Representations- Zoella vs Attitude

How far are the representations constructed in the set texts of Zoella and Attitude stereotypical?


Stereotypes - definition 

  • A widely held belief and vastly held idea regarding a group of image of image of a certain individual. 
  • these are created when knowledge is lacking or unattainable and the substitution of thoughts and opinions are implemented.
  • This often leads to misjudgment and unfair discrimination towards certain groups (hall) 
  • In media products, they have the potential to impact the mindset of audiences, often sub-staining, perpetuating and creating stereotypes.
  • Media products portray the unspoken norms of an ideology
  • Intellectually and globally 

The misrepresentation LGBT community in the mainstream media

  • The representation of the LGBT community is often narrow and stereotypical.
  • gay men are often represented as camp, effeminate, theatrical, or flamboyant, functioning as visible markers of difference in relation to heterosexuality and masculinity.
  • while this may represent some gay men, it does not reflect the diversity of gay male identities.
  • These representations can be said to be promoting hegemonic understandings of masculinity by constructing the gay men as 'other'.
  • masculinity is often equated to heterosexuality.
  • These dominant ideologies can refer to Halls theory 

Representing LGBT

  • Media representations of sexuality in Britain are overwhelmingly heterosexual.
  • sexuality is quite unique in that it is an invisible part of our identity.
  • heterosexuality is not encoded with signs and signifiers to make it apparent, visible. 
  • often made visible through media language codes e.g. dress code, body language, colour etc.

Context of LGBT community 

  • Underrepresentation of the LGBT community still remains an issue. 
  • Gerbner 2002 - argues that media participate in the symbolic annihilation of LGBT  by negatively stereotyping them, by rarely portraying them realistically, or by not portraying them at all. 
  • The campness - the camp persona reinforces negative views of gay sexuality by being somewhere in between male and female. 

EXAMPLE: After three years, Toksvig - who was among the few openly lesbian women on British television at the time of her coming out in 1994 - announced she would be stepping down as the co-host of the Channel 4 show.
  • Draws attention to her sexuality, to encode that the audience should focus on this and feel inspired. 
Key theory 11 - Paul Gilroy - post colonialism theory 

These ideas and attitudes continue to shape contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the postcolonial era. 

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