Gender Representation Essay

How stereotypical are the representations of Gender in my chosen texts? My chosen texts are ‘The Inbetweeners’ , ‘X Factor’ and ‘BBC News’. All three texts represent gender in different ways yet I wouldnt say that any of them truly represent both genders in stereotypical ways. In ‘The Inbetweeners’ the main characters are portrayed in a very stereotypical way at first glance, they are boystrous and objectify women in the crude way in which they speak about them. Yet when you look deeper into their characters you realise that they are not typical at all. The females in the show are typical in a sense that they are pretty, well dressed and are purely there for the â€Å"male gaze.† It is this male gaze that ultimately makes them more powerful than the males in the series as they have the power to either sleep with, or not sleep with the males which takes all control away from the men which is not a typical trait. When you think of a typical male in tv they are strong, handsome and in control, this is not always evident in ‘The Inbetweeners’ which supports the masculinity in crisis theory which states that males are no longer the dominant sex in modern society. Women may be objectified still but they use their sex appeal to there advantage and get their own way leaving the males powerless. You do how ever have the very typical character of Jays dad which is a hyperbolic example of a male as he passes gas, swears and acts in a completely innaproriate way for the comedic value. The ‘X Factor’ has a very contrasting representation of gender. In one way the male characters are very stereotypical as they have the power to say yes or no to the acts as judges. Males are stereotypically known for being in a position of power so this is a typical representation. Yet you have Dermot O’leary who is very masculine in his appearance yet is very caring and sympathetic for the contestants. This is not typical as males arent usually shown to have a caring side or emotions as that is left for the women. This again supports the theory of masculinity in crisis. The Female Judges do not have a very typical representation. They are in a position of authority and power and to an extent in the new series do have more power than the male judges as they are more forceful and get their point across better. This is not typically the way women are represented fitting into the theory of Masculinity in crisis. The BBC news is very much like the ‘X Factor’. When the males are the anchors they are in a position of power and knowledge which is a typical representation. They appear to the nation as a pillar of knowledge and the public give them a vast amount of respect which is typical of the representation of men. When the women are anchors they too are looked upon as a pillar of knowledge and are given the same respect which does not fit into the typical representation of a female.