representations of age. sc and gender Flashcards
describe the term ‘ male gaze’ coined by Mulvey
camera objectifies women reflecting them as passive objects
describe symbolic annihilation
- lack of representation of certain groups in media
- certain groups are omitted, condemned or trivialised in many roles
describe the term Folk devils
individuals/group posing as an imagined or exaggerated threat to society
what have studies in the USA found in regard to representation of elderly women’s
- underrepresented in comparison to elderly men
- trad. sex role stereotyping more prevalent among women
- Vernon –> older women represented as rigid and unpleasant whilst older men represented as wealthy and active
what are some examples of elderly women being represented as unpleasant in comparison to men
the little mermaid –> Ursula = evil and haggard
King Triton = heroic
what does Tuchman say in regard to representations of the elderly
- symbolically annihilates elderly –> hardly seen
- youth is desirable –> ‘youthism’
- they are not shown in proportion to their % of population
what are some statistics regarding representations of the elderly in the media
- in 1987, 11% of population were over 65, but only 2.3% of televised fiction included this age group
what did Szmigin and Carrigan find in regard to representations of age
- advertisers weary of using older models in fear it would alienate younger audiences
- however, growing numbers of old ppl in population with money to spend may mean we see wider range of images of positive ageing
what did Lee et al. find in regard to representations of there elderly
- elderly have less disposable income which the media can profit from
- only 15% of ads are aimed at them
- however they portray the eldery as ‘golden age’ –> fit and active
eg- expensive cruise adverts
what did Newman find regarding representations of the elderly
- negatively portrayed
- um/c portrayed as being in leadership positions (judge, president)
- most news anchors are men (app. audience trust old male voice)
- hwv they are often paired with younger women
- women moved from ‘front of camera’ roles at around 40
- media reps. of age intersect w/ class
what do Marxists say about the systematic annihilation of the elderly
- linked to elderly’s lack of value in the workforce
- if they publicised happy elders, ppl would get excited about being old and unhelpful to capitalism
how do dominant representations of age reinforce hegemony
for women, being young is encouraged to be main priority
how would you criticise the idea that the eldery are being systematically annihilated
- not ALL elderly, just specific subgroups (eg immigrants) of the older generation
- eg- businesses often owned by old white rich men
how are children portrayed as Cute
babies and toddlers are represented as generally positive and appealing (particularly in ads)
how are children portrayed as consumers
- Chandler - pester power
- kids TV and ads in between treat kids as consumers, selling toys and products
-companies know children will likely ask parents for these products
how are children portrayed as accessories
celebrity reporting often include kids as ‘extras’ rather than interesting individuals
how do functionalists explain the portrayal of childhood in the media
- media supports ‘boundary maintenance’
- it ensures kids are socially controlled and know not to overstep boundary
what does Heinz-Knowles find regarding the depiction of children in the media?
- kids are seen as motivated primarily by peers, romance or school based issues
- not seen to be impacted by issues such as racism or family issues
- most representations are positive, w/ children engaging prosocially
- 40% depicted children engaging in antisocial behaviour such as bullyinh
what did Evans and Chandler find in regards to representations of children in the media
- peer pressure was an important aspect of children’s rational for consumption
–> they feared being bullied for not wearing clothes/label approved by peers - found that parents and children from poorer families felt this pressure the most
give examples of how the media target children as consumers
fun stimulating videos featuring toys
what is an A03 point of representations of children in the media
- limited research :(
- most is based on Americsn sources so may be differences in British representations
- representations often intersect w/ other aspects such as gender, ethnicity, religion…
–> Muslim kids represented differently to christan kids
how do representations of youth difffer from representations of childhood
representations of youth tend to be more negative
describe the social construction of “youth”
- since the 50s, the youth media industry has sought to create youth cultures through media products
- this expanded into other areas
- eg pop music and representations of fashion
- contradiction of youthfulness is worshipped –> prefer to look at I,ages of young skin (intersects w/ gender)
what did Davis say in regard to representations of youth
- youth are blames for issues in society –> adults project societal issues on youth
- connects with Cohen - moral panic
what did Wayne show regarding to representations of the youth
conducted analysis of over 2100 news items and found:
- 82% were focused on young ppl as perpetrators/victims of crime
- only 28% were based on young ppl
- only 1% featured young ppl’s perspectives
- 28% focused on celebrities
what did Pearson say in regard to representations of the Youth
- depicted as a ‘problem’
- always a ‘golden age’ that Youth are compared to
- no matter what the date it is always 20yrs ago when this ‘golden age’ was
what did Nairn say in regard to representations of the rich/celebrities
- criticism of monarchy is rare
- post WW1 the monarchy reinvented themselves as ‘the royal family’-> a
normal family extraordinary jobs - this has resulted in an obsession, where all aspects no matter how tivial are reported
- mass media representations of the
king aim to rienforce a sense of national identity - anual reports state that the monarchy costs the uk approx. 35mill, but tabloids dont mention that
what did Newman say in regard to representations of the rich/celebrities
- media focuses positively on concerns of wealthy
- over focuses on consumer items eg:luxury cars and holidays
- big amount of print media dedicated to business news and stock market- despite few ppl owning stocks
- media ignore issues with capitalism such as large bonuses that bankers have
what do Neo-Marxists argue in regards to representations of the rich/celebrities
- representations of social class tend to celebrate wealth
- monarchy generally receive positive press as celebrities somehow deserving of position
- hardly portrayed in critical light
- don’t draw attention to wealth inequalities
how do media institutions reinforce class hegemony (linked to neo-marxist view of celeb representations)
media representations reinforce hegemony through suggesting that he ruling class are supposed to rule
—> deliberate to maintain power
what do pluralists argue regarding representations of the rich
- representations are justified for 3 reasons:
1) meritocratic- media reps. of wealthy suggest talented ppl are deserving of high rewards
2) such stories motivate ppl to work hard in the belief that they can attain these rewards - benefits the economy
3) focus on finance and stock shared merely reflect the importance of these sectors for economy
