representation

1] Examine the reasons why some stereotypes within the media have changed over time? JAN07

Intro=> explain the topic, eg stereotypes change as it refelects the zeitgeist, eg women in the media used to be The passive characters that were always female in the past were “symbolically annihilated,”as in they were underrepresented in the media. they were stereotyped to be passive and quite charcters, with limited value in a text. BUT they have changed to more dominant characters.

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In the past: they are were stereotyped to be weak:
1970’s, when “only 15 per cent of the leading characters were women.” [Gauntlett]
example is sound of music and high noon, where they are in need of protection
“disempowered, degraded and subjugated” [M.French]

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However, films produced in the 1950’s also portrayed women as sex objects. The era witnessed “reaffirming male dominance and female subservience; movies showed women as breasts and buttocks, again idealizing women who were pretty, amusing, and childish". This is reinforced in the film, Some like it Hot (1959); the film portrays Marilyn Monroe’s character, as a “blonde bimbo,” which is seen through the medium shot of her on the beach; the camera zooms in on her body to show her as an object of desire.

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second wave of feminism in the 1970’s, when women were taken away from the stereotype “that marriage, parenthood and domesticity were…more important for women than men.”It marked a period when women were fighting for equality rights, abortion, independence, media gender stereotypes and sexist oppression. As a result, there were “20-35 per cent”more women on screen, however, it was still “15 per cent” in the action adventure genre. This can be seen in TV shows such as, The Bionic Woman (1976) and Charlie’s Angels (1976)

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Nonetheless, they were represented as influential women; this is noticeable in the 1979 film, Alien. The film “has been widely interpreted as a feminist text”, as Sigourney Weaver’s character, Ripley, is the only surviving character and the action revolves around her. On the other hand, Ripley’s character was “never intended to be played by a female.”

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Contemporay films represent women as strong and independent
EG. James Bond, Vesoper Lynd is an accountant for the national treasury, but she is still stereotyped to be a sexist eye candy for Bond

madonna vs whore theory, sex= death stereotype and final girl theory

Conclusion =>
Zeitgest reflects society