Example Exam Response

Extract from Candidate Script 1

I have been researching teenagers and their identity. I’ve been looking into how the media shown teenagers.

I will relate this to Misfits and Fishtank, and explain their collective identity.

Misfits is a british tv series based on a group of teens who are all facing community service.

We learn all there individual identity’s and are made to believe they have no hope. We meet 5 teenagers who are all stereotypically shown with anti-social behavior. In the group there is a party girl, sports runner, cocky one etc.

Tajfel and turner quote that ‘people tend to categorise themselves into groups which they then build their identity’s’. I disagree with this as these have been emerged together as they have all been in crime. These include drugs, drink driving, fighting etc.

Historically this can relate to Skins and grange hill, these are all school based although skins covered more controversial issues. We see petty crimes which aren’t as serious as the ones in misfits. Tajfel and turner quite is related to skins as they are all a group of friends and they build there identity together.

Fishtank a 2009 film, teenagers are portrayed differently. We get to see Mia a 15 year old girl who has no hope. She has a dream of dancing but with young single mothered mum who shouts and swears at children she has a poor family structure to help her. David Buckingham quotes that the media don’t just offer a transparent window of the world but a mediated one.

Mia smokes, binge drink and has underage sex. The audience are made to believe that all teenagers are like this. He young mother who gets a boyfriend, he wants to help Mia and find her identity. He often asks her to dance to his favourite song although when she does we see them having sex. David Buckingham quote can be related to misfits, we are made to believe that all teenagers have convicted crimes. In Bullett Boy we see a gang of boys who are all involved in drugs and crime. The media show teen culture in a very bad way. Misfits is released on TV past the water shed times as they all swear etc. It is shown on both E4 and channel 4, their website contains games, podcasts, blogs etc. On the blogs you can communicate with other fans. They have a facebook and twitter page with all individual accounts. David Gauntlett explains that identity’s are complicated however everyone thinks they have one.

In Fishtank her mothers boyfriends finds a dance event she can attend Mia then believes she made have found her identity when she gets there she is called up on stage for which she didn’t know it was pole/lap dancing.

The media then show how teenagers have no hope or luck.

Historically this could be related to Dawson’s creek as we are made to look down on the anti-social behaviour teens. It could also relate to Waterloo road which is a tv series on a school who the youngens follow the action of the olders.

We then get to see the mother having a party in her council estate flats with family and friends. Her two children aren’t invited an stay upstairs. This shows the lack of family structure at home. We meet Mia’s little sister tyler with a friend both who are swearing and smoking.

The audience are left to believe all young mums live in broken britain and teenagers have no hope at all.

Mia was kicked out of school and they receive In both misfits and fishtank the media have stereotypically shown teenagers and portrayed them very negatively. We are made to believe that all teenagers are into anti-social behaviour, drinking, drugs, smoking etc. The media will only shown the negative sides of teen culture so everyone will believe teens do this in everyday life not the positives 
that they do.

A LEVEL MEDIA STUDIES EXEMPLAR CANDIDATE WORK

0/20 for terminology

6/20 for examples

5/20 for theorists

2/20 for analysis

13/50= E

Lots of examples but not a lot of theorists or analysing and relating back to question. They need to expand more and keep relating back to the original question. Perhaps different examples could be used for different explanation instead of rinsing one example.

"Media simply represents collective identity, they don't create it"

How much do you agree with this statement?

A collective identity refers to the shared definition of a group that derives from its members, common interests and experiences. Gender is defined as the sociological differences between being male and female, societal attitudes would describe a male as strong character, often dominating females who will be seen as weaker. The mediation of gender has influenced the way audiences view different genders and can be seen to have shaped societies opinions of how each gender should be treated. The hyperdermic needle theory (1930s) would assume that what is being fed to the audience will be taken as fact, therefore if stereotypes of a collective identity is used as fact, this can lead to the misrepresentation of a group of people. As David Buckingham (2008) once said "Media do not just offer us a transparent 'window of the world' but a mediated version of the world. They don't just present reality, they re-present it."

Only 22% of media is occupied by women, therefore we are being fed news from a males point of view. If media is run by white middle class men, it is their values and opinions that will be put across,  this patriarchy will mean that only one side of a story is being across to audiences. Across all BBC channels there are only 12 female reporters compared to 16 males, within this statistic the stories that females reported on were not breaking news or main stories. What this means for audiences, if the people they see on TV are dominantly males, is that we will begin to sink back into old fashioned societal issues in which females are the lesser sex.

It is not just within the news that this divide between men and women is seen. Magazines and newspapers often represent different genders in different ways. If we take a look at the popular magazine Men and Women's health as an example, the front cover of Men's Health will show the man looking strong and often with a women wrapped around him like an accessory. The Women's Health front page however will show the women in a more sexual and objectifying way. Its not just the images which cause controversy, the subheadings surrounding the men are all about getting fit and healthy whereas for the women will be about getting that 'summer body' and about looking hot and sexy. Laura Mulvey suggested that the reasoning behind this was what she called the male gaze. This is the theory that suggested that women are simply made as objects for men to look at.

It is not just women that find themselves being misrepresented, however. Earp and Katz, 1999, suggested that men within media are defined as being violent, dominant and aggressive. For example, in films such as James Bond, Bond is the hero, the powerful, masculine man who defends the enemies and always gets the girl. In recent years we have seen an attempt to recover this in films such as Pirates of the Caribbean in which captain Jack Sparrow has more of a fluid gender. According to Judith Butler (1990) the 'queer theory' challenges the traditionally held assumptions that there is a binary divide between gay and heterosexual, and suggests that sexual identity is more fluid.

Gender fluidity can, however, go too far the wrong way. By this I mean that men who behave in a more feminine way can be treated like stereotypical women in that they are sexualised and objectified. For example in Angus, Thongs and perfect snogging, the gay character is used as someone for the characters to gawp at, he is seen with his top off in most scenes, even though he was only a minor characer. Steve Neale (1992) called this idea the gay gaze, we see men in passive, submissive, sexualised poses,lying down, looking up at the camera so that the viewer is dominant.

So why is there such a difference in the representation of men and women? Vern and Bonnie Bullough (1993) suggested that gender roles are acquired with masculinity and femininity, males as the provider and females as the nurturer. These two concepts can help us understand how gender is a social construction directly linked to heterosexuality roles. Anthony Giddens structuration theory stated that human agency and social structure are in a relationship with each other, and it is the repetition of the acts of individual agents which reproduces the structure. For example, in the newest fairy liquid advert (2016) even though its the man who is the main character, the wife can be seen in the background, without a face, doing all the washing up. Unless media are to show males doing female stereotypical roles and vice versa, the structuration of genders will always remain the same. Gauntlett suggested that the public have their own diverse set of feelings. The media and media consumers are engaged in a diologue in which neither overpowers the other.

Gender

Theory:
Earp and Katz (1999)- studies male representations in media and found a "a widespread and disturbing equation of masculinity and pathological control and violence." They claim that the media is responsible for a steady stream of images that define "manhood" as connected with violence, dominance and control.

Mulvey- women are passive rather than active, often tend to take on the role of the helper.

Vern & Bonnie Bullough (1993)- Gender roles are acquainted with masculinity and femininity, males as provider, female as nurturer. These two concepts can help us understand how gender is a socially construction directly linked to heterosexual roles. Gender identity- self conceived. Gender role-as perceived by others.

Judith Butler (1990)- Gender is not the result of nature but is socially constructed and reinforced by media and culture. There are a number of exaggerated, disruptive 'tongue-in-cheek' representations of masculinity and femininity.
                              - Queer theory: challenges the traditionally held assumptions that there is a binary divide between gay and heterosexual, and suggests that sexual identity is more fluid. An example of the fluidity of gender/ sexuality can be seen in the character Captain ?Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Steve Neale (1992)- Gay Gaze: It can be argued that we also see men in passive, submissive, sexualised poses, lying down, looking up at the camera so that the viewer is dominant can be described as homoerotic.


Glossary:

• Misogyny- Dislike of, contempt for, or ingrained prejudice against women.
• Sex- refers to the biological and physiological characteristics that define men and women.
• Gender- refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women. 
• Masculinity-a concept that is made up of more rigid stereotypes than femininity. Representation of men across all media tend to focus on the following. (strength, power, sexual attractiveness, physique, independence.) Male characters are often represented as isolated, as not needing to rely on others (the lone hero). 
• Metrosexual- the young single man with a high disposable income, living in the city- is straight but is also confused as being homosexual. He is objectified and sexualised which goes against traditional representations of masculinity. 
• The fool/buffoon- usually well intentioned and light hearted, these characters range from slightly inept to completely hopeless in work or parenting and domestic situations. 
• Femininity- stereotypes of beauty, sexuality, emotions, size and physic and relationships. women as housewives or mothers or sex objects. In advertising and magazines they are represented as young, slim, overwhelmingly white and conforming to our ideal beauty. 
• Gender bending- a form of social activism undertaken to destroy rigid gender roles and defy sex-roles stereotype.

The boys magazines are portraying an assumption that they are into superheroes and action films etc, the colours are stereotypically green and blue. The girls magazines include things such as gossip and pop culture, fashion and quizzes. The colours are stereotypically pink and lilac, pastel colours.

Are gender representations deeply engrained in the cultural psyche?

I think they are because from a young age children are taught to be "ladylike" or not to "cry like a girl".

How does society treat people who do not conform to gender norms?

They discriminate them, make them feel as though they are abnormal and should not be acting the way they should be.

What is our societies ideology about gender?

That women are feminine and males are masculine and to portray their stereotypical characteristics. 

Gender Bending

        

Womens representation in media: the average percentage of female reporters was 22.6%- compared to 77.4% of males. Patriachy will therefore affect the way the news is mediated.. the same can also be said for TV advertising and on-line videos.

women shown as being:

• Young
• Slim
• Overwhelmingly white
• Conforming to our image of ideal beauty 

"Media do not just offer us a transparent 'window of the world' but a mediated version of the world. They don't just present reality, they re-present it" - David Buckingham

Gender stereotypes: Mother teacher the daughter

Soft hands are pretty

No sign of father (at work)

Domestic housewife 

Patriarchy 

Maternal

The good housewife

Concerned with keeping their houses clean

Buy product to become good housewives and mothers 

Still the women doing the washing however she is in her work uniform and so it may introduce features of the dual burden and triple shift.

1938 Pep vitamin advert

Housewife, Breadwinner

"Cuter she looks"

Holding her as if she's a prize/accessory

Sexualised objects

Male gaze

Head is not there- objectified 

Patriarchy- hegemony

Stereotypical slim body image

Scopophilia- the pleasure of looking in a voyeuristic gaze directed at over people.

Pleasure of looking is split by active male/passive female, links to mulvey

Post-feminism: The argument that from the 1960's onwards, women have much more rights within society. 

WonderWomen: Feminist icon as she is one of the first female superheroes. 

Female Gaze (hanson) Miriam Hanson, put forth the idea that women are also able to view male characters as erotic objects of desire.

Gender fuck- refers to the self-conscious effort to fuck with or play with traditional notions of gender identity, gender roles, and gender orientation. It falls under the umbrella of the transgender spectrum.

representation of youth

Perks of being a wallflower:

• like music
• fitting in with friends
• name calling (bullying)
• relationships easily forgiven 
• friendships
• hiding things from parents
• Parties (drinking, drugs)- hebdige
• mental illness-suicide

Bullet boy

• Partying
• Drugs
• Prison
• Sexual
• getting into fights
• use of gun 
• use of young black male 

Essay- Media representation of youth reflects societies perceptions and concerns

Collective identity refers to a shared sense of belonging, the idea that the surroundings that a person 

is situated in will determine their thoughts and behaviour. Within media, a collective identity can be 

misrepresented, within this essay I will talk about the misrepresentation of youth. 

Newspapers are infamous for just showing one side of a story, and this side is usually based on the 
opinions of the heads of said newspapers, thus, white conservative british males. In the 2012 London 
riots the Daily Mirror took to the front page to call the youth 'yobs', this label then becomes a blanket 
for every single youth within society. Is it fair that the actions of a small group of teens becomes the 

representative of a whole collective identity? Hebdige believed that the youth are portrayed as 
criminals, in order to create moral panic throughout the older generations. The idea of the hyper 
dermic needle theory shows just how much influence media has on its audience, its suggested that 
audiences are simply empty shells that absorb all that media is telling them and take that as the truth, 
without question or hesitation. If this is the case, should the newspapers be blasting sweeping 
statements of a collective identity across its front page?

Its not just newspapers that portray youth in a negative way, films and TV programmes also depict the 
youth in a troublesome light. In the 2012 film "The Perks Of Being A Wallflower" the stereotypes 
seen involve, bullying, relationships, rebelling against parents, partying and drinking, drug use and 
references to mental illness'. This follows the view of Gould who believes that youths are portrayed 
as being rebellious, sexual, violent and self-destructive. If audiences are to watch films such as this 
and take everything as face value, a problem evolves in which the youth become something to be 
feared. As more media platforms produce the same type of portrayal of youths, audiences take on the 
opinions put across to them, this then leads to a shared concern in real society.  Another example of a 
film that negatively portrays youths is the 2004 film "Bullet Boy', in this film the main characters are 
seen with guns, getting into fights, being in prison and the theme of sexuality runs throughout. The 
act of portraying youths as criminals supports Hebdige's theory that young adults are portrayed as 
criminals to create a moral panic.  

Gerbner suggested that the primary proposition of cultivation theory states that the more time people 
spend 'living' in the television world, the more likely they are to believe social reality portrayed on 
television. This means that the repetitive nature of television will over time influence how people see 
the world. This links to Aclands theory which is that the medias representation of youth maintains 
social order, hegemony and the ideology of protection. As more and more media platforms use their 
power to portray the youth as criminals and hooligans it encourages the idea that they need to be 
controlled, this reinforces hegemony with in a two step flow process. The media feeds the ideology to 
parents who then enforce it onto their children: this is the same with local sanctions such as the police 
and education system. 



As we can see, the media hugely influences the thoughts and ideologies of audiences, this can lead to 
misrepresentation of a collective identity. As Giroux said "Youth becomes an empty category in 
representation which reflects adult concerns. The medias' representation of youth does not reflect the 
reality of youth identity." Giroux argues that in media representations youth becomes an ‘empty 
category’. This is because media representations of young people are constructed by adults. Because 
of this they reflect adults concerns, anxieties, and needs. As a result of this media representations of 
young people do not necessarily reflect the reality of youth identity. According to Gibbens there is a 
social structure which shapes our lives (traditions, institutions, moral codes, established ways of 
doing things), but it relies on individuals following these structures. When they act differently the 
social structure can change. Structuration is the process in which human agency and social structure 
are in a constant relationship. In this case such structures would relate to the police and education 
system which have cracked down on punishment due to the moral panic which has been created by 
the misrepresentation of youth.