2. What is a stereotype?
• A simplified representation which focuses on
certain characteristics of a group and assumes
these to be shared across all group members.
• Inherent within a stereotype is a judgement
on this characteristic (usually negative – but
not always).
• E.g. all women are bad drivers
3. How does the media use stereotypes?
• To communicate complex information about a
character, time period, location etc. as quickly as
possible (narrative shortcut)
• They are able to do this as, they do not simply create
stereotypes, they reflect the stereotypes that already
exist within a culture.
• By using these stereotypes, the media can be said to be
reinforcing the ideas behind the and consolidating the
views they contain.
• Often the media is criticised for creating
stereotypes, but they are usually part of the audience’s
way of thinking about the world anyway.
4. Stereotypes can be truthful
• Stereotypes are assumptions about all members of a particular
group. ‘All women enjoy a gossip’ is a flawed statement. There will
inevitably be some women that don’t – or indeed some men that
do.
• However, the theorist Perkins noted that stereotypes usually have
an element of truth in them which makes them plausible. Some
women do like to gossip… women may also be more comfortable
doing so than men as it is more culturally acceptable for them as it
is seen as a feminine trait.
• What is often overlooked are the historical or cultural reasons for
perceived shared traits within a group. Until relatively recently
females were not encouraged to engage in discussions that were
not based in the domestic (family, home, relationships) and men
were not expected to show interest in these things. These were
part of gender role expectations.
5. Stereotypes can be negative
• The judgement making the basis of the stereotype is
usually a negative one – gossip is a bad thing, a waste of
time.
• They do not allow for individual traits to exist in members
of the group – some women may not be interested in other
people’s domestic lives.
• They are created by those outside the stereotyped group
and are often seen to be an exertion of power – the
stereotyped group often has no way to answer back,
• The stereotype gives a ‘complete picture’ about the group
and implies a knowledge and understanding that can be
applied to all members of the group.
6. Stereotypes can also be positive
• Positive representations are called corrective
stereotypes or countertypes where the
representations are trying to create new ideas about a
previously stereotyped group.
• Contemporary culture has become more aware of
stereotypes and the effects they have – particularly
negative ones.
• Many media texts have attempted to construct new
approaches to old stereotypes. E.g. Buffy the Vampire
Slayer - despite being a young blonde
female, (typically the victim in a horror), Buffy is the
hero and rescuer.
7. What makes a stereotype?
• Appearance
• Behaviour
• Attitude
8. Appearance
• This can include physical appearance and clothing as
well as the sound of the voice.
• In your own lives you may have noticed that people are
judged on what they look like or what they wear. The
news media has recently focussed on the ‘hoodie’ and
it is often used as an indicator of youth crime. This
then confirms the idea that young people are likely to
be trouble makers and petty criminals and the
stereotype is linked to a specific article of clothing. This
stereotype assumes that all young people who choose
to wear a hoodie will have criminal tendencies. Clearly
this is inaccurate.
9. Behaviour
• Typical things that people in this group are
assumed to do.
• It is, of course, a stereotype to show males as
being interested in football. Some men enjoy
rugby, some hockey and some find all sports
boring. The assumption is as flawed as the
gossiping women stereotype but evidence of
this assumption can be found in many media
texts, especially magazines like Zoo.
10. Attitude
• Closely linked to behaviour, stereotypes can be
assumptions about the way a group is perceived
as thinking – the attitudes they hold towards
certain situations.
• Again, gender is a good place to look for
attitudinal stereotypes. Males are often depicted
as trying to avoid serious romantic relationships
whilst females are often represented as being
fixated on the dream of a wedding. E.g. Bride
Wars is about 2 young women who from a young
age were fixated about being brides.
12. Task
• Choose a well known stereotype and make a
list of the characteristics (appearance,
behaviour and attitude) associated with it.
• Name as many film/TV characters who play
your chosen stereotype as possible.
13. Summary
• Media audiences need to be familiar with the stereotypes used, otherwise
they would be unable to interpret the assumptions that lie behind them.
• If the concept of men being sports fans did not already exist any media
text that used this aspect of masculinity to create easily recognisable
characters would fail to communicate its meaning to the audience.
Similarly, if the audience did not understand the significance of the
hoody, it could not be used as a narrative shorthand.
• Identifying where this cycle above begins and ends is impossible. The
media clearly has an impact on audience’s ideas about stereotyped groups
but this is in conjunction with other influential aspects of a person’s
development of understanding the world – peer
groups, families, social/religious backgrounds etc.
• The media is just one of many ways the audience experiences life and
learns about the world.
14. Exam Hint
• When analysing texts or writing essays it is
important to question why a particular
stereotype has been used and consider the
practical reasons that may exist.
• It is also crucial to think about the effect that the
stereotype may have. Does it create a negative
representation that may have a wider social
impact? Does it play on existing prejudices?
• Students often simply identify the stereotypes
rather than analyse them and this leads to a loss
of marks in exams.
