Studying Representation: Sexuality LO: To explore the different stereotypes associated with sexuality in the media To understand how these stereotypes are represented

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Thinking Point What is sexuality? Is it attached to gender? What is considered the “norm” in the media?

The “Norm”

Different?

A Cliché?

Controversial

Why is the language used towards the gay community always negative? That’s gay Don’t be such a lesbian /leso/ dyke/ You’re a queer/ puff/ bender/ fruitcake etc. Can you think of any negative terms for straight people? We live in a heteronormative society where being a ”gay" is seen as a deviant from the “norm”and being straight is the dominant ideology (hence the lack of insulting words for straight people).

Representation of Sexuality Sexuality is often expressed through physical means; clothes, props, setting, acting. Understanding how a particular character’s gender is constructed will help you to analyse how their sexuality is being represented. How is sexuality constructed in terms of: Heterosexuality? Homosexuality?

Representation of sexuality

Shane Mccutcheon Shane Mccutcheon in the US drama The L Word conforms to the stereotype of a homosexual woman. This is seen in one clip as she has quite a deep voice; her costume consists of quite baggy male clothes (including a bowler hat) and is seen to be uninterested with typically girly activities such as shopping and taking great care in materialistic appearance. This shows that she conforms to the stereotype of being quite butch and manly yet because she's in a show which is centred on a group of lesbian/bi people, her characteristics are most likely present to show that there is variation in sexuality and some people can conform to stereotypes.

Sophie Webster Sophie Webster in Coronation Street goes against the typical stereotype of homosexual women. This is because she appears to be very feminine looking with long brown hair, she wears a fair amount of makeup and wears costumes that consist of fashionable clothes of the latest trends. She is considered to fit in as she has both male and female friends and has a job at the local corner shop and gets on with everyone in the street without controversy. Moreover she is a Christian meaning she defies the stereotype that all lesbians are against religion as she believes in faith herself. Overall Sophie Webster represents what would typically be a 'normal' heterosexual girl with the only difference being her sexuality.

Representation of sexuality

Kurt Hummel Kurt Hummel in Glee is conforms to the Stereotype of a homo-sexual man in Glee. This is due to his costume consisting of over-the- top, glittery outfits, he has quite a feminine face and cares a lot about the way his hair is styled and the products he uses in general. He also is very outgoing as he is an avid member in the school's Glee club and is not afraid to express his sexuality and is very naive when it comes to typical male likes such as sport. Kurt conforms to the stereotype to add drama to the show and create situations that can be humorous (e.g. his ignorance of American football) to make his character more comedic as a person. However his sexuality isn't a gimmick as he is a regular lead character and his very manly father is supportive of his sexuality thus he isn't just categorised by his sexuality.

Thomas Barrow Thomas Barrow in Downton Abbey does not conform to the stereotype of a typical gay man. This is because due to his job of being high up in the housekeeping ranks; he wears a formal costume every day and speaks with no exaggerated tone and makes no reference to his sexuality of tries to show off as a person. He does not conform as Downton Abbey is a period time and in the era it was set, being homosexual was illegal. Thus Thomas defies the stereotype as he is represented to be ashamed of his sexuality as he has to hide it and furthermore this shows how the stereotype/s have developed with the more welcoming view in society.

Stereotypes about Bisexuals People deny that bisexuality is real They are confused, undecided, dabblers, insecure, experimenting or “just going through a phase”. People are either ‘gay, straight or lying’ They are promiscuous They are greedy

Sexuality Despite changing equality laws and a wider acceptance of different sexualities within much of society, TV has always remained quite conservative as they are cautious of offending their viewers. The dominant ideology within the media is that people are heterosexual and therefore these individuals fit the ‘normal’ stereotype, while homosexual characters are often represented as being different, strange, or separate from mainstream society.

History Of This Stereotype Up until very recently homosexuals were widely looked down on whilst heterosexual was seen as the ‘normal’ way to be. In the 60’s being gay was even illegal and many gay men would hide it and marry someone of the opposite sex to cover up their homosexuality; even if it made them miserable. It’s unknown where the cruel stereotype of homosexuals as being ‘weird’ or ‘predators’ came from; many people even believed that they were child molesters and that gay teachers would groom children.

In the 50’s... People saw homosexuality as if it were a disease. They had television adverts warning young boys to beware of homosexuals; in the advert a gay man is in a car and makes a young man get in. There is a voiceover of people saying that you should beware of homosexual men as they are predators and groom young boys.

Modern Views The dominant ideologies surrounding sexuality are changing. This is reinforced by recent changes in legislation, such as the referendum in Ireland, which made same sex marriage legal by popular vote- the first of its kind in history. The United States also made history by becoming most populous country to legalize same sex marriage by federal government across its 52 states.

However “The representation of homosexuals in the media is not fair and accurate. Many of today’s views are still “medieval” and not relevant to homosexuals today. Why is it fair the people should be pre-judged and discriminated because of who they are attracted to or fall in love with?”

TV Drama In recent years there has been a rise in the number of television shows featuring gay people, but generally they are heavily stereotyped. Some critics remark that when TV does feature gay characters, they are never just characters that “happen to be gay.” Their sexuality always plays a key part in their storylines and they don’t seem to have any issues outside of their sexuality.

Homosexuality Although many programmes do feature gay people, they tend to focus on friendship and not relationships. The media tends to sanitise the portrayal of gay relationships for fear of offending the audience. Channel 4 is a good example of an institution that celebrates sexuality and their depictions of being gay or lesbian are something that is ‘normal’ and to be accepted.

Studying Representation: Sexuality LO: To identify and comment on use/effect of editing, camera shots, mise-en-scene and sound in the clips To discuss whether stereotypes associated with sexuality are reinforced or opposed

When studying representation of sexuality:

Consider the following points: Can I identify what the sexualities of the characters are? Are people of different sexualities shown as having different interests, personalities, attitudes, behaviours? If so, how? Is their sexuality represented as being important in their life? Are particular sexualities represented as being normal / powerful / better? If so, how? Are particular sexualities represented as being abnormal? If so, how? What is the message the clip is trying to portray about sexuality? Don’t forget that “straight” is a sexuality too. Don’t ignore the straight characters as they need to be analysed too!

Sex and the City Watch the following clip and comment on the representation of sexuality presented. Remember to comment on camera shots, editing, sound and mise-en-scene.

Fingersmith Watch the following clip and make notes on how it opposes or reinforces the stereotypes associated with sexuality. Remember to comment on camera shots, editing, sound and mise-en-scene. st=PLCE549D17B170F6E1

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Analytical Essay Begin planning using the notes you have taken in the lesson. Answer the following question: Discuss the representation of sexuality depicted in one of the clips we have studied. Refer to the following- Camera shots, editing, sound and mise- en-scene.