Representation: Stereotypes in the Media

Stereotypes: Media Intuitions use stereotypes because the audience will instantly understand them. Think of stereotypes as a 'visual shortcut'. They're repeated so often that we assume they are normal or 'true'.

Archetypes: This is the ultimate stereotypes. For example, the white stiletto wearing, big busted, brainless blonde bimbo.

Countertype: A representation that challenger tradition stereotypical associations of groups of people or places.


Representation is

• The way in which people, events and ideas are presented to the audience.
• The Media takes something that is already there and re - present it to us in the way that they choose
• These representations are created by the producers (anyone who makes a media text) of media texts.
• What they chose to present to us is controlled by the GATEKEEPERS.

When analysing the media , we have to think about these questions:

Who, What, Where, Why

Who or what is being represented? Who is the preferred audience for this representation?

What are they doing? Is their activity presented as typical or atypical? Are they conforming to genre expectations or other conversations?

Why are they present? What purpose do they serve? What are they communicating by their presence? What's the preferred reading?

Where are they? How are they framed? Are they represented as natural or artificial? What surrounds them? What is in the foreground and what is in the background?



We use the anagram DR CAGES to see what topics are most commonly steroty

DISABILITY
REGIONAL IDENTITY

CLASS
AGE
GENDER
ETHNICITY
SEXUALITY