Representations of Stereotypes

In society, we have expectations of certain denominations based upon race, gender etc. These representations are often based strongly upon stereotypes, especially those exaggerated by the media.


Age:
In the media, youths and young adolescents are often portrayed as quite rude and are often obsessed with either themselves or social media/technology. This is the stereotypical view of teenagers, however, this is not necessarily true. The older age groups are often portrayed as weak and feeble and not capable of much. This is not necessarily true however there are exceptions where older people are portrayed as much more outgoing. While this is not very accurate it gives a much more positive image about old age. The middle aged group is hard to comment upon as, since this is the most used age group in TV, they are often portrayed in multiple ways depending on age, genter etc.

Gender:
In the media, females are generally portrayed as the lesser sex. They are portrayed as weaker and are often depicted doing remedial tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Men are generally stronger and engage in more "masculine" jobs like firefighter. There are exceptions, such as in TV's Chuck, however in these circumstances the roles are usually reversed making the man weaker and the woman stronger. Men and women are very rarely equal.

Race:
People normally appear differently depending on their race. The Caucasian race is depicted either normally or as superior while other races are often portrayed as minorities and appear in quite stereotypical roles.

Disability:
The disabled are often portrayed poorly in the media as they are generally portrayed as weak and thus normally appear to be the victims.

Socio-economic status:
generally, the lower your class, the worse you are depicted. In the media the lower classes are portrayed as delinquents who partake in drinking and drug abuse, like the characters in TV's Skins. The higher classes are often portrayed as quite snobby and rude and often dress in luxurious clothing that would not normally be worn. The middle class is the best portrayed class in the media as they are portrayed as normal human beings.

Nationality:
Foreigners are often portrayed poorly in the media. They are generally portrayed as different and strange, for example Indian women are often seen wearing shawls that they would not normally wear as everyday clothing. Depending on their nationality people may also be treated as evil in the media. In American media the British are often depicted as evil (like Hans Gruber in Die Hard) and in British films like James Bond the Russians are often the villains.

Sexuality:
Homosexuals are somewhat of a rarity in the media. When they are shown they are often portrayed in a negative manner since they often act in an extremely camp manner or are shown going for any man they can get. By far the heterosexuals are shown in the best light since they get to act like normal people. Bisexuals are very rarely depicted.