Media Mock Exam Revision

Task 3 - Representation Essay

Media representations rarely challenge the dominant values of society nor do they give a voice to those with little power. To what extent is this true for the group or place you have studied? Why?

In the media, hegemonic institutions often create negative representations of groups and places , for example homosexuals and black males are marginalised and demonised in the tabloid press. By marginalising these groups, the elite are enforcing their dominant values and injecting their ideologies into the audience.Yet, specific groups in the media try to challenge the dominant values and representations which are created by the elite. Groups such as obese people, homosexuals, ethnic minorities and women are fairly represented across the media, as seen with soap operas such as Eastenders, Coronation Street, which signify these groups in order to represent a tolerant society. The representation of obese people for example on reality television shows such as The Biggest Loser on ITV could signify to the audience, that this group should be accepted and not marginalised in society.

On one hand, higher institutions do in fact subordinate groups in the media, as signified with teenagers. In the print platform, teenagers are often negatively represented as being deviant and irresponsible. Teenage black males are represented as being violent and as Stan Cohen states, they are 'folk devils who violate societal values of self control'. As well as the print platform, teenage males in general are predominantly involved in crime and are constructed as being deviant on shows such as Waterloo Road and Crimewatch on BBC1. On these shows, teenagers are affiliated with drugs, theft of vehicles and are represented as being manic and troublesome. As well as teenage males, teenage girls are negatively represented as being irresponsible, as they get pregnant at a young age. By representing teenagers in this way, the audience are injected with ideologies that teenagers are irresponsible and immature.

Likewise, the representation of homosexuals and ethnic minorities in the media is often negative, as they are constructed by the elite to be resented. In television shows such as Glee, homosexuals are stereotyped as being flamboyant, but are often subordinated by the dominant white male. Similarly, ethnic minorities are marginalised in the media, as signified with muslims, who are constructed by the hegemonic elite to be radical and evil. The marginalisation of these groups in the media and the misrepresentation of these groups results in the audience having oppositional readings to them and results in these groups being unable to challenge the status quo. The elite therefore inject thier ideologies into the audience that these groups are harmful and gain a collective view that these groups are threatening, when they are often not.

In many hip hop and rap music videos, women are subordinated in order to maintain the status of the dominant male singer. By fetishising through close up shots of areas of the women's body, such as the breasts and legs, the male audience gain scocophilic pleasures out of watching women. The inclusion of women in music videos, who are wearing scantily clad clothing fulfills the male audiences' fantasies, as women are subservient to men in the videos and are constructed as 'eye candy' for the dominant male. Therefore, the male audience could have negotiated readings with the producers, as males are being tempted by glamorous women.

In contrast, it can be argued that women in music videos do have power, which could challenge dominant ideologies, as signified with Lady Gaga's music videos, such as Alejandro, where men are chained and are subservient to the dominant female. As well as Lady Gaga, emerging female music artists challenge dominant hegemonic values, as songs such as 'Do it like a dude' by Jessie J represent women as being dominant and superior to men, and in many ways contains post- feminist values, as it perpetuates the idea that women can be equal to men and do the same jobs as men. The emerging music videos by female music artists do challenge ideologies held by the hegemonic elite, as women in these videos are more dominant and through their songs try to represent themselves more fairly.

Similarly, the representation of obese people and obesity in the media has often been negative, with obese people being marginalised or ridiculed in films such as Austin Powers: Goldmember, Superbad and in soap operas such as Eastenders , where Heather Trott is undesirable due to her appearance. However in the media recently, initiatives have been implemented in order to raise awareness of obesity, with shows such as the Biggest Loser, Supersize vs Superskinny and other shows which are aimed at weight loss. By having fair stereotypes of obese people who desire to be thin, audiences can be more aware and accepting of obese people and understand their emotional pain whilst going through rigid diets. Whilst previous deemed undersirable, shapely women feature on fashion magazines such as Vogue , in contrast to previous years where obese women were ostracized from magazines due to thier appeareance.

As well as obese people, ethnic minorities and disabled people are more prevelant in the media, with television dramas such as Glee and Eastenders encouraging fair representations of these groups. By including these representations, audiences are able to be identify with them and be more acceptable of groups, which were previously marginalised. In many films, ethnic minorities such as black people, British Asians challenge dominant values, as they are dominant lead characters in films, as seen with Bend it Like Beckham, The Book of Eli and other films which have ethnic minorities. The inclusion of these representations of other groups encourages the audience to realise that diversity should be accepted in the media and also should allow accurate representations to emerge in the media.

In conclusion, it can be seen that media representations to often challenge the dominant values of society, as modern representations of ethnic minorities, obese people, teenagers and the disabled are more fair, as audiences can realise that these groups are normal and not deviant. The position of these groups across different platforms breaks the barriers enforced by the hegemonic elite, as obese people are represented as being committed to become more healthy and are constructed to be more determined to succeed, as evident on The Biggest Loser. The emerging range of female music artists gives power to them, as they can challenge dominant values, by subordinating males in their videos or through their lyrics, as signified with Jessie J, Lady Gaga, Kesha and other female artists.