Exam board prompts

What are the social implications of different media representations of groups?

From the films that we've watched, Gender is represented in different ways, for example the film Alfie shows a clear divide between males and females. At the time, masculinity was important to him as all the relationships he was in he wanted to be in charge and control the women he was with. A key scene that supports this is When Alfie returns home, Gilda has already prepared everything for him, such as his dinner. This links to the theorist, Stryker, as this behaviour was common in the 1960's therefore it became a social expectation.

Another film we watched made in the present day that reflected the past was An education. This film had similar views and behaviours to Alfie because it represented male figures as the dominant gender.  A key scene that shows this is when the family are at the dinner table and Jenny's dad was dictating her future plans. This links to the Stryker theory as Jenny's dad is resembling a 1960's father.

 

A modern day TV series that challenges Strykers theory is Misfits. This is because the characters are both males and females, all with a criminal background therefore on the same level as each other. This contradicts male dominance as there is no clear divide in the group. A example of a scene in the episode we watched is when Kelly is shouting at Nathan for insulting her. In the 1960's this wouldn't have happened as women would have accepted it whereas now a days women have more rights.

If the audience was from the 1960's watching a film like Alfie they would expect to see typical pas time behaviour therefore a strong divide between genders. However, if a modern day audience was to watch the same film then they would disagree with the views of it as things have changed over time. This shows that a modern day audience would better relate to Misfits as women are able to say their own opinions.