
• 65% of girls have an eating disorder
• 17% harming themselves
• Unmeasurable standards are being portrayed by the media, should be stopped, too vulnerable.
•  How to stop something you are not - the media
• 235.6 billion on advertisement
• 12,000 - 15,000 on beauty products
• Seeing themselves as objects - depression & eating disorders
• Politics changes - people do not share views/experiences
• Lack of opportunities for women.
• Never the protagonists - fighting etc - insecurities
• Cartoon, not reality - body props
• Action - objectification, violence, hyper- sexual - rate more
• Patriarchal - child baring - Miss - representation
• Time for change - 16% of women are writers, cinematographers + editors & directors, 20% - news stories are women, symbolic annihilation - purpose, more opportunities, male perspective.

Case Studies - Women

Women


Carry on camping 1969

• Stingy, embarrassed & uncomfortable, weak unable to cope with certain situations - old - controlling
• Objects to be looked at - young
• Mothers, flirtation etc. innocent - figures in control
• Seductive, for boys to look at
• Powerful
• Domestic - Matron, shop sales
• Young - Challenge innocence, boys fighting
• Ideologies - women are objects, to be looked at, patriarchal - male dominated, women inferior, women - feminists - mother
• Roles - motion - house wife - haggled - sexual tensions, shop sales assistance, to be looked at - male gaze, wife's, housewife - do not listen, inferior nagging, annoying - bossy - mockery - school girls, innocence, male gaze, strong, feisty, argumentative - sex
• Nagging girlfriend - annoying the men, hard to get
• Housewife - Domestic, stereotypes - boring annoying, bossy mother
• Male gaze - looked at magazines etc.
• Sex driven girls - lack of intelligence
• Comedic value - not message

Prime Suspect 1991 - DCI June Tennison

• Only female in a dominant male society - pushed to the side
• Sexisms in the work place - not respected
• Eager to please - second best, second choice, trying hard
• Male action, smoking, drinking etc.
• Struggles to get noticed in a male society
• Men don't want women in control, threatening
• Powerful, demanding once gained control - intelligence
• Knowledgeable, devoted to her - controlling
• Females - inferior to men, patriarchal  
• Negative representation - Men disliking a lady in control
• Positive - Status - "maam" - position of power, main protagonist
• Breadwinner - workaholic
• Institutionalised sexism - threat to masculinity, firm, harsh & strict, Authority
• Can women be in the home & work place
• Feminists text - outsider, "sidestepped"
• Screen on-line

Salt 2012

• Dominant, feminist - positive
• Male gaze - male audience, action & seduction
• Positive - feminists, control, power - Protagonists - main, saving the world, intelligence/outsmart men
• Guns - Capable - Counter-type - progression
• Negatives - Costume, camera work

Lara Croft 2001

• Dominant, feminist - positive
• Close - up - objectified
• Male gaze, action, seductive
• Protagonist - male - positive, feminine ideologies
• Capability - Guns, weapons
• Counter-type - progression
• Negatives - costumes "scantily" clad, short, leggy, tight tops, objects - male gaze, (Laura Muluey) Male perspective
• Focuses on body - legs - close-ups
• Hypersensitive/sexual view on women, fantasy
• Hybrid representation

Jessie J

• "Do it like a brother, do it like a dude"
• Masculine activities - drinking, smoking & fights etc.
• Just as good as boys - dressing like them
• Breaking down stereotypes.
• Setting - dark areas
• Women are as capable as men
• Hyper - sexualisation
• Selling themselves
• Progress - still use their body

Beyonce

• Setting - desert, deserted areas
• Feminist - clothing, "who run the the world, girls" - Control over men
• Capability of control
• Pushing down stereotypes - Hyper sexual
• Seductive power - sex positive - sexual
• Don;t need protection
• Progressive
• US. - Adele

Audience

Males stereotypes, action genre, games - virtual role, made up & fantasy. Male version, lack of women - Designed by man for men"

Psycho-femme

Fierce, tough and resourceful who became equally violent as men and adapt many characteristics. Feminine masculinity - sex appeal whilst being masculine. 

Case Studies - Inept Bungler

Inept Bungler

After You've Gone

1. Incompetent, unable to control the situations in hand e.g. what to do when daughter goes missing.
2. Stupid - Dressing up to hide the fact the daughter is missing, instead of telling the truth.
3. Unable to accept failure - Not admitting that he can't control his children.
4. Unable to cope on their own - Need someone to keep them in order, need guidance.
5. Easily influenced into doing actions e.g. lying to hide the fact he doesn't know where his child is.

Why

1. To gain easy laughs, making women look dominant in a patriarchal society.
2. Making it realistic, taking away the idea that all men are "macho", "powerful" and "dominant". It is easier to relate to than the "typical" man. 
3. The setting of the house suggests that the men are dominant, head of the family and breadwinner. By having this setting it shows how some men feel within their own environment, they may not have the power linked in with the "macho" man. It gives of a more realistic way to how families function; the male is not always dominant and is weaker than other members in the families.
4. The family again would suggest that they are the head of the house, the family need protecting, and the stereotypical ideas of being a "real" man. The family in After You’ve Gone all have strong personalities, causing the father to be pushed down, easily influenced and controlled, they are shown is inept to break the stereotypical man away.

Outnumbered

1. Unorganised, unable to stick to the task in hand
2. Not in control, children are not kept in control
3. Not the dominant male in the house, weaker sex compared to the women
4. Weak, unable to control the family house and job. 
5. Easily influenced into doing actions e.g. being less enthusiastic towards children

Why

1. Comedic effect
2. Making it realistic, taking away the idea that all men are "macho", "powerful" and "dominant". It is easier to relate to than the "typical" man. 
3. The setting of the house suggests that the men are dominant, head of the family and breadwinner. By having this setting it shows how some men feel within their own environment, they may not have the power linked in with the "macho" man.
4. The family again would suggest that they are the head of the house, the family need protecting, and the stereotypical ideas of being a "real" man. The family in outnumbered all have strong personalities which are constantly clashing, causing Pete to be pushed down, having no control over what happens in the family, pushing away the idea that men are the dominant  ones, they can be inept and have no control over society or family.

Case Studies - Gender Male

Masculinity in crises

• "Traditional" view of men - Strong, provider and protector
• Men define themselves by rejecting female ideas or links

Loss of control - no job, no longer the breadwinner, values are gone, may have to rely on women for support

No more manual labour, women are independent, objectification of men - looks at matter - insecurities.

"Own money" - increase in social sector jobs, men are not needed

Traditional values - Appearance = homosexuality - "new lad"

Rise in feminism - men start to take care, notice own appearance

The Full Monty

•  Breaking away from values to make jobs work
• Sad, loss of masculinity
• Strong traditional views

Challenges facing men

• " a man is a defined in a modern capitalist society...by doing"
• "Men are absolute dinosaurs"
• "Difficult to live up to their media representations"

Change in masculinity - Thoughtful, cosmetics, appearances, designer clothes, caring and gentle & stay at home dads.

New man - adverts

• Metro- sexual - Appearance based, not gay but elements, pride in looks, cosmetic products, high regard for women - refusal to traditional values e.g. Beckham
• Levi 5O1 - Masculine V. Appearance, traditional v. modern - objectifying - girls looking at men, becoming objects 
• Light Blue, D & G - Girls to buy for boyfriends- "the ideal man"- seductive, caring man - Girls dream. Sexual - aspire to be like that, appealing to women. Objectifying men - to look at - "New man"- pride. Close-up intimate nature- gaze. Presents or own purchase- multi-functionality
• L'orel men expert -  "real man"- action hero, protection, fast pace- action, control commanding- action sequence- women at the end. Colloquial "nuff" said - everyday man. Still caring about looks and how they are. Male audience- aspire the "dream" attractive. Male stereotypes- gain the ideology, aspiring. "Fight ageing"- Battle, masculine ideas, playing up to stereotypes.
• "Mythical" - Created by the media, tv advertisement, what men should aspire to.

The "new" man

• Before 90's there were not any men's lifestyle magazines, based upon one specific group of people, niche audience.
• Did men need advice? Stereotypical gap - "real" man didn't want lifestyle magazines.
• 1980's - Rise of design and music - GQ, Esquire etc.
• 1990's - Loaded, start of the "new lad", started of the "lad" magazine. "For men who should better" - Loaded.

Zoo

• Sport - football
• Male gaze - Image "offering herself" - sexual
• Zoo - Animals, women are to be looked at
• Colloquial language - over the top 
• Sex, lust and power - Red
• Low demographic - D/E, 16-20
• Based around sex

FHM

• The "lad" - male gaze - medium long shot - focus on body, objectification of women
• "Get her to do what you want" - D.M.O.A - Controlling women, power - Assuming men want this.
• Patriarchal society - be the dominant character in society.
• "Males vs. Wives" - Demographic "25-35"- B/C
• Football, comedy - Immaturity

Men's Health

• Women is an accessory - Hung around him
• Based on confidence - Appearance = Muscles 
• Not selling the idea of sex - Image based, healthy living "new man"
• Lack of colours - maturity, masculinity, Image - background focus, stand out on there own - muscles are enough
• More formal - "Emotional intelligence" 

GQ

• "New man" - Professional
• Articles - "Cooking" - King of kitchen - dominant, "Style"
• Relaxed M.O.A - Confident
• Wine - Not beer, more sophisticated
• Johnny Depp - Stylish, action man, diverse acting career, success - aspiration
• Formal (ish) mode of address
• "Look sharp, live sharp" - Perfect man
• Iphone app - Technology
• Older demographics
• Age - 30/40

The "new" lad

• Backlash to feminist movement
• Putting men and women back in their traditional roles
• Patriarchal society - ideology
• Loaded FHM, NUTS/Zoo - Weekly - choose when bought, cheap throw away

Case Studies - Issues

Age - The Inbetweeners, Harry Brown & Spooks


The Inbetweeners:

• "The Inbetweeners film is glorifying the drunken antics of Britons abroad" Negative view upon the youth, blames the youth of this film for "glorifying! being drunk.
• "British teenage bad behaviour abroad is anything but funny" - Suggests that all youth of a particular age are "bad" when on holiday, they are not responsible.
• "Britons convinced that the only way to have a good time is to get as drunk as possible"- This paper suggests that all follow the party lifestyle, which they blame on this film.
• "party all night and engage in inappropriate sexual relationships" - Believes just from this film that all participate in these "antics", the mail on-line takes a very stereotypical look upon the youth, taking the film too seriously.
• The characters are an exaggerated view of youth, obsessed with sex, girls and getting drunk. This film is a comedy not to be taken seriously, these characters are created for comedic effect and not to be taken seriously. However this representation of youth in this film has created a very negative image of the youth as it does suggest that all are like this, it also suggests that those who do not participate in these activities are "weird" and do not fit into the "youth" of today.

http://travelblog.dailymail.co.uk/2011/08/the-inbetweeners-film-is-glorifying-the-drunken-antics-of-britons-abroad.html

Harry Brown

• The older generation are represented as frail, old and lonely as they are getting to the age where people around them are dying.
• Fearful and scared - Avoiding the subway on purpose out of fear of what may occur. Scared of going through the tunnel, pub - classic setting playing chess, always questioning the police - Political ideology - Lack of authority.
• Traditional viewpoints - Law and order.
• Brown is a counter type - killing the youth - active and ex. marine - Hybrid genre.
• The older generation have pride - fighting in the war, how they dress and act towards others.
• In this film they are represented as the victims, those who are a burden to society, the youth "run" the city.
• Youth are represented as violent, careless, drug dealing and dangerous - Shooting people, drinking and attacking each other as well as the general public.
• They are shown as vile, having no respect for those around them.
• Ages 18-30 - always drunk or drinking in the pub.
• This film plays heavily on stereotypes, which show the youth as very negative, this representation fits with the ideologies of the Daily Mail that all youth are bad, feral and vile. This film in once sense shows reality of England which is never shown, however it does also create a very negative view on England and the film is aimed at a specific audience.

Spooks

• The older you are the wiser you are, they have experienced more - Why they have more power and control, why they are the bosses of the system.
• Younger - risk taking, moving away from those above you, fearless taking matters into your own hands. Placed on the streets, do the "dirty" work.
• Plays on stereotypes the older you are the "better" you are.

Events - The Olympics 2012


Social Networking

• Emphasis of how interactive the Olympic games will be.
• How to appeal to the youth, get interactive with the games, bringing all audiences into the games.
• This article is very positive towards the games and all it can offer, it shows a sense of unity between the games and the people.
• It shows the steps in which the technology team are trying to appeal to all areas of the nation, such as creating a twitter and Facebook page.
• It is building up the excitement around the games, proving that you can be a part of it in many ways, you do not have to be sporty.
• Very positive view of the games, how all will be involved and it will be like nothing before, people will be able to be a part of the games like never before.

http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2012/04/05/alex-huot-london-2012-will-be-the-first-social-media-olympics/


TV Adverts

• Building on the idea of "unity" within the games, having many different characters running with the torch not just athletes - Very positive view of the games, there to bring the nation together, something we should all be a part of.
• All ages - young and old, anyone can be involved with the games, building on the "peoples" games.
• "Chance to carry the flame" - anyone can be involved, it is an event that all can be a part of.
• Showing equality within the games, making it more common than an event for the elitist.
• Very positive advert, very positive view upon the games and what it will do for the nation as a whole. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc9yKO-OCAc - Lloyds TSB


News

• This article is very mixed with the views of the Olympics. 
• Firstly there is a positive story showing how involved society has got with the games and how it is a very "friendly" games, people are involved and it is an event not just for the athletes but the people too."The torch will be carried by 7,300 people who were nominated and the remaining 700 will be athletes and celebrities."
• However there is a negative view of the games, how it causes a huge amount of disruption. "Leicestershire County Council said a rolling road closure would be used and residents would need to remove their vehicles from the route in advance of the convoy." Although it is a positive event it does cause great disruption and may be seen as inconvenient.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-17675960 - BBC News


Overall the Olympics as an event has been shown in a very positive light, however there have been a few issues surrounding the games, such as terror threats, disruption it is causing to London and surrounding areas. Based upon the story reflects how the stories have been shown and how the Olympics as an event has been shown.

Case Studies - Gender Male

Representation of men

• The "action" hero
• The "macho" man
• The "new" man
• The "Lad"
• The "professional"
• The"inept bungler"

Alfie 1966

• Powerful, player womaniser - Commanding
• Women are seen as objects
• Patriarchal ideologies, male dominance in society
• The "Lad" - player, cocky, sleeps around and arrogant 
• Women are weak, have little or no rights, fall at the drop of the hat willing. Doing anything for the man
• Sexists towards women - Objects, "it" or "Bird"
• Hypocritical - "Your not..."
• None committal - "Standby", "I like you a lot", never love
• Misogynistic - Sexists
• More intelligent than women - "I can see it coming"
• Dominant - "Never push things on him"
• Independent - " I can help myself"
• Archetype - Traditional representation

James Bond

• Patriarchal ideology - Dominance in society, Sharp suite, fast cars, saving the day and loyal to country
• Female = Objects
• Independent - saves the day  

Bourne

• Action hero - fighting
• Brave - macho
• Dominant 
• Intelligent - solve any problems
• Women in power however are weaker than men
• Independent - flying solo

Die Hard

• Intelligent
• Independent - "I can take it from here"
• Action hero
• Father
• Stereotypical - man's job to protect and save

Similarities 

• Active/Athletic
• Independence - Do not need others
• Saving the "world" - solo, on their own
• Patriarchal, nation pride - hero of country
• Job to save, protect women
• Women - damsel in distress, womanising - princess role
• Age - middle aged, experience and wise
• Violence, conflict needing to be resolved - "Archetypal man"
• Rebellion - Bourne
• Reinforces - hegemonic ideology, traditional - Bond 

Difference

• Rebellion against a system
• Womaniser - Bond
• Protector - Bourne, die hard
• Costume - Bond = professional, tuxedo etc.
• Bourne - Rugged hero, casual, fitting into society.

Why

• Audience - men aspiring to be like them, living on the edge, living on witt - masculine
• Film - No background given, need to get message across quickly.

Representation and Responces

Representation- "Never simply present the world direct. They are always a Construction, a re-presentation, rather than a mirror, or a clear "window into the real"


Mediation - "The Process by which a media text represents an idea, issue or event to us" 
                  Real life - MEDIATION PROCESS (Process by which media text represents an idea)  - Constructed "reality"


Stereotypes Vs. Counter-types - Positive Vs. Negative
Archetype - Extreme version of a stereotype
Ideology - Messages, beliefs and values 
Patriarchal ideology - Male dominated society & power
Feminist Ideologies - Equal rights to males in society
Stereotypical ideology - Weak ideas, very strong ideas