Representation
Representations of gender and ethnicity
TV show: Simpsons
The Simpsons is a popular TV show that uses stereotypes about gender and ethnicity for amusement and entertainment purposes. Its target audience is mostly adults and older teens that aren't offended easily. This is because some of the jokes in the Simpsons can offend some people and are too rude for younger kids. In this show everyone is represented in an exaggerated stereotypical way. This is to make the show funny and amuse its audience. For example, Homer represents the white American male. He is portrayed as stupid and patriotic which is white male Americans are as a stereotype. He does lots of things that are funny with the show but make it obvious that he is dumb. Marge represents the white American female who is a housewife and the one that looks after the kids. Although she isn't the funniest character she is definitely the most normal and caring. One last example is a character called Apu. Apu is shown to be an Indian man that runs a supermarket and has eight kids. He has a strong accent which is very exaggerated like the stereotypes about Indian people in real life suggest. This makes this character a living joke about Indian ethnicity which is again, for amusement purposes. These stereotypes are so exaggerated that they become funny which is the entire purpose of the show. In a way these jokes reinforce stereotypes in real life as we seem to laugh it off, so then the more we see these jokes the more we think they are real and eventually normal. The cultivation theory by George Gerbner suggests that the more we see the same representations the more we believe it is real. So maybe the more the public sees shows representing people in a stereotypical way, we subconsciously start to believe in those stereotypes.
Adverts: 2012 Christmas Asda advert
In 2012 Asda released an advert on Christmas on TV about a housewife taking care of the kids and getting everything for Christmas ready. This advert is mostly targeted at adults with kids since the advert is about how Asda can provide everything you need to prepare for Christmas. In the advert It is mostly women that are being represented negatively but in a way men too. The women in the advert is acting like a stereotypical women who stays at home and looks after the kids. the advert shows her preparing everything without the husband in sight. At one part of the advert the women was multi-tasking with a kid in her arms. All of this reinforces the stereotype that all women are better at staying at home and looking after kids since the advert is suggesting that all mums can multi-task and care for their children. At some parts and at the end of the advert the woman is shown to be smiling . This tells the audience that even though that the women in the advert struggled to do what she did she enjoyed doing it. it reinforces the stereotype that all women are gentle, caring creatures that want to see their families happy to be happy. The man in the advert is only shown at the beginning of the advert and at the end with his kids. At the few times he was shown he was helping his wife prepare the Christmas tree and was showed to be annoyed as if he couldn't be bothered, however at the end he was shown to be happy and spending time with his kids. If analysed deeply this could support the stereotype that men are not expected to do the housework or take care of the kids as it is for women to do. The identity theory by David Gauntlett is about the idea that people look on the media to construct their identity. All of this links in with Asda as they are trying to sell their products to people for Christmas. Using the identity theory women may see this advert and think what the women in advert is doing is normal and is what every women does. since at one point the women was proud of having done all the housework and prepared everything for Christmas, it could subconsciously affect young girls or even adult women by making them think that they should be happy and proud of doing all the housework or looking after children by themselves. This is good for Asda as these women or girls would understand that Asda can help them do these things.
Music video: Sicko mode by Travis Scott (music video)
Sicko mode is a hip hop song made by American rapper Travis Scott in 2018. The song is mostly targeted for teens and adults as it contains some bad language. The music video itself may be targeted mostly for males as the women in the video are sexualized. The women in the music video are wearing skimpy clothes, moving seductively and even looking at the lead singers in an admiring way. This is to make the male singers look better and tough. The fact that most of the men in the music video are clothed makes it degrading for the women, suggesting that the men have power over the women in the video since they can look at the women's bodies at their will, but not the other way round. I would think this music video reinforces stereotypes since it is representing women as sexual objects and the men as their leaders. It could also be presenting the idea that having multiple women over you is what makes a man "cool". I think this because it so common to have music videos with women half naked nowadays either think that it is fine to objectify women in these type of videos or don't even realise when its happening. The feminist theory by Liesbet Van Zoonen suggests that women are objectified because of western culture which supports my opinion that the video reinforces some stereotypes as in the current western music culture it is fine to have exposed women.
Adverts: 2012 Christmas Asda advert
In 2012 Asda released an advert on Christmas on TV about a housewife taking care of the kids and getting everything for Christmas ready. This advert is mostly targeted at adults with kids since the advert is about how Asda can provide everything you need to prepare for Christmas. In the advert It is mostly women that are being represented negatively but in a way men too. The women in the advert is acting like a stereotypical women who stays at home and looks after the kids. the advert shows her preparing everything without the husband in sight. At one part of the advert the women was multi-tasking with a kid in her arms. All of this reinforces the stereotype that all women are better at staying at home and looking after kids since the advert is suggesting that all mums can multi-task and care for their children. At some parts and at the end of the advert the woman is shown to be smiling . This tells the audience that even though that the women in the advert struggled to do what she did she enjoyed doing it. it reinforces the stereotype that all women are gentle, caring creatures that want to see their families happy to be happy. The man in the advert is only shown at the beginning of the advert and at the end with his kids. At the few times he was shown he was helping his wife prepare the Christmas tree and was showed to be annoyed as if he couldn't be bothered, however at the end he was shown to be happy and spending time with his kids. If analysed deeply this could support the stereotype that men are not expected to do the housework or take care of the kids as it is for women to do. The identity theory by David Gauntlett is about the idea that people look on the media to construct their identity. All of this links in with Asda as they are trying to sell their products to people for Christmas. Using the identity theory women may see this advert and think what the women in advert is doing is normal and is what every women does. since at one point the women was proud of having done all the housework and prepared everything for Christmas, it could subconsciously affect young girls or even adult women by making them think that they should be happy and proud of doing all the housework or looking after children by themselves. This is good for Asda as these women or girls would understand that Asda can help them do these things.
Music video: Sicko mode by Travis Scott (music video)
Sicko mode is a hip hop song made by American rapper Travis Scott in 2018. The song is mostly targeted for teens and adults as it contains some bad language. The music video itself may be targeted mostly for males as the women in the video are sexualized. The women in the music video are wearing skimpy clothes, moving seductively and even looking at the lead singers in an admiring way. This is to make the male singers look better and tough. The fact that most of the men in the music video are clothed makes it degrading for the women, suggesting that the men have power over the women in the video since they can look at the women's bodies at their will, but not the other way round. I would think this music video reinforces stereotypes since it is representing women as sexual objects and the men as their leaders. It could also be presenting the idea that having multiple women over you is what makes a man "cool". I think this because it so common to have music videos with women half naked nowadays either think that it is fine to objectify women in these type of videos or don't even realise when its happening. The feminist theory by Liesbet Van Zoonen suggests that women are objectified because of western culture which supports my opinion that the video reinforces some stereotypes as in the current western music culture it is fine to have exposed women.
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