Tide Representation Flashcards
what’s the social and political contexts?
intertextual references would be WW2 adverts for ‘Women’s Land Army’ and ‘Rosie the Riveter - We Can Do It!’
were the representations reinforcing or challenging stereotypes?
it challenges stereotypical views of women being confined to the domestic sphere, something society needed at the time as traditional ‘male roles’ were vacated as men left to fight.
what was happening in the 1950s?
women were the primary market for the technologies and products being developed for the home. stereotyping representations of domestic perfection, caring for the family and ‘man of the house’ linked to the more modern need for speed and convenience.
what does the hairstyle represent?
a stereotypical 1950s hairstyle incorporating waves, curls and rolls made fashionable by contemporary film stars Veronica Lake and Betty Grable. the shorter hair has a practical catalyst as long hair is hazardous for women working with machines.
what does the dress code represent?
the headband is linked to practicalities of dress code for women. her hair held back connotes that she’s focused on her work. this binary opposed with her full make-up.
how can Hall’s representation theory be applied?
the images of domesticity forms part of the “shared conceptual road map” that gives meaning to the world. despite it’s comic strip visual construction, the scenario represented is familiar to the audience.
how can Gauntlett’s identity theory be applied?
women represented in the advert act as role models of domestic perfection that the audience may want to construct their identity against.
how can Van Zoonen’s feminist theory be applied?
while their roles socially and politically may have changed in the proceeding war years, the advert contradicts her theory that the media contributes to social change by representing women in a non-traditional roles and using non-sexist language.
how can hooks theory be applied?
her theory argues that lighter skinned women are considered more desirable and fit better into western ideology of beauty. the advert is reinforcing this by only representing modern white women.
