media representations (2/2)

disability, gender, sexuality

what re the two main views of disability in society as said by sociologists

disabled people are so due to their own impairments and must rely on those able bodied to functioned, society makes people with impairments disabled as their needs are not considered and they are often stereotyped

who spoke about media stereotyping of the disabled

Barnes

what are some stereotypes that Barnes put forward about media on disability

Super-cripples (disability becomes their superpower and they can overcome it), pitable and pathetic, sc sinister and evil (having something wrong with them), sexually abnormal, incapable of participating in society

symbolic annihilation (link to disability)

where a group of people in society are under-represented within the media and therefore fuel and maintain social inequality, disabilities are in media to divert attention and aren’t fully represented ie the wheelchair has become a symbolic feature

what is an ao2 example of disability as a form of symbolic annihilation within entertainment based media

BBCs children in need telethon usually features many disabled children but lacks in diversity to show all different types of disability, uses news values for the children to get money for charity, lacks the education for viewers about disability

what are some examples ion how disabled people are represented differently within the media

3x more likely too be killed off in tv dramas, portrayed by able-bodied actors who don’t fully understand the role, writers of shows don’t understand the implications of disability, disabled roles have the same general characters (someone in a wheelchair)

what did watson et al say about newspapers representing disability

increase in the reporting of disability but more and more focused on how they take benefits and don’t work, less sympathy and more negativity

what are the three general theories of the representation of disability within the media

pluralism, social constructionist theory, postmodernism

what did pluralists say about the representation of disability within the media

media represents the dominant view that society holds, politically representative, shows the courage of youth within tv shows and represents anxieties of society

what sociologist was a social constructionist and what did this mean

Barnes, society is the way it is due to social constructions

what did social constructionists say about the representation of disability within the media

society and mass media facilitate and reinstate disabilities, media owners have a bias stereotypical view of disabled people which gets filtered through to content (unable, resource takers), predominantly negative and further makes it something people dont want

how did barnes say the media can improve when reporting on disabilities

focus more on educating people about the issues with society, report positively as negative association leads to further social exclusions

what did postmodernists say about the representation of disability within the media

in society those that are disabled now have the space and agency to come together and recognise and rebel against stereotyping, the traditional meta narrative of disability is declining

how do postmodernists explain the meta narrative of disability declining

meta narratives within society do not matter anymore due to a range of different opinions within society, means that people are able to make their own opinions and decisions based on what information they choose to consume

how did Gauntlett critique sociological theories on disabilities

explained that they need to be cautious in making generalisations within the media as there is so much diversity of opinion in UK media

what is symbolic annihilation in relation to gender representations, who discusses it

Tuchman- women are represented within media as from the male gaze and representing traditional stereotypes, used to condemn or trivialise them

how are women’s roles in media limited

shown in the male gaze as sexual objects, shown in lifestyle magazines as mothers or wives, rarely shown as leaders or in professional roles

discuss sexualisation in relation to gender

women are more likely to be sexualised, men are less likely but McRobbie says women are becoming active consumers of media and changing the narrative

who spoke about the male gaze and what is it in relation to media

Mulvey- where women are represented in the media as a way to pleas female consumers eg as sexual objects, significant in advertising

how do gender representations vary in the music industry

women in music videos are usually minimally clothed and used as accessories in male music videos, lyrics are often oppressive and sexualise women

what does the representation of women in higher positions look like in the media (A02)

usually ridiculed for their appearance and knowledge, can be a platform for hate crimes A02- Jess Phillips MP 600 rape comments in one night

what perspective does Gauntlett write from and what does he say about women’s representation in media

Postmodernist, says that new media powers women and new forms such as online magazines and blogs teach women to be independent, media can be used to destabilise patriarchy

link Sue Sharpe to Gauntletts representation of femininity

Sue Sharpe changing attitudes study saw a dismantling of the patriarchal effects of magazines as stereotypes changed from maternal care to independent career driven women, showed hoe media is changing to now empower women

how can the media maintain traditional stereotypes of women

through uses of blogs such as mums net, reinforces the idea that women should be caring mothers

what is the dominant view of masculinity according to McNamara

80% of the content analysis portrayed men as violent and aggressive, 20% showed meterosexual men who cared about health and hygiene

what evidence does Gauntlett provide for the change in representation of masculinity

Mens Health magazine provides meterosexual identities with men who care about their health and grooming etc, decline in magazines that are solely for the male gaze ie playboy magazines

what are the four main types of feminists that focus on the representation of gender within the media

liberal, marxist, radical, intersectional

what do liberal feminists say about the representation of gender within the media

cultural lag exists from women not being in high status media roles meaning that representations have become slow to change, culture of media conglomerates is male- centred and off-putting, low representation of when in the media so a lack of desire to enter industry

what do marxist feminists say about the representation of gender within the media

men buy male gaze magazines as its a byproduct of the patriarchal society and people want to profit off of media, lots of advertisement is based on false beauty needs that women must have to sell more products

what perspective does Wolf write from and what was her theory

radical feminist perspective, beauty myth exists within media to make women have a false consciousness within society and not take advantage of the opportunities given to them as they re more concerned about their appearance due to media

what perspective does McRobbie write from and what was her theory

Intersectional feminism, women have taken up the position of active consumers within the media and are sexually liberated (snogging, having a good time) and different age groups will experience the media representations differently

what do postmodernists say about the representation of gender within media

there is no singular masculine/feminine representation (Gauntlett) which challenges traditional definition and promotes a diversity of identity (girl boss women and emotional men)

what do pluralists say about the representation of gender within media

symbolic annihilation undermines women as they have choice in what opinions they can accept and are not passive consumers of media, the media represents the social attitudes and wants of the society so if the representations were that bad then people wouldn’t consume the media

evaluate the pluralist perspective on gender representations

the media socially constructed the representations of gender in the first place so its difficult for people to not consume the media

what did bachelors content analysis of media conclude about representations of sexuality

consent and sexual health are positively spoken about, boys boast about sex and girls speak more about the emotional side of it, lack of sexual diversity within media

what are the general conclusions of LGBTQ representation in media

significantly under-represented, source of anxiety for characters, over-sexualised at times

how does the media present and reproduce LGBTQ stereotypes

Dyer- LGBTQ characters speak less about their sexuality and rather display stereotypical behaviours which are ridiculed, therefore characters are discriminated against and homophobia carries on

what did Craig say about LGBTQ representations within media

3 main representations (camp, macho, deviant) with camp not threatening hegemonic masculinity and macho threatening hegemonic masculinity

what did LGBT.co.uk say about symbolic annihilation

media uses the LGBTQ community as a form of comedic relief, maintains drama in shows and never the main character in a show, representation is often negative and not positive

what is the pink pound

additional disposable income possessed by the LGBTQ community due to higher incomes and less financial dependants, harnessed by companies targeting the community w advertising

what does sexuality representation look like in UK news

usually heterosexual, mainly LGBTQ representation is to ridicule, protests use community as scapegoats, many critical commentators on the matter

how does the new media affect representations of sexuality

allows for spaces for support and equality movements eg love wins movement, still opens door for prejudice

what is an A02 example of how the media can induce prejudice against the LGBTQ community and sexuality in general

BT offered a censorship mode for parents against LGBTQ content or contraception information

what is the conclusion on how the media represents sexuality

more diversity which is increasing yet not at full equality yet