Easter Task #3

Critics have accused the mainstream media of tokenism and stereotyping by creating extreme and exaggerated representations. To what extent is this true for the group or place you have studied?

In the mainstream media it is evident the most producers may base representation of different race class on stereotypes. There are also many cases which tokenism is apparent. One of the main reasons why stereotypes are used is that it may allow the audience to understand what is being presented. Tokenism often occurs in mainstream media texts simply because it doesn’t make producers seem racist thus avoiding social issues among ethnic minorities.

A major example of tokenism in mainstream media is the 2009 horror movie Doghouse. It is a well known fact that horror films are famous for their use of ridiculously stereotypical token characters. Token characters normally have no relevance to the story they are often from ethnic or social minorities and are usually casted so that producers seem anti racist. 

The cast of doghouse is predominantly white and features two ethnic characters: Mikey and Graham. These characters however, aren’t shown in an exaggerated stereotypical fashion at all. Though they may have many negative characteristics (such as the childish ways of Mikey) there aren’t stereotypical in any way. They are to some extent shown as the more positive representations of men as unlike many of the other characters in the film they are respectful towards women. This therefore shows that the media isn’t guilty of creating extreme exaggerated representations.

Everybody hates Chris an American sitcom which aired between 2005 and 2009 is an example of exaggerated representations of working class black people in the 1980s. Rochelle who plays the mother of the family is shown in a highly stereotypical way. She is loud, and violent she also beats her children. However the rest of the family are not shown in a stereotypical way. Julius follows none of the stereotypes associated with black males such: taking part in criminal activities, drug taking and being unemployed. Similarly his son Chris is all shown as quite the opposite of the stereotype as he possesses no stereotypical qualities whatsoever.

In conclusion, mainstream media does contain some portrayals of stereotypes and tokenism. However ethnic characters are widely represented as the audience is given many representations to identify . 

Easter TASK #2

‘Developments in new/digital mean that audiences can now have access to a greater variety of views and values.’

To what extent are audiences empowered by these developments?

As new and digital media is constantly developing, it could be seen that audiences benefit more therefore giving them more power. It could also be argued that producers benefit more as audience spend their money on these new technologies giving these big organisation profit. Marxist theory also suggests that audiences are passive whilst consuming media texts and tend to absorbs various views and ideologies transmitted by providers.

Rupert Murdock’s stake/ownership of media providers such as FOX and Newscorp is further evidence that supports the idea that media institutions use new/digital media to passively influence the views and opinions of audience. As these big institutions are all run by one person it suggests that values that may be transmitted can be biased and fails to give consumers choice. This is also linked with the hypodermic needle theory as the media ‘injects’ messages into the minds of the audience.

As Rupert Murdock owns many media companies as well as various newspapers all over the world it could be argued that he has become too powerful. Furthermore, as Murdock takes control of more and more media companies cultivation may occur, and the audience may gradually develop certain views over time which is evidence that audiences may not have access to a variety of views and values.

It could be argued that audiences do in fact have access to a greater variety of views and values. The growth of new/digital media has meant that the audience have more power in terms of creating their own views and values. This is called User Generated Content. Audiences now have more power in terms of producing media through the use of various web formats such as blogs (e.g. blogger.com) and social networking sites (e.g. facebook.com & twitter.com).

 A major example of the audience influencing the views and values of other consumers is a website created in 2010 called ‘wikileaks’. In 2010 wikileaks shared large amounts of classified government information using an online blog. The website also released video footage of corruption within the US army on YouTube (a major player in user generated content. This granted the audience a wider range of views and values due to new/digital media.

Another factor which influences the audiences’ access to a variety of views and values is digital television. Companies such as SKY and Virgin offer television viewers hundreds of different channels. This means that the audience is not just influenced by the five terrestrial television channels the therefore have access to a wide range of views and values. This is linked with pluralism as audiences have more choice.

In conclusion, the majority of evidence points to the idea that audiences do have access to a greater variety of views and values as they have access to hundreds of television and user generated content. Even though tycoons may control some of the media until it has been monopolised there will still be a variety of views and values for the audience to consume.

Pepsi Advert

In this advert women are shown positively. In the beginning of the advert two women are shown learning a form of martial art. This immediately empowers them as it connotes that they are strong and that they can defend themselves. They are dressed in fitted clothing and are which isn’t revealing at all however they still look attractive. The women in the advert are famous faces (Beyonce and Jennifer Lopez) as singers/actresses they are normally shown in very revealing clothing. Women are shown as Independent. They are also shown riding motorbikes at high speeds which are stereotypically associated with men this connotes that the women in the advert are bending gender boundaries. Later on in the Ad the two women fight a large number of men and knock all of them out whilst wearing six inch heels. This gives of the idea that women can look attractive and be independent at the same time. Unlike most adverts women are the main protagonists. There are shown as the dominant gender as the advert is focused on them.

Specsavers Advert

In this advert women are shown negatively. The advert is clearly from a male’s perspective, the women are shown in bikinis running through a jungle in slow motion allowing men to gaze at them and lust after their bodies. Frequent shots of emphasis on the women’s bottoms are used which gives the audience sexual gratifications. The slow motion used in these shots help to emphasise the women’s bodies and gives the men a longer period of time of which they can use to stare at the women.

The advert shows women as superficial and stereotypical. Whilst they are running through the jungle they are wearing heels to walk over tricky surfaces with may also suggest that women are stupid. The advert seems to be set on a remote island; however, all the women seem to have access to cosmetics, magazines, and shopping. This shows women as always obsessed with their appearance.

In the advert women are also shown running towards a man, they seem to be attracted to the body spray that the man is using on himself and hundreds are running towards him like moths to a flame. This could be seen as a sexual fantasy and it objectifies the women. There is also a shot in which a man is buried up to his neck in sand and is looking up at the women’s bodies they don’t seem to care which connotes that they are inviting men to gaze at them this is called self objectification.

Even though the ad is a parody of a ‘Lynx’ ad, it still gives of a similar message. For ‘lynx’, if you wear it you will get girls and for this particular advert, if you wear glasses from ‘Specsavers’ you will get girls. The advert makes men assume that if they wear a certain thing then women will want to have sex with them.                

The Guardian 100 H/W

1.       The guardian 100 is an annual guide to the most powerful people in the media industry. Candidates are judged on three criteria - their cultural, economic and political influence in the UK. Candidates are judged on three criteria - their cultural, economic and political influence in the UK. A panel of experienced media watchers from the worlds of politics, journalism, advertising and the internet judged entrants using three criteria: cultural influence, economic clout and political power of all candidates.(Men and Women).

2.       There are sixteen women in the top 100.

3.       The women have very high roles such as executive and chief executive they all take a very active role in their companies.

4.       16% of the top 100 are women.

5.       I think that the men have more power as there are a lot more of them than there are women. Even though there are women in the list the first woman is at 16^th place. This suggests that men have the most power.

Gender Representation in "Double Indemnity"

In Double Indemnity women are shown in a negative light. They are sexualised, The first time that we see Phyllis Dietrichson see is waering nothing but a towel and she is sexually objectified the angle at which Walter is standing means that he could easily see up the towel because she is exposed. They are also shown to be vulnerable she talks of how she is a victim of domestic violence (her husband beats her).
Men are shown to be powerful and lustful in the first scenes of the film we see him driving his car at high speeds and ignoring traffic lights, this suggest that he has power to do as he wishes. He is also shown to be lustful when ghe speaks of how much he wanted to see Mrs Dietrichson he lusts after her even though she is a married woman.     

Media Homework

Homework

1.       The Difference between sex and gender is that sex refers to biological differences between men and women whereas gender refers to the characteristics that society or culture determine as masculine and feminine.

2.       Gender could be seen as a way of subordinating women, for example is some eastern cultures women are told how to dress, they are often not able to do jobs that are seen as male jobs. However in some western society women are treated equally, for it has become the norm for women to do jobs which were on seen as male jobs.

3.       I believe gender can have a negative impact on men. With frequent images of men in the media with perfect bodies, men may become very self-conscious and may not feel like a ‘real man’ because they don’t look like that. Men in the media also being portrayed as macho may influence other males to be like that. More sensitive males however, could feel under-pressure by them.

4.       I think Ashes to Ashes could be seen as misogynistic for example Gene Hunt the dominant male in the film would make very sexist comments throughout the series e.g. “Blimey, if that skirt was hitched any higher I could see what you had for breakfast”. “D.I Drake you appear to be drunk in charge of a handbag and dressed like a tart again”.

5.       I think Doghouse represents women in a negative light. Firstly the virus spread to only women as in was it kitchen products which reinforce the idea that women should be in the kitchen. Also one the main characters – Graham is very disrespectful to women e.g. he is very disrespectful to the bus driver because she’s a women and refuses to call her by her correct name.

6.       A patriarchal society is one in which men are the decision-makers, bread winners and hold positions of power, men have the power to define reality and common situations. I think that to some extent we don’t live in a patriarchal society because the majority of families in the UK have started to share conjugal roles, more men now cook and clean and some are even house husbands, and women are free to do any job that they want. However some families may choose traditional roles.

7.       Laura Mulvey’s male gaze is basically the idea that an audience are forced to view the text from the perspective a heterosexual male, films constantly focus on women’s curves and events that happen to them are portrayed at a male angle it regulates women to the status of objects. Therefore the female audience or forced to experience the text’s narrative secondarily, by seeing it from a man’s perspective (male gaze).

8.       I think that people being able to manipulate gender boundaries simply means, people of a particular sex being able to take on characteristics of the opposite gender. The very fact that women and men can say that they feel more or less 'like a woman' or 'like a man' shows, Butler points out, that 'the experience of a gendered... cultural identity is considered an achievement.' Butler argues that sex (male, female) is seen to cause gender (masculine, feminine) which is seen to cause desire (towards the other gender).

9.       (Couldn’t find any info)

10.    A Femme Fatale is a woman who is seen as very seductive she can easily attract men and often leads them into dangerous situations. Femme Fatales where first seen in films in the early 1900s. (1915 - A Fool There Was) This Types of Character showed women as being powerful but only sexually.

11.    In the TV series Desperate Housewives, women are the main characters although they are all housewives they all have jobs, however most these jobs are stereotypical of women e.g. Teacher, Head of a Catering company and model. White people in the programme are shown as secretive but at the same time family and work orientated. Latinos are shown in the same light however; they are shown as feisty and stereotypically loud. The dominant ideologies within the text are that people aren’t always what they seem and that everyone has secrets, Wisteria Lane is shown as perfect on the outside but shown as not so perfect behind closed doors.

12.    I think that media representations can change opinions and beliefs of audience members. The media can act as a hypodermic needle it can influence the way that audience members think in both a negative and a positive way.