Representation Theory

Representation Theory

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  Representation Theory
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  Laura Mulvey –Male Gaze Theory • How men look @ women from images • How women look @ themselves from images • How women look @ other women from images Male Gaze focuses on: • Emphasising curves of the female body • Women = objects • Display of women is how men think they should be perceived • Female viewers view content through the eyes of a man • Women = sexualised & viewed based on sexual desire & appearance The theory argues that… • Audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual male • Women = objects rather than possessors, displayed by control of camera • Camera uses certain movements to perceive women in an idealistic view • Men = dominant power within created film fantasy – woman is passive to active gaze from the man • Camera objectifies women by focusing on specific areas of the body, e.g. bum & boobs • Female gaze = same as male gaze – women look @ themselves through eyes of a man
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  Downfalls to Mulvey’stheory • Women are seen as sex objects in the media & are there for voyeuristic pleasure but some women may like this as it makes them feel powerful & desirable • Part of the pop star contract • Men also portrayed in a sexual way in the media & are now there for women’s pleasure • The media is hard to change
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  Richard Dyer –Star Theory “Stars are commodities that are produced by institutions” His theory is the idea that icons & celebs are constructed by institutions for financial reasons & are built to target a specific audience. Broken down into 3 sections: • Audience & institutions • Constructions • Hegemony Audience & Institutions: • Audiences want to consume what they think/are made to believe is the ideal • Institutions modifies the star’s image around the target audience Constructions: • A star isn’t an actual person – it’s a persona created for the audience to identify with • They have a feature that differentiates them from other stars Hegemony (leadership/dominance): • Audience relate to star due to feature they admire or share with them • Admiration  Idolisation • Audiences sometimes replicate what they like (can be negative – bad role models)
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  Tessa Perkins -Stereotypes Stereotypes = assumptions we make based on groups of people & the way they look Stereotyping isn’t a simple process – contains a number of assumptions that can be challenged Perkins identifies 5 such assumptions: • Stereotypes aren’t always negative, e.g. youth not always deviant, also seen as high achievers & the future generation • They aren’t always about minority groups or the less powerful, e.g. middle class are snobby • They can be held about one’s own group, e.g. the smart one or the popular one within your own friendship group • They’re not rigid or unchanging, e.g. hipsters are a modern ‘cool’ version of geeks • They’re not always false (there must be some truth behind them) Implications of stereotypes: • They’re usually erroneous (wrong) • They’re concepts • Usually about minority or repressed groups – creates an unfair negative representation of them • Can lead to unfair behaviour & wrong assumptions about people