Media, Gender & Identity (David Gauntlett Handout)...

Representations of Today:
The previous chapter showed us that the past media was just stereotyped, although, the past 10-15 years, these representations are changing considerably, as men and women are working side by side equally. Movie Producers have seen that kick-ass heroines do better than the usual screaming victim.

Stats:

• During the 1990's, gender roles have have become increasingly equal and non-stereotyped on television.
• Prime-Time T.V shows in 1992-93 showed that men took 61% of the leading speaking roles, with women only taking 39% of the speaking roles.
• 1995-1996 study showed that men took 63% of the speaking roles, with women taking the other 37% of those speaking roles.
• A small number of 18% of women took major female character roles, with two-thirds of those stars in domestic comedies.
• A 1995-96 study showed that 43% of major characters were females.
• In 1992-93, a study showed that only 3% of women were represented as Housewives, a major decrease from the 70's, with an additional 8% of women presented as homemakers.
• In addition to this, Prime-Time T.V shows presented women as single, young, independent and free from family and work place pressures.
• The Friends programme shows that there has been an increase in equality between both genders.
• The programme series consisted of 3 males and 3 females, which shows an equal amount of characters and equality between the genders
• The three males are shown with masculine qualities, although with some characteristics of "sensitivity" and "Gentleness" and male bonding.
• The three females are shown as "intelligent" and "non-housewifely".
• This gives it a refreshing feel to it rather than the traditional T.V programmes the viewers were use to.
• Programmes such as "Ally McBeal" (1997) and "Sex and the City" (1998) put successful women at the forefront and focuses on their paths to and for sex, pleasure and romantic love. This then shows women in a different light, representing them as provocative and promiscuous, rather than the traditional House wife and Homemaker.
• A study by psychologists, Muncer, Campbell, Jervis and Lewis (2001), respond to the growing concern of the Media term "Ladettes", these are women who are assertive with an aggressive attitude which are usually associated with "Lads". The study talks about whether "girls power" leads to "girl violence".

Maggie Humm- Films either stereotype women as "Good Mothers" or "Bad Hysterical careerists".

Michael Thomson- "By all means be feisty, but never forget to be feminine".

Charlies Angels(2000)- Barrymore, Diaz and Lui represent redhead, blonde and brunet respectively or as David Poland pointed out and said, as "Tits", "Ass" and "Hair"?

Although, today's representation show that equally men and women have to be attractive with us recognising the conventions that show that they are attractive.

David Gauntlet Handout...

• Chapter is about the overview of representations of gender in the Media.
• Internet and World Wide Web brings more information and ideas into our lives.

WOMEN AND MEN ON T.V:

• 1950'S, 1960'S AND 1970'S only 20-30% of characters were female.
• Mid 1980's there were more women leading roles, but there were twice as many men on screen.
• Mid 1970's (Miles, 1975) found that nearly equal proportions of men and women in situation comedies, however, gender roles and humour could still be traditional and sexist.
• Only 15% of women wereleading characters in adventurous and action shows.
• In 1987, study found female roles to be most common in comedy programmes(43%).
• 1970's, marriage, parenthood and domesticity were shown to be more important to women than men.
• Study by McNeil (1975) concluded that women's movement was largely ignored by television, with married housewives being the main female role.
• Studies in the 1970's found men to be the more dominant characters
• Men were seen as assertive or aggressive, and women were seen as passive.
• Men were also seen as active and victorious and Women were also seen as weak and victimised or merely "Token Females". (Gunter, 1995).

Tuchman-Women don't count for much, underrepresented and "Symbolically annihilated". However, these are only the views from the American Society. Men were shown solving both emotional and practical problems, leaving women with little value.

Dyer-Game shows didn't bother to change their "Degrading and trivialising" views of women, News programmes are accused of "Tokenism" or "Window Dressing", by including some women in key positions whilst retaining a male dominated culture.

Sharon Smith- Roles of Women revolve around their physical attraction and mating games she plays with the male characters

E.Ann Kaplan-Women are refused a voice, in Hollywood films, their desire is subjected to male desire.

Kathi Maio-Hollywood's ideas about gender were "often reprehensible". She stated that "Women are not only given less screen time, being portrayed as "Powerless" and "Ineffectual".

Maio also stated that films such as "Dead Calm"1989), and "Heathers"(1989), present women as Strong and Victorious.

Hegemonic or Pluralistic...

I do believe in both theories as they do have evidence to justify both views, however I mostly believe more in the Pluralistic model. The Pluralistic Model sees the media as Diverse and Full of consumer choices. I believe more in the Pluralistic model as I am more of active than passive as I tend to interpret and take the media in a way that I want and not the way that that it has been presented and portrayed in and that everything has more meaning to it, which is also known as Polyvalent.
Although, I do in some ways believe in the Hegemonic model which is that the media indoctrinate , manipulate and brainwash people with their views and values of a false consciousness. As it is done through the ownership by the ruling class, such as Rupert Murdoch as he owns a large part of the Media, both print and broadcast, in the UK and US.

Points Made From Handout...

• Throughout the 90's there has been a decrease in censorship, which saw society change.

• There is a lot of controversy within society due to the images and articles published in magazines as they present women in a degrading/negative way and promote a sexist attitude.

• Women are supposedly rising in status throughout the media due to the use of naked, explicit and suggestive photo spread and images.

• The term modern "Lads" is constructed and nurtured, which refers to men aged 15-25 years. It defines them as modern and fashionable young men who are not afraid to show they enjoy porn.

• The institution, Playboy, depicts women and represents them as prototypical objects of sexual desire, thus adding to their stereotype of their purpose to only look attractive and appealing to the male population.

• Camera angles and shots hep to present women as the weaker gender such as higher angle shots and eye level shots, but some camera shots and angles such as low angle shots help women to look and be presented as the more dominant gender and more powerful.

• These institutions also present women as the weaker gender and were only made to make men's life more enjoyable and entertaining.

• Women are traditionally seen as beautiful, attractive and well groomed. This then puts stress and a burden on women to conform what males fin attractive.

Film Cilp...

Textual Analysis fo Film Clip(Coverwork)...

Media Language: The costumes that Moony and Jay both wear portrays the difference between them both. As Moony challenges the stereotypes given to teenage males by his smart appearance. Whereas Jay reinforces the stereotype as he wears the same clothing that he did when he was 16 which then connotes that he hasn’t grown up and matured into an Adulthood.

Institution: The type of promotion that the film producers used to help promote the film were trailers. They distribution that they used was mainstream as it is a sequel to the famous and hit film "Kidulthood".
Genre: The film Adulthood is an art house film but is also seen of a Drama genre. The conventions that show it is a Drama are that in this clip are the tension that is shown through Jay and Moony’s friendship. As Moony is trying to get out of violent cycle that Jay is still in and is trying to pull him back into this violent cycle.
Representation: In this clip it shows the stereotypes given to teenage males. However, Moony challenges this stereotype as he shows that he is getting on and further in life as he is studying Law at University. Although, Jay reinforces the stereotype of teenage males as he is still the same person as he was when he was younger but has progressed more into the stereotype as he is a drug dealer and has violent outbursts. This also shows that they both want to take revenge but in different ways as Moony goes the right way of doing it and Jay is going about it the wrong way. This shows overall that some stereotypes are being challenged through different characters such as Moony and Claire and being reinforced by other characters such as Jay and Lexi. This text is mediated in the way that the director(Noel Clarke) constructed it to be. He structured it to show the stereotypes that teenagers are being labelled by and through the media.
Audience: The primary audience of this film are teenagers between 15-20, with a secondary audience of adultsaged 21-30. The secondary audience could be concerned parents using this media text for surveillance purposes to see what their teenagers go through on a day today basis and the struggles they go through and come across.The primary audience of teenagers age between 15-20 would use this media text for their own personal use. For example, they would use it for personal identity to identify themselves within different characters and relate to the different struggles they go through on a day to day basis. The dramatic tension created throughout the entire film grips hold of the audiences attention and keeps them on edge to know what Sam's next move is. The tension is created mostly during the end of the film with the show down between Sam and Jay.
Ideology’s: Moony’s girlfriend challenges the dominant ideology of males being stronger. She does this in the clip by standing up for herself and fighting back against Jay’s patriotic views. She states to him as her relationship with Moony isn’t a dictatorship it’s a relationship.
Narrative: In this clip, an enigma is created of whether or not Moony will be pulled back into Jay’s violent cycle and whether he will listen to his girlfriend and not go back to his old ways. The narrative structure of this film is of Todorov's equilibrium theory:

Equilibrium:Sam gets out of prison after 6 years being locked up for Trevor's murder

Disruption:Sam gets confronted and attacked by a man who ends up stabbing him and then tells him someone is coming for him and his family.

Realisation of Disruption:Sam begins to reminisce of all of those people he knew before he was sent to prison.

Attempt to Repair:Sam starts his search of those he knew before he went inside to gain and get information of who it is that is seeking him and his family, he starts with Claire.

New Equilibrium:Sam just about gives up his search until those people seeking him and his family find him.

Book Research on the History of Teens...

HISTORY ON TEENS:
A teenager is a period in life between childhood and adulthood which has been recognised and marked by societies in a majority period of history. During the course of the 20th century, this period has tended to increase social policies, practices and institutions that treat them as both distinct and separate from adults.

There are two key terms to mark it:

• Adolescence, a term first coined by Psychologist G.Stanley Hall in 1904.
• Teenager, a term used by popular press in the 1920's and fully established in the Second World War.

Forms of the teenage culture first emerged in America in the 1950's, however according to Maltby "Self-conscious Subculture" of the young developed throughout the 1920's and 1930's. The teen pic itself emerged, like the modern teenage culture, during the 1950's.

Teenage films about the young weren't really targeted at them, nor did they focus on them or even feature young characters. Hollywood began to be aware of the importance of the teenage audience, this was due to the fact that they found age was a crucial personal factor by which movie audiences were characterized by. Due to the fact that ticket sales began to decline, this helped to then reinforce and portray the importance of the teenage market for films. Hollywood began to target them by drawing aspects of the teenage culture and meeting their needs such as their interests, tastes and concerns.

Films like, The Wild One (1954), The Blackboard Jungle (1955) and Rebel without a cause(1955), all about juvenile delinquency, Juvenile Wildness and juvenile crime that stretched back as far as the 1920's and 30's. Juvenile delinquent continued to colour films about teenagers in the 1950's and early 60's. Films such as, Teenage Crime Wave(1955), Girls in Prison(1956) and Juvenile Jungle(1958).

The above paragraph clearly shows and states how teenagers were portrayed and presented negatively and in an unconstructive manner in the film industry since the 1920's and 30's. These films showed the so called social-problem with the teenage generation. These films present the teens as rebellious and conniving, which then indicates the authenticity of teenagers. Despite their generic diversity, films and dramas like, A Nightmare on Elm Street(1984), Halloween(1978), and The Breakfast Club(1985), were teen concerned horror films and dramas which can be defined and seen as teen pics as they simply focus only on teenage characters.

Book used- The Cinema Book, 2nd Edition.

Authors- Pam Cook and Mieke Bernink.

Genre(Part 5)- Page 213.