Media Essay - stereotypes

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Jane Bradley                                                                                        20/11/06

A2 Media

Do stereotypes change over time?

In my opinion stereotypes have changed drastically over time; particularly regarding the representation of women. There has been such a significant shift that many countertypes have actually become stereotypes.

Take for example the popular drama “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”; at first glance the main character, Buffy, appears to be a countertype. She is represented as confident, independent and sassy, very much the predatory female, therefore the opposite of your typical attractive blonde women who are generally portrayed as dependent and placid. Even the character’s visual appearance would once be a countertype of most women; the revealing clothes Buffy wears gives connotations of a femme fatale, someone who knows what they want and how to get it. The propp of the text also differs from traditional texts; in the past the hero and main character was generally male but in this case the hero is female, Buffy.

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However, in today’s superficial society appearance plays an increasingly important part, which is why females are often presented in a sexually aware manner; showing much more flesh than in the past. This is one reason why the representation of women as predatory is becoming increasingly popular; its what the audience want to see.

The representation of women has also changed in relation to their changing roles. The producers of these texts want their target audience to be able to relate or aspire to the characters in the text. Women no longer aspire to be the perfect wife, they want to ...

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