Sexuality RepresentationBy Kirsty Steward

Sexuality Definition

A person's sexual orientation or preference.

StereotypesHeterosexual male = Tough, protector and leaders. They are usually higher in society as Strauss' idea of dominant figures state the men who are around their 40's who have high paying jobs dominate in the general public.

Heterosexual woman= Weak, girly, feminine, damsel-like and emotional. Strauss' idea of binary opposites is evident as they are typically seen as subordinate figures.

StereotypesHomosexual male= Camp, girly, promiscuous, feminine looking clothes and loud.

Homosexual female= Butch, feminist, short hair and hate men.

Examples of how homosexual males and females are portrayed in TV Drama:Gay Men: Kurt HummelKurt Hummel in Glee is conforms to the Stereotype of a homo-sexual man in Glee.This is due to his costume consisting of over-the-top, glittery outfits, he has quite a feminine face and cares a lot about the way his hair is styled and the products he uses in general.He also is very outgoing as he is an avid member in the school's Glee club and is not afraid to express his sexuality and is very naive when it comes to typical male likes such as sport.Kurt conforms to the stereotype to add drama to the show and create situations that can be humorous (e.g. his ignorance of American football) to make his character more comedic as a person. However his sexuality isn't a gimmick as he is a regular lead character and his very manly father is supportive of his sexuality thus he isn't just categorised by his sexuality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8EDvoAvhkI

Examples of how homosexual males and females are portrayed in TV Drama:

Gay Men: Thomas BarrowThomas Barrow in Downton Abbey does not conform to the stereotype of a typical gay man.This is because due to his job of being high up in the housekeeping ranks; he wears a formal costume every day and speaks with no exaggerated tone and makes no reference to his sexuality of tries to show off as a person.He does not conform as Downton Abbey is a period time and in the era it was set, being homosexual was illegal. Thus Thomas defies the stereotype as he is represented to be ashamed of his sexuality as he has to hide it and furthermore this shows how the stereotype/s have developed with the more welcoming view in society.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhwCH4spKjg

Examples of how homosexual males and females are portrayed in TV Drama:

Lesbians: Shane Mccutcheon Shane Mccutcheon in the US drama The L Word conforms to the stereotype of a homosexual woman.This is seen in one clip as she has quite a deep voice; her costume consists of quite baggy male clothes (including a bowler hat) and is seen to be uninterested with typically girly activities such as shopping and taking great care in materialistic appearance.This shows that she conforms to the stereotype of being quite butch and manly yet because she's in a show which is centred on a group of lesbian/bi people, her characteristics are most likely present to show that there is variation in sexuality and some people can conform to stereotypes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eug1s012Rlw

Examples of how homosexual males and females are portrayed in TV Drama:Lesbians: Sophie WebsterSophie Webster in Coronation Street goes against the typical stereotype of homosexual women.This is because she appears to be very feminine looking with long brown hair, she wears a fair amount of makeup and wears costumes that consist of fashionable clothes of the latest trends.She is considered to fit in as she has both male and female friends and has a job at the local corner shop and gets on with everyone in the street without controversy.Moreover she is a Christian meaning she defies the stereotype that all lesbians are against religion as she believes in faith herself.Overall Sophie Webster represents what would typically be a 'normal' heterosexual girl with the only difference being her sexuality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jI9G-gKpxQ4