REPRESENTATION OF SOCIAL CLASS IN TV DRAMASHANNAH HALLIDAY

STEREOTYPES OF THE UPPER CLASS• Rich • Posh • Snobby • Superior • Well dressed• Intellectual • Well spoken • Own lots of properties

STEREOTYPES OF THE MIDDLE CLASS• Owns their own home- medium sized• Plays golf • White collar workers- managerial roles • Or may have a successful small business • Well educated • They wear suits • Financially stable • They have a car • Church-goers

STEREOTYPES OF THE LOWER CLASS • Selfish and rude • Alcoholics • Criminals • Dependent on benefits • School dropouts • Scruffy/ rough • Live in high crime areas• They do what they want and don’t care for others • Blue collar workers- work in factories etc.

HOW IS SOCIAL CLASS REPRESENTED IN TV DRAMA?Upper ClassDownton Abbey- The upper class are rarely portrayed in a negative light. They dress smartly and they are well groomed. The men wear suits while the women wear expensive dresses that look of a good quality. Their body language is very pleasant: they walk gracefully and quite slowly making them seem more important than the rest. Also, they sit up right rather than slouching which looks unprofessional. Angles used in this programme when portraying the upper class usually include many high angled shots. This is because it is trying to show the upper class looking down on other people because they have a higher hierarchy.

HOW IS SOCIAL CLASS REPRESENTED IN TV DRAMA?Middle ClassModern Family- we tend to see the middle class as keeping themselves to the themselves. They dress smartly with normal casual clothing. They seem to have a well off lifestyle. They are not as rich and wealthy as the upper class but they are financially stable. They live up to the stereotypes that are made towards the middle class- they own their own homes, they are well educated and they usually own their own car. This is shown in this TV drama of Modern Family.

HOW IS SOCIAL CLASS REPRESENTED IN TV DRAMA?Lower ClassEastenders- We tend to see the lower class being portrayed in a negative light.They don’t dress very well, they look quite scruffy and unpresentable. It is very rare that we see them smartly dressed. We see them badly behave most of the time and they always seem to have a drama going on in their lives. Their body language isn’t like those of the upper class as they have a slouched body posture most of the time and they tend to make very little eye contact with one another.