REPRESENTATION THEORIES

Holly Fairbairn

MALE GAZE - LAURA MULVEY

Females are only on screen for the visual pleasure of the

male characters.

Men = Look (active)

Women = Looked at (passive)

TV Dramas:

HYPER-REALITY - BAUDRILLARD

The media represents people or things how they want

them to be seen and the representation becomes more real

than reality.

Stereotypes can be used to enhance reality

TV Drama’s

T.O.W.I.E

STEREOTYPES LEGITIMISE INEQUALITY - DYER

The use of stereotypes indirectly promotes inequality

How we treat others is determined by how we see them

How we see them come from representations.

TV Drama’s

Downtown Abbey

Period Dramas

DOMINANT IDEOLOGY - HALL

A set of beliefs that are widely accepted as being the

norm

Mass media are the ones that create and define the

problems and issues of public concern.

TV Drama’s:

Sex and the City

HEGENOMY - GRAMSCI

A way of using representations to control other people. 

It aims to ensure the majority support the rule of the minority

(which is usually the privileged) by representing all groups

apart from the minority as unfit or unsuitable to hold and wield

legitimate power.

Represents the minority as the only group capable of ensuring

social peace, prosperity, justice, etc.

TV Dramas:

Fresh Prince of Bel-air

BINARY OPPOSITES & DOMINANT/SUBORDINATE GROUPS – LEVI STRAUSS

Two contrasting characters or scenes that are seen in one

show, that are clearly meant to be total opposites.

For example there may be an innocent girl who is scared

and weak, paired against an evil powerful man.

TV Drama’s

All