Stereotype Presentations (Prezi).

In pairs, we were all assigned a different social group, stereotyped in Tv dramas and soaps. Each pair had to gather their information and create a 'Prezi' presentation on the Internet about our stereotype. In class, we sat down and watched each pairs presentations whilst we copied down notes.



Age - On the Tv, children are often stereotyped as being very annoying; crying all the time, screaming and throwing tantrums although on the other hand they can be stereotyped as being very cute and cuddly. At the other end of the age scale, elderly people are very much stereotyped as being grumpy, bitter and stubborn. They may also be stereotyped as being crippled and helpless, or stereotyped as being very clever and wise. These two age stereotypes could be labelled as a binary opposite; a symbolic code used in Tv drama to contrast the two ages and make them appear more extreme perhaps.
We were shown a clip from the Tv comedy series 'Little Britain' in which, 'Vicky Pollard' advertises herself as being loud, gobby and rude; showing a typical stereotype that teenagers may have put upon them. Afterwards, we were shown a picture of a hard working teenager to contrast the bad stereotype of adolescents in the media.

Regional Identity - The 'Northerners' of the country are often stereotyped as being very friendly and social people. The fact that they live in a rural area has often stereotyped them all as being very nature-driven and all seem to own their own farm. This could back up the stereotype of Northern people being quite simple and not very bright. On the TV, a series such as 'Heartbeat' is shown as being very colourful and green. This is a contrast to the south. A clip of the series 'Spooks' was shown, in which the scenes were very grey and monotonal, this could possibly be a semantic code, to represent how the South is very urban, materialistic and fast-paced, meaning that the life of a Southerner is very dull and repetitive. The fast-past lifestyle could also be a stereotype in itself, stereotyping that all Southern people are clever and work in office buildings, for example, in the comedy series ' The Office'.

Sexuality - We were shown a clip from 'Little Britain' again, in which an extremely stereotyped gay male, 'Daffyd Thomas' is shown wearing tight-fitting clothing and appearing very feminine with a high-pitched voice. In the clip, he is also filmed in front of a dark background to make him stand out more and appear more alien-like to his surroundings. In contrast to this, a male homosexual could be shown as being very masculine and having an interest in any stereotyped straight male past-time. In argument to this, Lindsey Lohan, an openly-bisexual female, could go against all stereotypes of a gay female being very butch and masculine. In the media, she is portrayed badly but also as being very feminine, wearing tightly fitting dresses etc. In Tv soaps and dramas, a common 'gay-plot' would be; a character realising that they are gay, then everybody finding out, and then how they react to the news.