Representation The media re-present social groups such as gender, race, class groups and occupational groups. No media representation can be “neutral”. Because the media is so pervasive in today’s society, it is important to unpick how these representations are constructed. today- talk about rep. What it is/ why important Media categorizes people Media is everywhere –internet, TV, film, advertising, magazines We make sense of the world through the media

Why is representation important? Limited and negative representations can create or reinforce prejudice towards certain groups Without critical awareness, we might accept these representations as natural or “common sense” The media is selective, not just a window on the world Read point 1-next slide- sun

THE Tories have had a good idea. Sound move THE Tories have had a good idea. All immigrants and asylum seekers should have compulsory medical tests. It would help check the spread of diseases like Aids and TB. London is the TB capital of the world, with a rate of infection 25 times higher than Australia. Already the anti-brigade are threatening “human rights” cases. Habib Rahman, of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, attacks the “shameful” Tories and says it’s “another attack on vulnerable immigrants and asylum seekers”. What rubbish he spouts. Everyone has the right to live as free from disease as possible. Health checks would benefit the newcomers just as much as those here. This sun editorial comments on new Tory policy to test asylum seekers for disease Presents negative, limited image-may influence of attitude towards asylum seek. Encourages us to agree by dismissing other opinion in “every day language” Back to previous slide

Textual Analysis AS Media Studies introduces the idea of textual analysis. This means looking in detail at how different texts ( television, film, newspapers, magazines etc) use particular technical codes and conventions to construct meaning. Through this analysis, we can question these meanings critically.

What affects representation? However, media texts don’t exist in isolation. We must also consider the conditions of their production and reception: Institutional context Genre Target audience Dominant ideologies Who produces the media products we use Who provides the money to produce them What conditions are they produced under NEXT SLIDE

Gross $285m (Non-USA) $178.406m (USA) $463.4m (worldwide) Budget $2.5m Opening Weekend $11.28m (USA) (1,325 screens) Gross $285m (Non-USA) $178.406m (USA) $463.4m (worldwide) Budget $2.5m Gross $6.401m (USA) Pretty woman-American blockbuster-initial budget means it has to be popular at the box office Sticks to tried and tested formula-fairy tale romance where female prostitute swept off her feet by rich knight in shining Armour- rags to riches My own private Idaho- much smaller budget and return-marketed as art film-freedom to be innovative Tells story relationship between drug addicted male prostitutes- nobody is rescued- experimental in style

In soaps, women are powerful at home and at work Soaps originally on radio to keep women listening between detergent ads Domestic/matriarchal- peggy used to run pub and bosses family around Janet leigh-marion in psycho- killed early in the film by norman bates-horror-women vulnerable, innocent , passive. In soaps, women are powerful at home and at work In horror films, women are often victims of male killers

Situation Comedy Series of 30 minute episodes Focus on relationships within the home or at work Impossible or insoluble situations reveal new comic possibilities each week Cyclical narrative- at the end of each episode the basic situation remains the same Also started on radio-didn’t need to invent new comic characters every week.

Sitcom and representation Lack of narrative progression means that sitcoms can be seen as a conservative genre where nothing changes. Humour comes through familiarity. Representations in sitcom are often stereotypical. Humour comes through exaggeration. Comedy allows sitcoms to be transgressive. Humour comes through characters breaking the rules. Clip of royle family

Gender stereotypes in sitcom Many classic UK sitcoms have centered on men Men are often associated with misbehaviour and are sometimes infantilised. Women in sitcoms are often domineering and powerful Some recent sitcoms have women in the central role The “unruly” woman is a common character in sitcom Watch clip of simpsoms homer has been encouraged to go back to college by his boss NOTICE-homer is immature- on the same wavelength as bart-lisa guides him as he writes application back to previous slide Stereotype of nagging wife- in fawlty towers it is cybil who wears the trousers- strong character but negative representation- encouraged to empathise with basil- share his dislike of wife Back to slide Unruly woman-breaks all the rules or traditional female behaviour In this episode of abfab, edina (played by jennifer saunders) finds out that daughter saffy is having an open day at school and decides she must be invited. E’s behavoiur is shocking and fummy because it goes against traditional ideas of a mother as mature, responsible and selfless. Evertything about E is transgressive, from her aggressive loud voice, her ill-fitting trendy clothes and her exaggerated childish behavoiur. Her shcok value is highlighted in the narrative through being constantly compared to Saffy. Saffy looks at home in domestic space of kitchen. Her maturity is emphasised by her old fashioned clothes and impassive expression. Our usual expectations of a mother daughter relationship is turned on its head-creates humour. Ab fab has been praised for its representation of female characters who refuse to obey the rules that society has set for them. Is this representation influenced by the programmes institutional contect?

Absolutely Fabulous Written by Jennifer Saunders, an “alternative” comedian Initially broadcast on BBC2 then moved to BBC 1 Broadcast after 9 o’clock watershed June Whitfield and Joanna Lumley cast against type In the 1980’s channel four-cater for more diverse tastes in comedy Eg comic strip with sauders, husband ade edmonson and dawn french. Appealed to young audiences bored of traditional comedy-bbc 2-young ones. bbc2 and channel 4 began to compete for same young , hip audience-comedy challenged racist sexist stereotype of traditional comedy-became more experimantal June whitfiled-previously on very traditional sitcom terry and june which focused on surburban married couple And joanna lumley upper class, genteel english rose-straight actress

Sitcom and audiences Which characters do you identify with? Which characters are you encouraged to laugh at? Do you feel critical of any of the characters? Do you aspire to the behaviour of any of the characters? Ab fab appealed to male and female audinces, and gained a cult status world wide amongst the gay community. But how does programme encourage the audience to the characters presented? Watch clip again-think about these questions Abfab again. We are encouraged in this clip to identify with saffy and find edina selfish and riduculous. However, adult female audiences might also empathise with edinas shortcomings and celebrate her lack of regard for how other people think she sholud behave. As I said earlier, comedy allow peole to break the rules because we can laugh off their outrageous behaviour. However, this indulgent attitude isnt shared by the sun newspaper in this article about Tracy shaw.

WILDCAT Corrie beauty Tracy Shaw mercilessly beat, kicked and spat at her cowering husband in a drunken, foul-mouthed onslaught.  [ Drinking "She's got a problem with drink," said Clare. "I like a drink myself, but Tracy can't draw the line. I'd watch telly with her at her home in Manchester and she'd drink two bottles of champagne on her own, easy. I'd be drinking tea and she'd be knocking back the booze fine style. "She might hate me for this but hopefully she'll get some help because she'll be dead if she carries on like this. She isn't eating healthily either. You just have to look at the pictures of her.” DO you have a story about a star? Call us any day on 0207 782 4444 or e-mail features@news-of-the-world.co.uk   Notice how language connects tracy’s behaviur to that of an animal and aims to destry her reputation as a celebrity In abfab, the raltionship between edian and her friend patsy is privileged over family or romantic connections. In this articke however, Tracys friend clare condemns her friends outrageous behavior and encourages us the reader to reveal any other celebrity transgressions.

ONCE SO CLOSE: Clare and Tracy SEXBOMB: Tracy was a wildcat ONCE HAPPY: Tracy and Robert

Conclusion Representations change over time and from genre to genre Negative or limited representations can affect the way we make sense of the world Textual analysis can help is become aware of how these representations are constructed and help us make informed judgements about what we see or hear.