Marxism and Hedgemony

Marxism:
The theory that society is controlled one elite power who keeps the rest of us in our place by making sure we share their ideas about the ways things should be. (e.g Blair in Gossip Girl)

Examples:
Cosmo-

• A feminist marxist reading of the magazine cover of the December 2014 issue is that we are able to recognise the ideal version of ourselves.
• A feminist marxist reading of women's magazines suggests that women are told what to think by magazines, which distracts them from really important issues, however Cosmo contradicts this view in articles like "Women Hating= Not Cool", by bringing those issues into the spotlight.
• 
  

Hegemony:
This is when social groups agree on a particular idea to make it seem natural and true (e.g. The family should consist of a mother, father and children or England's favourite sport is football etc.)

Examples:
Cosmo-

• Cosmo claims to celebrate the independent woman, however it applies to the hegemony that women should be slim and beautiful and therefore has some stereotypes

Women's Health:

Women

Historic:

Vertigo, 1958, Alfred Hitchcock
- Accused of misogyny (women hating)
- Laura Mulvey's male gaze- Ice Women, Hitchcock has a tendency to portray all his women as perfect, beautiful, unattainable  in all his films.

Fairy Liquid Adverts- 1950s-
- Present women as idealised housewives, looking perfect, dressed beautifully and using received pronunciation. Presented as the women that every woman should aspire to be.
- The adverts haven't changed too much today, they still present traditional values.

Wasp, 2003, Andrea Arnold
- British social realism, Oscar winning for best short film. 
- Takes stereotype of chav (hegemony)- representation that is just a stereotype. Present the chav in  a sympathetic way so that we can see the world from her perspective, transgressing (criticising) hegemonies.

Contemporary:

Cosmo/Womens health.
- See spider diagrams

Made In Dagenham, Set in 1968,2010, Nigel Cole
- Represents women who were influential historically but not really recognised at the time, now on in west end as musical. Raving reviews.
- Nicknamed Revlon Revolution by the media as they were quite glamorous women which detracted from the serious issue of equality of pay between men and women, media mis-represented them.
- Supports theory that individuals can make a difference to society- Giddens theory of structuration. Foucault- Techniques of the self.
-Marxist reading presents the struggle between the working class women and the ruling class, Ford managers, and how Ford attempted to exercise absolute control over the women but eventually the women rebelled.

Hunger Games, 2012-2015, Francis Lawrence
- Marxist reading- represents a society that is controlled by the media.
-But like in Made In Dagenham there is a strong female lead, breadwinner for her family (non-sterotypical role)
- Judith Butler- she has to learn how to form her identity, make a public persona which is traditionally feminine then a separate identity which enables her to survive in the ferocious world.

Representation
-Emma Watson's launch of the He For She campaign at the UN went viral and helped to promote fourth wave feminism. This campaign like 'Miss Representation' and 'The representation project' all help to promote fourth wave feminism.
-The Bechdel test as to whether a film is feminist

Gossip Girl
- Strong female leads
- A male character hides behind the 'female' gossip girl in order to conform to the feminine society.
- Structuration as Dan creates uprising.
-Opposes the idea of a patriarchal society.

Future
- Fourth wave feminism has taken hold.
- Way in which people use magazines is changing (U+G)- more aware of the reason we read magazines (diversion) and that we don't have to aspire to some unattainable idea presented in them.
-More feminist films in coming years due to its current rise of importance and awareness.

Research and Planning.

• Bentley on Creativity- 'making of the new, rearranging of the old'- the research allows me to see the old, and planning allows me to rearrange it to make the new.

AS

• Green screen testing AS
• Practice shots prior to making AS
• Timeline of opening scene of Wild Child so I could see how quickly the shots change.AS
• Researching Certificate Ratings. AS
• Prezi on the conventions AS
• Iconic Sounds of Chick Flicks  AS
• Typical synopsis of Chick Flicks e.g Mean Girls. AS
• 9 Shot analyses of Chick Flicks e.g. Bride Wars AS
• Researched and planned for possible challenges e.g. finding a location AS
• Interview with a potential viewer enabled me to learn more about how the audience sees the Chick Flick genre AS
• Asking different ages what they expect from chick flicks (ranged from 10-21) AS
• Collage of chick flick conventions AS
• What production company might invest in my chick flick production?

A2

• When I had my second day of filming, I made a list of shots I still needed to film in order to plan for the day to use my time well.
• Made a mock-up music video as my green screen usage was much more advanced than at AS.
• Attended Making Music Videos Conference which helped me research about the course and plan my video
• Storyboarding- AS- 13 shots A2- 120- all on my blog so I could easily access it when I was filming.
• Researched what to include in a digipak by looking at other popular artists ones e.g. Katy Perry
• Typical sypnosis of music videos- e.g. Best song ever by One Direction
• Annotated the lyrics to 'Nasty'
• 9 shot semiotic analysis of 'How Ya Doin' by Little Mix
• Collage of pop music videos for inspiration
• Andrew Goodwin's Music Video theory- in order to find out the conventions of a typical music video.
• Spoke to a music video director who gave me constructive criticism for my music video.

Describe how you developed research and planning skills for media production and evaluate how these skills contributed to creative decision making. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.

Prior to my Media course, I had limited skills in the area of research and planning. However once I created a Film Opening for my AS Foundation Portfolio and Music Video for my A2 Advanced Portfolio, I became much more familiar with effective methods and I was able to use these skills in order to have more creative decisions with my work.

Bentley explains how creativity is 'Making of the new, rearranging the old', in my AS production I did lots of research 

 for other film openings of the same genre, Chick Flick, on websites such as YouTube however this was not detailed enough to get an in depth analysis. Therefore I made a timeline of the opening credits of 'Wild Child' which helped me to plan for the length of shots in my Foundation Portfolio as well as where to put the credits in. Furthermore, at AS I also carried out a 9 shot semiotic analysis of a range of films including 'Bride Wars' which helped me to research the signs and symbols typical of the genre. These film openings aided me in making creative decisions as films such as 'St Trinians' and 'Wild Child' gave me inspiration for a range of shots, in particular, the feet stepping out of the car as the new girl arrives at school. Furthermore I made a collage of the key conventions of the Chick Flick genre, this mainly features the colour pink with other 'girly' things such as shopping bags.

At A2 I did further research about the pop music genre. This included looking at some music videos in order to understand a typical synopsis of videos in that genre, for example in One Direction's 'Best Song Ever'. I also did a nine shot semiotic analysis of the Little Mix video 'How Ya Doin' in order to see the conventions of the pop genre which Andrew Goodwin outlines in his 'Music Video Theory'. An example of this is a link between the music and visuals. I ensured I included this convention as the shots throughout my music video are very quick and match with the beat of the song.

 Exercises like my preliminary task taught me how to use highly effective camera angles such as  a shot-reverse-shot, which I then continued to use in my coursework. This helped me plan for the shots that I would go on to use in my Foundation Portfolio. At A2, my Preliminary Task was a mini music video to 'Drop It Like It's Hot' by Snoop Dogg, I did a semiotic shot by shot  analysis of this, which enabled me to learn more about new shots, including long shots and extreme close ups which I also used in my Advanced Portfolio. It also enabled me to learn more about editing, and the fast pace at which the shots change. When I made my A2 preliminary task, I was able to plan for any expected challenges for the real music video, this included issues such as finding a location and a performer. However once I made the real thing these issues were sorted thanks to my prior planning. 

As part of my research at AS I used a website called Survey Monkey in order to create a survey which I sent out to the whole school, this was highly successful and I received many results which enabled me to tailor my film opening to my audiences ideas. Furthermore at A2, I also sent out a survey, asking about my target audience's music tastes, however I did not only send the survey to the school, but I also put it onto different social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, in order to receive a much wider demographic and because of this I received over 100 replies.

Another skill which I developed over my media studies course, was effective Blogging. This came in very useful whilst planning both pieces of coursework, as I was able to post all my progress in one place online (rather than in lots of books). This made it all easily accessible, which was helpful whilst filming as I was able to have my blog up, presenting all my ideas clearly in front of me. At AS on the website Blogger, I learnt how to create blog posts, import pictures and create labels. At A2, my skills developed further as I learnt how to embed Youtube videos as well as add different backgrounds to my blog from other websites such as ShabbyBlogs, in order to make it much more creative. Blogger was very useful when filming as in both years I was able to have my story boards at hand and accesible anywhere. At AS my storyboard only had 13 shots however at A2 my knowledge of planning advanced and I have over 130 shots planned. This made it much easier at A2 to be well prepared and always ready to film.

For my Advanced Portfolio, the ancillary tasks of making a Digipak and Magazine Advert was a challenge. However once I researched the digipaks of other popular artists such as Katy Perry and The Vamps I was able to clearly understand the conventions, and the typical layout of a 6 panel digipak. For the magazine advert, I researched artists and immediately came across a Jessie J advert; I loved this and took many different ideas from it, for example the monochrome colour scheme.

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of Media Language

In this essay I am going to examine my A2 Advanced Portfolio Pop Music Video, which I made to the song 'Nasty' by Pixie Lott. I will apply a number of theories in order to deepen my analysis of the Media Language used within my coursework.

In terms of music videos, media language is the way in which key messages are conveyed to the audience to sell the artist, entertain the audience and provide escapism from the real world (as mentioned in Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory). Furthermore, Andrew Goodwin, in his 1992 book 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' explains how 'music videos rarely point to the lyrics; typically they serve to set a mood'. Rather than just pointing to the lyrics in my music video, I amplified them through the use of techniques such as iconography whereby I was able to provide the audience with a more fulfilling experience than just simply listening to the music. 

 Andrew Goodwin's book also states that a relationship is built between the artist and audience . This is relevant in my Advanced Portfolio as I used a technique called Breaking The Fourth Wall, whereby the performer is constantly looking into the camera and therefore at the audience, enticing them into the world of stardom which the performer is a part of. In terms of lyrics, my music video applies to Goodwin's theory that 'there is a link between the lyrics and visuals' as when the performer sings the word 'nasty' in the chorus, the letters of the word appear on screen, thus making it clearer for the audience as they can read the lyrics as well as hear them. This is also exemplified in the rap section at the very beginning of the video as the written lyrics are the only thing that appear on screen alongside the soundtrack. Goodwin also explains in his book that 'there are often inter-textual references'. In my Advanced Portfolio, the graffiti wall mise-en-scene is a reference to youth culture today, and how teenagers are rebellious yet fun as words like 'lol' and 'sweet' are shown on the wall. The clothes that my performer wears are brightly coloured at this location, exemplifying her bright personality 

As I have already mentioned, Blumler and Katz’s ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’ is also significant to my advanced portfolio music video. Personal relationships were established through my performer constantly looking into the camera as she sings, in order to seem as if the is talking to her ‘friends’ (the audience). The audience are able to see my performer as a role model, and identify with her, as she is of a similar age to them and therefore they are able to feel closer to her. Obviously, my music video is designed to entertain my audience as it provides enjoyment and escapism from the real world, into an idealistic teenage lifestyle, which the young audience can aspire to.

Throughout my music video I have used a monochrome theme, this could be related to Levi-Strauss’ ‘Binary Oppositions’ as there is a contrast between the black, which is considered as bad and rebellious and the white, which is pure. Barthes ‘Theory of semiotics’ applies here, as the use of the white also represents the innocence of my artist, which then I contrasted with the black to show how her innocence is slipping away, to become more rebellious and independent. This theory applies when l used  slow motion shots of the performer flicking her hair and looking towards the camera, this could be considered as rebellious and challenges authority. Furthermore, one of my filming locations is in front of a graffiti wall, this also relates to the theory of semiotics as the artwork, colours and phone in the corner, symbolise the rebellion of young people (like the performer), there is also a fallen over traffic cone in a couple of shots, which also symbolises rebellion of young people. In addition, Barthes Theory of Semiotics can be applied to the opening scene of my music video. There is a rap to begin with, which I have the words flashing up on the screen in a pink font. The writing I use for this is very girly, so that and the colour symbolise femininity. Also at this point in the video, Andrew Goodwin’s theory can be applied as the video reflects the lyrics.

In conclusion, my A2 Advanced Portfolio Pop Music Video, presents many examples of media language, as I have used it in a way that makes it easy to build up a relationship with the audience, and present key points and ideas such as the rebelliousness of the youths today. I believe that the effective use of media language is a key part of any music video as it helps all the other aspects to be successful.

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of Narrative

Narrative can be described as the way in which a story is told in both fictional and non-fictional texts. Theorist Nick Lacey explains how "narrative is such a powerful and analytical tool" which has "probably existed as long as human beings". The use of a narrative enables the audience to read and make sense of a text, as we as humans enjoy the telling of stories, and have done since childhood with Fairy Tales, for example.

For this essay, I will examine my AS Foundation Portfolio, for which I created a Chick Flick Film Opening. I will also apply a group of theories to my Film Opening in order to analyse the narrative of my creation.

Firstly, according to Bulgarian theorist Todorov,all stories begin with a state of equilibrium. This is true of my Film Opening as it begins with a cheerful scene where a new girl, Miranda, arrives at a smart new school. The music is also upbeat and happy which is typical of the Chick Flick genre, and helps to present the state of calmness and equilibrium. Furthermore the lighting provided by the sunny weather in the outside scene as the protagonist drives into school reflects the equilibrium as it provides a bright and 'sunny' atmosphere. However, when the 'villain', Sophie, says to Miranda 'Let's not have a repeat of last time' the film introduces and element of disequilibrium and causes the audience to ask themselves 'What happened last time?'. Although my Film Opening only reaches the first two stages of Todorov's theory, the conventions of the Chick Flick genre mean that it is clear to the audience that as the narrative unfolds the film will eventually regain its equilibrium and everything will be sorted between the protagonist and antagonist. 

It is highly common in Chick Flick Films to use the idea of Binary Oppositions, a concept that was developed by Levi Strauss. This theory states that in the media there are opposites, in this case opposites that help to tell a story, the narrative. In my Foundation Portfolio, the hero, Miranda and villain, Sophie are presented as Binary Opposites as Miranda, the protagonist represents the naivety of the life of a new girl and how it can be difficult to fit into a new school. Opposing this, Sophie represents the popular girls, and plays upon the 'Mean Girls' stereotypes. This is exemplified by the dialogue and body language of Sophie when she looks Miranda up and down in a close up showing her emotions.

As I have already mentioned, my film opening features a 'hero' and 'villain' as this is stereotypical of Chick Flick films. This idea was developed by the Russian structuralist, Vladimir Propp who studied Fairy Stories and established a number of character types and events associated with them. Therefore in my production, Miranda is the hero, as she is the protagonist of the film and it is implied that she will be the one to solve the situation. She also has many close ups throughout the opening sequence which further implies the 'hero' status. In addition, Sophie is presented as the 'villain' through her actions and dialogue, for example when she threatens Miranda with the comment of 'Lets not have a repeat of last time'. The idea that Sophie is the 'villain' is further exemplified when an extreme close up of a phone that the protagonist is texting on, sending a message to an old friend who replies back, warning her by saying 'you better watch out!', suggesting that there is background to the hatred the pair share. This text message was used in order to  create a problem quickly into the film. This was done as in film, it is hard to create an in depth problem so soon into the narrative compared to within a book. Therefore, by the use of the extreme close ups of the text messages, it makes it clear within the narrative that there is a problem that needs solving,and causes the audience to want to know more. In addition, the point of view shot puts the audience in the position of our protagonist, naturally creating more sympathy for her which solidifies her identity as the hero.

Another structuralist, Barthes, explored the concept of narrative as a part of his work on structuralism. He created the idea of the Enigma Code, which is a narrative device that teases the audience by presenting a puzzle or riddle to be solved. In my Foundation Portfolio, the 'enigma' presented is 'what happened last time?' as by using Sophie's vague yet threatening comment, suspense is created within the narrative and causes the audience to continue watching in order to solve the mystery issue between the protagonist and antagonist. 

Theorist, Tilley said 'story-telling is a complex process with important implications', this is true of my AS Foundation Portfolio Chick Flick Film Opening as the narrative enabled me to develop the plot and provide the audience with an exciting and intriguing storyline. 

Michael Foucault

An identity is communicated to others in your interactions with them. Identity is not a fixed thing within a person. It is "a shifting, temporary construction". People construct themselves according to a set of rules. A Foucauldian analysis of Mockingjay presents that individuals like Katniss can obtain power through 'techniques of the self'. Also in Gossip Girl, Blair and Serena change their identity according to who they are dating.

Anthony Giddens

"What to do? How to act? Who to be?"

Giddens developed the theory of structuration, wherebuy individuals are shown to have the power to make changes and influence society as well as large powerful organisations e.g. the government or mass media. You can apply Giddens' theory to the film 'Made In Dagenham' where the protagonist, Rita, leads the women of Forn in Dagenham to win equal pay as the men for 'semi-skilled' work. Also Hunger Games: MockingJay as Katniss leads the districts into rebellion against the Capitol. 

Analyse one of your coursework productions in terms of audience

I will be analysing my music video, which I made for my Advanced Portfolio. I made a pop music video to the song ‘Nasty’ by Pixie Lott. As I am the audience of this genre, I was able to abide by and challenge the conventions, as I find this genre very accessible, as David Gauntlett says ‘Making is connecting’; I am not only a member of the audience, but I have also made something for the other members of the audience.

The audience for my pop music video is generally aged between twelve and eighteen and female, however the pop music genre is accessible by anyone of any age. A psychographic profile of my audience would show that they are ‘Mainstreamers’ however also ‘Aspirers’ and ‘Explorers’. Like the artist in the video, due to their younger age, they have not yet come to a static identity. This genre probably has the widest audience in the UK, which is reflected in the performance style and representation in my music video that shows a feisty teenage girl and focuses on asserting herself and having fun. 

The mise-en-scene is very colourful, particularly with the shots in front of the graffiti wall; this presents how the performer is a fun-loving, bright girl, representative of the audience. However I also mix the genres, such as using a black and white green-screen scene, which is more common in the R&B genre, however is becoming more common in pop music videos, such as in ‘Problem’ by Ariana Grande and Iggy Azelea. In this way, my music video reflects the fact that, with a young audience, genre conventions are constantly being updated and changed. My intertextual references exemplify this idea, such as where the background changes frequently behind my artist as she dances dynamically.

The editing in my music video is fast paced, which is also conventional of the genre. It is also dynamic and use elements of humour in order to appeal to the youth audiences. I use multiple locations/scenes throughout the music video in order to keep the audience entertained and wanting to replay the video over and over again. My performer also wears lots of different outfits throughout the video. She wears on-trend clothes such as crop-tops, which are currently very popular amongst the target audience. Therefore the young girls do not only see her as a performer and singer, but also a style icon.

This links to Andrew Goodwin’s Music Video Theory from his 1992 book ‘Dancing in the Distraction Factory’, as he states that music videos typically have iconography, which appears across their work, since on the digipak, magazine advert, and in the video, she wears crop tops. Music Video Theory also suggests that music videos present a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals. This is true for my Advanced Portfolio video as at the beginning of the song, the words of the rap appear on the screen, this makes it clearer for the audience as they are able to read the words, as well as hear them. My video also includes lots of close ups of the artist, particularly as she sings significant words in the song, such as ‘nasty’. This is in order to build up a relationship with the audience so they can feel drawn into the performer’s celebrity world.

Blumler and Katz’s ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’ is also significant to my advanced portfolio music video. Personal relationships were established through my performer constantly looking into the camera as she sings, in order to seem as if the is talking to her ‘friends’ (the audience). The audience are able to see my performer as a role model, and identify with her, as she is of a similar age to them and therefore they are able to feel closer to her. Obviously, my music video is designed to entertain my audience as it provides enjoyment and escapism from the real world, into an idealistic teenage lifestyle, which the young audience can aspire to.

I also enabled my audience to identify with my artist over several different platforms, by creating synergy between my digipak, magazine advert and video. The font is a pinky-red, which is stereotypically girls however there are aspects of the black and white theme, which links to the sophistication, which my audience aspires to. The name of my album is ‘Blockin’ Out The Haters’, a phrase that has become a viral ‘vine’ video, very popular amongst my target audience. This links to the way in which social media is so important to this generation, as the stars in music videos are becoming more accessible by the young fans, by websites such as Twitter, Instagram and now even Snapchat.

Many pop music videos conform to Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory, as to objectify women in a sexual manner. However I have subverted this theory as I wished to present my artist as a strong, independent woman. This shows to my audience that it is ok to be strong, female and sassy, as well as that you don’t have to conform to men’s rules of life.  An example of this is when she wears her crop tops. This is not done in a way as to be objectified by men, through showing flesh. Instead this is used to show how she is free to dress how she likes and not worry about what others think, and this is also relevant in her dance moves, which are dynamic and playful.

Binary oppositions are used in my music video, an example of this are with the black and white scenes. This contrasts the pure white and the rebellious black, and suggests the angel/devil sides to my performer and to the youth audience who are able to identify with this conflict of emotions that young teenagers experience. This also reflects the lyrics of the song, in that they contradict themselves when she sings ‘you’re nasty’ ‘but I don’t mind’, she is a carefree girl who makes her own way through life, and sets this example to the young audience.

In conclusion, there are many ways in my video in which the audience can identify with my performer.  As my audience were so accessible to me on social networking sites such as Facebook, I was able to receive lots of feedback, which showed me how successful my video had been, the results presented that the target audience found it entertaining and fun, which was my main aim. Therefore, I believe that the audience is one of the most important parts in creating my Advanced Portfolio Coursework Production.

Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to genre

According to Daniel Chandler (2001), “genre is a type” which is clear in any piece of art, music or literature. For my A2 Advanced Portfolio production, I created a music video to ‘Nasty’ by Pixie Lott. I chose the pop genre, as it is a type of text that offers the ability to both abide by and challenge the genre conventions.

Andrew Goodwins ‘Music Video Theory’ that he developed in his book, ‘Dancing In The Distraction Factory’ (2002) is very useful when exploring genre in music videos. It states that ‘the record label will include the need for lots of close-ups of the artist’ which I have features in my video, as close ups are a key part of displaying my performers actions. This enables the audience to develop a relationship with the artist as she is constantly looking into the camera.

This is also supportive of David Gauntlett’s concept of ‘ideology’, which was developed by the Spice Girls. He describes that ‘The girl power concept was a celebration of self-belief, independence and friendship’ in his book ‘Media, Gender and Identity’ (2002). Therefore as my performer is constantly looking into the camera a relationship is built with the audience. Blumler and Katz’s ‘Uses and Gratifications Theory’ that audiences consume the media in order to build a relationship with the artist, I have linked to this convention in my video.

Throughout my music video I have used a monochrome theme, this could be related to Levi-Strauss’ ‘Binary Oppositions’ as there is a contrast between the black, which is considered as bad and rebellious and the white, which is pure. I also used Barthes ‘Theory of semiotics’ here, as the use of the white also represents the innocence of my artist, which then I contrasted with the black to show how her innocence is slipping away, to become more rebellious and independent. I also use this theory when l used shots of the performer flicking her hair and looking towards the camera, this could be considered as rebellious and challenges authority. Furthermore, one of my filming locations is in front of a graffiti wall, this also relates to the theory of semiotics as the artwork, colours and phone in the corner, symbolise the rebellion of young people (like the performer), there is also a fallen over traffic cone in a couple of shots, which also symbolises rebellion of young people. In addition, Barthes Theory of Semiotics can be applied to the opening scene of my music video. There is a rap to begin with, which I have the words flashing up on the screen in a pink font. The writing I use for this is very girly, so that and the colour symbolise femininity. Also at this point in the video, Andrew Goodwin’s theory can be applied as the video reflects the lyrics.

In conclusion, David Buckingham says that ‘genre is not…simply “given” by the culture: rather, it is in a constant process of negotiation and change’. This suggests that every music video slightly alters and moulds the genre of that type of music. I reflect other music video genres such as with the use of the text appearing on the screen, I am relating to the ‘indie pop/rock’ genre and the use of the urban graffiti wall could be related to the hip-hop genre. However once I have reflected the videos which are appropriate for my pop genre, I added in my own techniques which identify myself as a director.

“Media representations are just reflections of reality, not constructions or distortions.”

One of the reasons that media representations are fascinating areas of study is that there are a myriad of contrasting and complex ideas out there, with equally contrasting theories. When we are considering the representations of certain groups of people, we have to consider how their collective identities are constructed. This is particularly interesting in the representation of women, which I have studied in connection with film, TV advertising and magazines. The question of whether those representations are reflections of the way women ‘really’ are, or whether they manipulate the way we see women, is constantly up for debate.

As theorist David Buckingham states, “Identity is an ambiguous and slippery term”. The collective identity of women has been a particularly newsworthy in recent months. In 2014, celebrity actress and UN Global Women’s Ambassador Emma Watson’s impassioned speech on gender equality to the United Nations to kick of the ‘HeForShe’ campaign which became a trending topic on media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Roland Barthes’ theory of semiotics is highly important when observing the representation of women in the media. This can again be observed in film when looking at examples such as the clothing worn in ‘Wasp’ (Andrea Arnold- 2003) and ‘Les Miserables’ (Tom Hooper- 2012). The prostitutes in ‘Les Mis’ along with the mother from ‘Wasp’ are seem wearing revealing clothing with heavy makeup. This reinforces the concept of women having to appear in an overly sexualised manner to be seen as attractive by men, something which the media use to this day  with airbrushing and photoshopping; women are being pushed further and further to achieve a higher standard of unattainable ‘perfection’.

An example of where this ‘perfection’ is being pushed is in the magazine ‘Women’s Health’, this magazine emphasises a ‘perfect’ and idealistic lifestyle for women. It provides them with diet plans and fitness regimes in order to gain and maintain a slim figure, which the magazine implies is more attractive to men.  The front cover generally shows a toned female wearing limited clothing, such as the November 2014 issue with Saturday’s member Frankie Bridge and titles such as ’50 best beauty buys’ and ‘Burn fat 24/7’ which pushes women to beautify themselves in order to fit in with society and be attractive to men. Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory, which applies to all media,is relevant here because women are being invited to see themselves through the eyes of men and make themselves into something that they think men will enjoy.

‘Cosmopolitan’ is another magazine which pushes women to question their identity. The magazine calls itself ‘The Bible for young women', which suggests that it is essential reading for their target audience, which the media kit identifies as 18-34. In the November 2014 issue there is an article called ‘Taylor Swift on Feminism, Famous Friends and single girl freedom’ which presents how 'Cosmopolitan' is tackling today issues such as feminism and women rights. Celebrity, Taylor Swift epitomises the 'Cosmo Woman' as a strong, successful business woman (who is also beautiful and slim!). This fits in well with Blumler and Katz's 'uses and gratifications' theory as women can read the magazine for social interaction, information and entertainment from the relatable features on 'real women' as well as aspiring to the images in the fashion and diet pages.

One area where representation of women has been problematic over time is in TV advertising. Advertisements tend to uphold the status quo, while encouraging consumers to buy products to improve their lifestyle. In a series of Fairy Liquid advertisements from the 1960s to the present day, women are represented in a traditionally idealistic way, which may not be considered as a reflection of reality. For example in the 1960s adverts, an idealistic home mother is presented, who is looking after her little girl (who will also grow up using Fairy Liquid) and doing the washing up. The whole range of adverts are set in the kitchen at the sink, with the emphasis on how the product makes your hands soft, as if that is a priority for women. The mother is shown doing educational activities with the little girl at the end of the advertisements such as playing with blocks or reading nursery rhymes. The actors in the adverts are extremely ‘well spoken’ and use received pronunciation, this emphaisises that the people who use the product have high standards and therefore the product must be good quality too. This, I believe is not a true reflection of reality as Fairy have used a very stereotypical view of women at home. The advertisements are presented as if, if you use Fairy Liquid, your lifestyle will change and you will have a much cleaner and less problematic life.  This applies to Judith Butler’s theory of ‘Gender as a performance’ as the woman in the advert is performing to the stereotypical manners and standards of women in the 1960s, playing up on her gender. This pushes the women watching to play up on their gender too, being a perfect housewife, looking after children and of course washing up using Fairy Liquid.

The Fairly Liquid adverts reinforce a stereotype, which does suggest that they are constructing or at least distorting reality for the purpose of selling a product. Over time, films have been much criticised for doing the same. In films such as ‘Vertigo’ (Alfred Hitchcock- 1958), Laura Mulvey’s theory of male gaze is clear, which presents his ‘ice women’ in such a sexualised manner due to the male camera shots of the female body which he believes appeals to the male viewers. His ‘icey blondes’ as the main women in his films,  are presented as the ‘damsel in distress’ with a male figure who has to come to the rescue. This style has lead some to criticise Hitchcock as a misogynist (women hater) who misrepresented women by not allowing them to be strong independent characters. 

There have been a lot of films about strong, independent women in the past few years, however in ‘Divergent’ (Neil Burger- 2014) this is taken to a new level where gender is not an issue and men and women are totally equal. The female protagonist, Tris, is presented as a strong independent woman and presents a much stronger interpretation of women as just as powerful if not more so than men. Throughout the film the female characters are presented as being on the top spots of the ranking board. Which we can link to the fact that the writer Veronica Roth, wants to present the strong female side which despite being fantasy film is present in today's society.  Therefore as a fantasy it does distort reality, presenting a dystopia which clearly in not even attempting to reflect reality.

In conclusion, I believe that to an extent media representations are just reflections of reality. However much the media may attempt to reflect reality it is impossible as the media is being created for a purpose and a certain audience so there has to be some reconstruction in order for the audience to buy into the idea. In the future the media is still likely to distort reality as even now, the most popular films are not total reflections,and even in the future people are going to watch films and read magazines in order to escape reality and adverts will still reflects the status quo trying in influence consumers to buy their product with their idealistic yet distorted representations.