Media Representations of Sexuality

Question 1

what are heteronormative representations?

Answer 1

the idea that heterosexuality is seen as the norm, and so it is hegemonic

Question 2

what did Gross say about homosexuality in the media, and what does this mean?

Answer 2

‘there is no plain gay folk in the media’
=this means that gay characters are often portrayed in the same ways (being gay is a ‘personality’)

Question 3

what did Dyer say about being gay in the media and what does this mean?

Answer 3

‘a major fact about being gay is that it doesn’t show… the person’s person alone does not show that he or she is gay.’
=the media constructs stereotypical ‘signs of gayness’ in order to make the visible the invisible

Question 4

what do the signs of gayness in the media try and do?

Answer 4

make the invisible visible

Question 5

what are the 4 signs of gayness according to Dyer?

Answer 5

-vocal tics
-facial expressions
-stances
-clothing

Question 6

what is the impact of the signs of gayness?

Answer 6

sexuality becomes a defining identity

Question 7

what did Craig say about representations in the media?

Answer 7

there are 3 common representations of homosexuality.

Question 8

what are the 3 common representations according to Graig?

Answer 8

1= camp
2= macho
3= deviant

Question 9

explain the camp stereotype?

Answer 9

-the flamboyant figure of fun
-found mainly in the entertainment media
-a ‘non-threatening’ representation of gayness to heterosexual audiences

Question 10

explain the macho representation?

Answer 10

-exaggerated masculinity
-openly sexual look, transforming practical ‘male’ clothing into erotic symbols
-viewed as threatening to heterosexual audiences because it subverts traditional masculinity

Question 11

explain the deviant representation?

Answer 11

–portrayed as evil or devious in tv drama, or as sexual predators
-also represented as characters who feel tremendous guilt about their sexuality, and rarely represented in a sympathetic way
-completely defined by their deviant problem, with homosexuality constructed by media to be morally wrong

Question 12

what are some common stereotypes of homosexuality in the media?

Answer 12

-effeminate
-camp
-promiscuous
-sexually deviant
-flamboyant
-bitchy

Question 13

what is the analysis of the common portrayals according to Gill?

Answer 13

homosexual storylines are constructed by heterosexuals, played by heterosexual actors for a heterosexual audience and viewed through a heterosexual gaze

Question 14

what is the heterosexual gaze?

Answer 14

the plots still focus on homosexuality as a problem, with their family still struggling to come to terms with it, causing anxiety and embarrassment

Question 15

what did Hollyoaks say about including homosexual relationships?

Answer 15

‘we get told off all the time for being too gay and having too many gay characters

Question 16

what happened to the Bill with homosexual content?

Answer 16

160 complaints, ‘children could still be watching.’

Question 17

how many complaints did Eastenders receive after screening a gay kiss before 9pm watershed?

Answer 17

145

Question 18

what is the impact of the common stereotypes of homosexuality in the media?

Answer 18

leads to symbolic annihilation
=limited diversity, only focus on stereotypical characters

Question 19

what did Batchelor et alfind to do with common stereotypes?

Answer 19

one-dimensional representations, being gay comes as a defining characteristic and it is not generally integrated into mainstream representations
when it is shown, it is seen as a target for teasing and bullying

Question 20

what does the idea of ‘bury your gays’ mean?

Answer 20

gay characters often die first, through suicide, murder, ‘gay related’ illness, etc

Question 21

what is some evidence to support ‘bury your gays’?

Answer 21

only 26 lesbians and bisexual characters got a happy ending

Question 22

what is lesbian invisibility?

Answer 22

there is limited representation lesbians in the media?

Question 23

what are the two common representations of lesbians in the media?

Answer 23

1= man hating, radical feminists, butch, hairy-legged
2= mainstream media lesbians for gratification of men, to fulfil heterosexual fantasies

Question 24

what are moral panics caused by sexuality representations?

Answer 24

Watney= stigma of these ‘unnatural’ practises still exist in the media

Question 25

when was homosexuality in the uk illegal until?

Answer 25

1967

Question 26

what is the impact of moral panics?

Answer 26

increased homophobia and stigma surrounding homosexual individuals and relationships

Question 27

what is meant by homosexuality being a commodity?

Answer 27

the media know the LGBTQ+ community have money and are targeted as an active consume market

Question 28

what is the ‘Pink Economy’/ Pink Pound?

Answer 28

the LGBTQ+ community are more likely to have bigger disposable income because many have professional jobs and are less likely to have a family

Question 29

how does UK Tv and visibility link to the pink economy, and what does this lead to?

Answer 29

they need to appeal to a gay market without upsetting the heterosexual audience, which leads to the sanitisation of gay sexuality

Question 30

what is an argument against the pink economy?

Answer 30

the tv show ‘‘Queer as Folk” gained 136 complaints to Ofcom, with Abercrombie and Fitch banning their clothing from being used.

Question 31

what are three examples of a march of progress?

Answer 31

1=the number of LGBTQ characters in tv has increased from 3% to 11.9% in 10 years.
2= the first trans character played by a trans actor on tv in 2015
3= more expression of love and expression, no sanitisation

Question 32

what did Glaad say about the march of progress?

Answer 32

-110 major films released in 2014, 7 films included LGBTQ characters
-‘not solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation and who, if removed from the film, would significantly affect the plot.’

Question 33

what could be said about participatory culture?

Answer 33

through collective intelligence, user generated content can be more positive

Question 34

how many tweets did the hashtag ‘love wins’ have?

Answer 34

3.6 million

Question 35

what is the argument against participatory culture?

Answer 35

-2015= BT provided parents with the option to block LGBTQ lifestyle content
-YouTube videos included 56.5 million homophobic comments between 2012-2015.