Representation of Gender

Starter

• Make a list of adjective you would use to describe males

• Make a list of adjective you would use to describe females

• For both lists circle the ones that could be seen a negative.

• You have five mins to complete this – don’t share you ideas yet….

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• Males

• Negative

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• Males

• Negative

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5

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• Females

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• Females

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Dominant Ideologies•Stereotypes are ‘socially constructed’ and exist as ‘myths’ and are neither ‘true’ nor ‘false’ but simply a reflection of dominant ideologies.

•Stereotypes can be reinforced, challenged or even constructed by the media through representation

•A counter-stereotype is the reverse of a stereotype. Counter-stereotypes may eventually become stereotypes themselves if they are too popular.

•How do we ‘pick up’ on these Dominant Ideologies?– Encoding and decoding model (Stuart Hall)

• The media encodes the representation (Camera/MES/Sound/Editing)

• The audience decodes it…

Representation Theories Laura Mulvey – argues that cinema

positions the audience as male. The camera gazes at the female object on screen. It also frames the male character watching the female.We watch the girl; we see the male watching the

girl; we position ourselves within the text as a male objectively gazing at the female.

Can be applied to other media forms also.

Hegemony (dominant ideology) – Richard DyerA key concern in the study of representation is with

the way in which representations are made to seem ‘natural’.

All texts, however 'realistic' they may seem to be, are constructed representations

Richard Dyer posed questions that force people to challenge or question the dominant ideology

Dyer said: ‘How we are seen determines how we are treated, how we treat others is based on how we see them. How we see them comes from representation.’

Television Dramas• How would you use the elements of Camera,

Sound, and Mise en Scene to represent male and female characters that represent the stereotypes we have just talked about?

Camera Sound Mise en scene

Male Stereotype 1

Male Stereotype 2

Female Stereotype 1

Female Stereotype 2

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Feminine Representation•Feminism has been around for over 30 years yet media representations of women are worryingly the same.

•Representations of women across all media tend to highlight the following:

– beauty (within narrow conventions)– size/physique (again, within narrow

conventions)– sexuality (as expressed by the above)– emotional (as opposed to intellectual)

dealings– relationships (as opposed to

independence/freedom)

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Feminine Representation•Women are often represented as being part of a context (family, friends, colleagues) and working/thinking as part of a team.

•They tend to take the role of helper (Propp) or object, passive rather than active.

•They are often victims •Men are still represented on TV drama characters up to 3 times more frequently than women.

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Feminine Representation

•The representations of women that do make it onto the screen do tend to be stereotypical, in terms of conforming to societal expectations, and characters who do not fit into the mould tend to be seen as dangerous and deviant.

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Masculine Representation

•'Masculinity' is a concept that is made up of more rigid stereotypes than femininity. Representations of men across all media tend to focus on the following:

– Strength - physical and intellectual– Power– Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above)– Physique– Independence (of thought, action)

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Masculine Representation

•Male characters are often represented as isolated, as not needing to rely on others (the lone hero).

•If they submit to being part of a family/team, it is often part of the resolution of a narrative, rather than an integral factor in the initial equilibrium.

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MASCULINE GENRES•Dominant males•Subservient females•Masculine ‘action’•Lack of emotion• ‘Serious’ storylines•Romance controlled•Patriarchal ideology (narrative closure)•Male heroes•Sole characters or characters with one/two side kicks

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FEMININE GENRES•Female interaction•Males as ‘partners’•Relationship issues•Emotive storylines•Shared feminine identity•Narrative openness•Confirmation of patriarchal ideology•Female ensemble dramas

Sherlock• Watch the sequence from Sherlock.• You will see the extract twice. First time

through watch for how stereotypes and reinforced and challenged.

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Reinforced Challenged

Sherlock• Second time through – pick 4 ways in which gender has

been represented and find evidence via Camera, Editing, Sound and Mise en scene

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Stereotype One Stereotype Two

Stereotype Three Stereotype Four