How does your media product represent particular social groups?

Abigail Adesida | Media

A social group can be defined in various ways with different interpretations; this is due to the grand scheme of things as each group link together in some ways. However, these groups can be broken apart by common similarities that are shared between people such as likes, dislikes, interests, hobbies, occupations, age, gender, religion and ethnicity.

SOCIAL GROUP

DOMINANT REPRESENTATION OF TEENAGERS

Sexually provocative clothing and colours;- Red connotes temptation and lust- Short dresses connote immaturity and recklessness

Flawless hair – hair blowing, despite no wind or force occurring - Connotes falseness and deception- Encourages teenage girls to do so and

conveys the message that looking flawless will provide ‘clothing’ and ‘popularity’

Just like the title of the movie, teenage girls are stereotyped to be ‘Clueless’; blonde girls are stereotyped to be living up to the ‘dumb blonde’ stereotype and girls that aren’t blonde are stereotyped to be subordinate.

DOMINANT REPRESENTATION OF TEENAGERS

Snapbacks – connoting gangster-like behaviour and immaturity

Excessive chains that are long in length / gold chains- Connoting imitation of hip-hop artists such as Lil Wayne, connoting loss of identity

Hoodies- Connoting violence, dominance and intimidation; many gangs affiliated with violence often wear hoodies

I decided to base my magazine on the social groups of age, gender, ethnicity, interests and subcultures:

1. Age – 13-18. Popular music is stereotypically aimed at young teenagers.

2. Gender – Female. The music genre ‘Pop’ is gendered and has been predominantly female, hence why we only see females buying music magazines and going to concerts that are headlined by pop artists & pop stars etc.

3. Ethnicity – any ethnicity, but the ethnicity that is stereotypically aimed at pop music is white, dominantly white girls.

4. Interests – In the pop music genre, the interests of the social group have been stereotyped as going out with friends, socialising, having high expectations and going to parties and concerts.

5. Subcultures – ‘Preppy’ subculture, most mostly the ‘Teeny bopper’ subculture. The ‘Preppy’ is a subculture that is predominantly adopted by the upper and middle class teenagers; the ‘Teeny bopper’ subculture is a young teenage girl who follows adolescent trends in music, fashion and culture. They are also seen to be appearing flawless, with flawless hair and skin.

SOCIAL GROUP OF POP MUSIC

I decided to base my magazine on the social groups of age, gender, ethnicity, interests and subcultures:

1. Age – 13-18; these are the main ages that listen to pop music

2. Gender – female. Pop music is gendered massively as a female genre.

3. Ethnicity – all ethnicities: music applies to all.4. Interests – socialising, aspirational, loves going out,

representing the music genre 5. Subculture: the Teeny bopper subculture; the Teeny

bopper subculture is when a girl shows an interest on trends in music, fashion and culture. However, in my magazine, I will not be presenting the artists as flawless as this encourages young girls that flawless is beautiful when ultimately, natural beauty conquers all.

SOCIAL GROUP OF MY MAGAZINE

SOCIAL GROUP OF MY MAGAZINE

The photos I used for my magazine present my social group as fun, outgoing and interesting. The poses above conduct and connote energy; the colour of her clothing – beige and wine – both connote elegance and clarity. The artist is shown posing in a simple and humble manner; positive connotations are conveyed as natural light – rather than artificial lighting – is used, thus presenting the artists as people who are just incredibly talented and artists who are very relatable and not fake.

Age, Gender, Interests

• For my magazine, the age I decided to aim my magazine at is between the ages of 13 and 18; which is the period of adolescence; in today’s society, teenagers, especially those within the age range of 13 to 18, have been perceived and stereotyped as lazy, inspirational and deviant

• Teenagers within this age range are often perceived as deviant and troublesome, as well as not having a focus on education.

• Girls at this age are stereotyped to have a massive interest in make-up, appearance and reputation.

• Based on gender, globally, pop music has been stereotypically categorized as a female genre of music.

• Interests that would be associated with my social group include socialising, going out with friends, going to concerts and reading.

My social group links to my magazine because the artist shown on the front cover of my magazine is not posing in a sexually provocative way,

neither is she heavily made with make up or airbrushed – lighting hasn’t been applied also. However, my magazine has female

stereotyped colours such as pink and orange, both connoting fragility and happiness. In the ‘We Love Pop’ magazine that has pop artists

Rihanna on the front cover, she is seen to be posing in ta very fun and exciting gesture – thus connoting happiness and links to the genre of

the music, pop music. On the other hand, In Q’ magazine’s issue, featuring rock star Mick Jagger, he is seen to be posing in a rebel-like gesture, thus linking to the type of music he makes – rock music. Cher Lloyd, as seen in a double page spread in an issue of ‘We Love Pop’s magazine, is posing in a very childish and immature, living up to the

female stereotype.

WHAT?

In many pop magazines, the artists, especially the women, are portrayed as flawless, skinny people and this is a form of deception – airbrushing is largely used to alter the features and appearance of women. However, in my magazine, I did not alter the appearance or features the artists used in my magazine because I aimed to create a realistic, natural view on women – breaking away from the stereotype.

HOW?

In many pop magazines, lighting and make-up are both used to present the artists and make them even more attractive than their normal state – false beauty is presented, making the target audiences think of it as a norm of pop magazines. Images, such as those taken in a close-up, connote temptation and popularity / familiarity, connecting to the music genre.

WHY?

In my research, all of the women had been perceived, portrayed and presented as perfect, especially with their appearance because they were heavily made up and consistently air-brushed. However, there’s a backlash to that stereotypical type of representation as I want my social group to look responsible and not be represented in that way; I aim for my social group to be represented as successful and ambitious.