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RepresentationGender in TV Dramas

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Stereotypes- Write examples of gender stereotypes on the post it notes and stick up here.

• Males

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• Female

Activity 1

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• Malesve

• Negative

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• Females

Stereotypes- Sort the stereotypes based on whether they are positive or negativeActivity 1

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Dominant Ideologies• Stereotypes are ‘socially constructed’ and exist as ‘myths’ and are neither ‘true’ nor ‘false’ but simply a reflection of dominant ideologies.

• Stereotypes can be reinforced, challenged or even constructed by the media through representation

• A counter-stereotype is the reverse of a stereotype. Counter-stereotypes may eventually become stereotypes themselves if they are too popular.

• How do we ‘pick up’ on these Dominant Ideologies?• Encoding and decoding model (Stuart Hall)

• The media encodes the representation (Camera/MES/Sound/Editing)

• The audience decodes it…

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Activity 2a• Compile a list of what you consider to be characteristics/adjectives that

reflect each gender

• Male • Female

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Activity 2b• Draw in objects that we would traditional associated with each gender

• Male • Female

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Feminine Representation• Feminism has been around for over 30 years yet media representations of women are worryingly the same.

• Representations of women across all media tend to highlight the following:• beauty (within narrow conventions)• size/physique (again, within narrow

conventions)• sexuality (as expressed by the above)• emotional (as opposed to intellectual) dealings• relationships (as opposed to

independence/freedom)

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Feminine Representation•Women are often represented as being part of a context (family, friends, colleagues) and working/thinking as part of a team.

•They tend to take the role of helper (Propp) or object, passive rather than active.

•They are often victims •Men are still represented on TV drama characters up to 3 times more frequently than women.

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Feminine Representation•The representations of women that do make it onto the screen do tend to be stereotypical, in terms of conforming to societal expectations, and characters who do not fit into the mould tend to be seen as dangerous and deviant.

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Masculine Representation• 'Masculinity' is a concept that is made up of more rigid stereotypes than femininity. Representations of men across all media tend to focus on the following:• Strength - physical and intellectual• Power• Sexual attractiveness (which may be based on the above)• Physique• Independence (of thought, action)

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Masculine Representation• Male characters are often represented as isolated, as not needing to rely on others (the lone hero, - Propp again and even Carl Jung – Hero Archetypes).

• If they submit to being part of a family/team, it is often part of the resolution of a narrative, rather than an integral factor in the initial equilibrium.

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Activity 3• How would you use the elements of Camera, Sound, and

Mise en Scene to represent male and female characters that represent the stereotypes we talked about at the start?

Editing

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MASCULINE GENRES• Dominant males• Subservient females• Masculine ‘action’• Lack of emotion• ‘Serious’ storylines• Romance controlled• Patriarchal ideology (narrative closure)

• Male heroes• Sole characters or characters with one/two side kicks

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FEMININE GENRES•Female interaction•Males as ‘partners’•Relationship issues•Emotive storylines•Shared feminine identity

•Narrative openness•Confirmation of patriarchal ideology

•Female ensemble dramas

Activity Four - Sherlock• Watch the sequence from Sherlock.• You will see the extract twice. First time through watch for

how stereotypes and reinforced and challenged.

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Reinforced Challenged

Activity Four - Sherlock• Second time through – pick 4 ways in which gender has

been represented from the last slide and find evidence via Camera, Editing, Sound and Mise en scene

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Stereotype One Stereotype Two

Stereotype Three Stereotype Four

Activity Five – Desperate Housewives• How is gender represented in this extract? Make notes on

the use of stereotypes and how micro features are used.• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6VaFK0Kl8g

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Activity Six – Strike Back• How is gender represented in this extract? Make notes on

the use of stereotypes and how micro features are used.• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCLDhdxHSSg

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