Body Image Task

Secret Eaters (series 3: episode 2)
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/secret-eaters/4od

This programme follows people all over Britain, and shows how their secret eating habits have caused them to gain weight. The presenter states that being in a relationship is the single biggest cause of weight gain. The start of the programme shows an older married couple from Essex, who want to find out why they have been putting on so much weight. They are a middle aged couple, and both state that the do not feel that they eat much, therefore, they do not understand why they have been putting on so much weight. They introduce the couple and show the woman in the kitchen cooking, and the man sitting on the sofa, this shows how their are creating stereotypes, and showing how this couple live up to the usual stereotypes given to men and women. 

This programme uses a lot of visual codes to help aid the problems it is addressing. This shot is used to first introduce the husband. The use of a close up on his stomach and thighs help to aid the point that this man is overweight, and they are showing how much weight he has put on through eating the junk food that he does. This show wants to address the issue of secret eating, and wants to shock the audience by showing just how much you weight you can put on, and how unhealthy the majority of the populations diet is. So by using close up camera angles such as this, the audience will realise how much of a problem excessive eating is, and how eating in this way can lead to looking like this. This programme appeals to the audience, as they know the audience will take certain uses and gratifications from it, for example, they may find is entertaining, or may find personal identity within the programme, by being able to relate to their problem. 

Masterchef (series 10: episode 1)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03zdx14/MasterChef_Series_10_Episode_1/

This show presents body image in a very different way to secret eaters. although this show is not solely focused on the issue of excess eating, much like secret eaters was, it does discuss food and this programme presents body image indirectly. At the start of the programme we are introduced to the six contestants, all wanting to be crowned the winner, and straight away we are able to see that these people are of all shapes and sizes. Instead of talking directly about how eating is affecting body image, this programme presents body image, but displays it as being normal for people to be of different sizes. They are all competing for the same thing, and nobody has an advantage due to their weight. 

Strippers Presentation.

The Reception Theory.

EASTENDERS.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03wnvpl/EastEnders_24_02_2014/

• Preferred - The preferred audience for Eastenders would be women between the ages of 16 to 60+ because women are most likely going to watch this programme for entertainment or personal identity, as they can relate to the people in the soap, and most people will be home from work etc and able to watch it due to the time that it is on. 
• Oppositional - The oppositional audience for Eastenders would probably be men between the ages of 16 to 40, as they might not be interested in soaps, and may choose to watch other types of programmes such as documentaries or sports programmes. 
• Negotiated - The negotiated audience for Eastenders would be men between the ages of 16 to 60, as they may not choose to watch it, but may do so anyway because their partner etc may like to watch it. The negotiated audience would also be teenagers younger than 16, as they may not gain any uses and gratifications from in such as entertainment or personal identity, because they cannot relate to any of the people in the show. 

MATCH OF THE DAY.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b040ln6b/Match_of_the_Day_2013_2014_05_04_2014/

• Preferred - The preferred audience for match of the day would be males between the ages of 16 to 50, as these people are stereotypically going to be more interested in football, and may watch the programme as a part of social integration and a source of information. 
• Oppositional - The oppositional audience for match of the day would be women of a similar age, as they are usually going to be less interested in the content of the programme, and may not seek any uses and gratifications from it. 
• Negotiated - The negotiated audience for match of the day would be women that may take a lot of interest in football, so they might like to watch it for entertainment and information. People of a higher social status may also take a negotiated reading to match of the day, as they may be a lot more career orientated and may be less likely to take interest in sports such as football. 

THE VOICE.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03wryyn/The_Voice_UK_Series_3_Blind_Auditions_7/

• Preferred - The preferred audience for the voice would be males and females between the ages of 16 to 40, as they may like to watch the programme for entertainment and people between these ages are also of a similar age to the judges and those who are often on the show, so therefore they may gain personal identity from watching the programme. 
• Oppositional - The oppositional audience for the voice could possibly be males, as they may only watch it if their partner likes to, but would not do so out of personal choice. 
• Negotiated - The negotiated audience for the voice would be the older generation such as 70+, as they may enjoy watching the programme as a form of entertainment, but they may not be able to relate to any of the acts on the show and may not be able to relate to their dream of being in the music industry. 

The Cultivation Theory.

The Cultivation Theory looks at the TV as a social agent, and studies the effect of TV exposure. The Cultivation Theory states that high frequency viewers of TV are more susceptible to media messages and the belief that they are real and valid. For example, heavy viewers are exposed to more violence, and are therefore affected by The Mean World Syndrome. This is the belief that the world is actually a far worse and dangerous place than it actually is. Heavy viewers take away such strong messages whilst watching TV, and therefore begin to think that real life is like that. The Cultivation Theory states that when people view certain behaviours and attitudes, they will start to replicate these in their everyday life. 

The Cultivation Theory can be applied to the representation of age. For example, older people watch more tv and therefore are more likely to be susceptible to the messages. An example of this is that young people are constantly shown to be involved in violent or dangerous acts on the news or on other shows, so therefore older people stereotype all young people as violent and aggressive, because they believe what they have seen on the television. The television has blinded them to the fact that just because a few young people may have been involved in that crime, doesn't mean that all young people behave in the same way. This also gives older people the impression that the world is a mean place in which there is nothing but violence, and this is the given impressions because the news and other programmes constantly show the bad things that young people do, rather than the brilliant achievements some young people have achieved. 

http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/jul/04/riot-defendants-court-sentencing

This article in The Guardian about the 2011 Riots shows young people in a very negative light, and shows how older people may believe that young people are all violent. This article talks all about the riots and gives facts about how many people were sentenced or imprisoned. It used facts and statistics to reinforce the point that there were 34 children between the ages of 10-17 in which were remanded in custody, and this reinforces the stereotype of young people being violent as older people will view this as a lot of young people are to blame for these riots and that young people seem to always be involved in dangerous stories. By being constantly exposed to stories like this means that old people start to become afraid of most young people, thinking that they all must behave in this way. This leads to many older people becoming even too scared to leave their own homes. 

http://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/sep/19/neuroscience-psychology

This stereotype is reinforced a lot through several media forms, as you are constantly seeing news stories and articles about violent acts involving young people, and we cannot really blame the older generations for stereotyping us in such a way, as the media has created and reinforced this stereotype so often that is it so rare to hear of a young person achieving good things, and even when they do, it now seems to go unnoticed. The reason for violence in young people is also accounted for by the use of video games, so therefore, older people think that this must be true because there is a reason for young people acting in this way, so therefore they go along blaming things such as video games and violent TV shows. This article explains how there is a correlation between violent video games and the violence in children. However, this article is constructed to give facts, so there is no content to show that violent video games actually don't have any effect on most children that play them. 

Representation of Age.

Young People:

Young people tend to be represented very negatively in the media. Most people tend to view teenagers as either violent and aggressive or as party animals. Young people are represented through lots of different media forms, and tend to be portrayed in the most negative way through television programmes. For example, Sun, Sex and Suspicious Parents portray young people in a very stereotypical way. Young people are shown to be lazy and wild, and are shown to be rule breakers that don't live up to their parents expectations. This show in particular is constructed so that we tend to only see the worst of the protagonist's behaviour. We are shown their bad behaviour with them drinking and sleeping around, and we are never shown and real calm bits in which the young people are behaving on their holiday. This show is also constructed in such a way that there is a definite contrast between how they act around their parents in their everyday life, and how they behave once they are on their holiday and the way in which this is done makes their behaviour even more shocking to the viewer, because they have already thought them out to be well behaved. The parents in this show also live up to their stereotype of being all worried and forever wanting to know where their children are and what they are doing. The cultivation theory also applies to this show, as heavy viewers in which are influenced quite a lot by the television, would see this as the right way to behave, and as the show portrays the drinking in partying in such a way that it is considered normal to be drinking to that extent and treating people in this way. 

Old People:

http://www.ctvnews.ca/business/as-populations-age-and-pension-costs-strain-governments-a-retirement-crisis-looms-1.1611608

Old people tend to be represented in quite a negative way also. With more people living into a greater age, more strain is being placed on taxes and health care. We tend to view older people are venerable and as people who cannot take care of themselves. Most articles about older people tend to present them in such a way that they live up to this weak and fragile stereotype. This article reinforces this stereotype as it explains about how due to the fact that we have an ever ageing population, pension costs are placing a lot of strain of the government and that a retirement crisis is brewing. This article starts to blame the recession and even goes as far as to say that World War 2 had an impact. This shows the reader how this problem has been ongoing for a while now, and is not a newly emerging thing. This article also goes onto explain how this is a problem in several countries, and this shocks the reader with the fact that this problem is not becoming a global thing. This article presents old people in a very stereotypical vulnerable way, as we stereotypically believe that older people rely on others to get by, and how they are too fragile to look after themselves, and this articles reinforces that by making older people look like they cannot get by alone, and we are then made to feel sorry for these older people because they are being blamed for all this strain on the government. However, this article is constructed in such a way that it does not take into account any other problems that may be causing strain on the government. Older people are very often presented in this way throughout different media forms such as newspapers and news on the television, and this makes people think that all old people live up to this stereotype and that all old people are to blame for the problems with the government. 

Representation of Gender.

Sexualized/objectified females.

This advert for Calvin Klein's secret obsession fragrance shows a female in a very sexual and objectified way. The model is covered by nothing but her arm and part of a sheet. There is no relevance to the perfume by her being naked, yet this image is used to attract an audience of both males and females, as males will like the image and women will think that 'if they buy this perfume, they will look like this'. This image uses quite soft and bright lighting to connote a sense of innocence and purity, and the fact that she is naked also makes her seem very natural. The bright lighting also contrasts with the product to make the perfume bottle stand out more. However  this is sending out a very negative ideology to women, as they think that they need to buy this perfume and look like this in order for men to like them.

Domestic females.

The television show 'The Simpsons' shows a typical domestic woman in which is portrayed through the character of Marge. Marge is often seen to be cooking or cleaning whilst wearing an apron. She is also looking after the kids and her husband, and this portrays the stereotypical domestic view of a woman. Marge is always looking after the children and taking care of her husband, and this shows how the media is still trying to portray this idea of the perfect domestic woman to the audience, and this makes women think that they should still act in this way. However, this could be said to be outdated as now more and more men are taking on women's roles and sharing the burden of a household.

Post-feminism.

In the music video 'Wannabe' by the Spice Girls, the Spice Girls are a great example of post feminism, and show just how empowered women can be. Post feminism is all about how women are becoming equal to men and are trying to surpass men's achievements. The Spice Girls are all about women and women's equality to men. In this video they are all together showing just how confident they are in themselves, and how they don't need men. Even the lyrics to the song portray this same message, as they sing about how if you want to be their man, you've got to get with their friends. The Spice Girls were also one of the first girl bands to live up to male bands, as they have achieved a lot and have managed to surpass many males achievements. This sends a good and strong message to girls about how all girls should stick together, and you should put your friends before any man. It also sends out a good message about the empowerment of women, and how women are becoming ever more equal to men, and this makes girls believe that they can be their own person, and do not have to rely on men for their achievements. 

Dominant/aggressive male.

In the music video 'Give me everything' by Pitbull, Pitbull is portrayed as a very dominant and aggressive male. Pitbull is seen to be surrounded by girls, almost displaying the fact that 'he could get all of these girls'. This shows him as quite a dominant male as all eyes are on him and he is commanding the attention of all of these women. The women are also seen to be dancing around him and giving him lots of attention, and his bold stance also makes him look very masculine and dominant. This music video sends out the message that men are the dominant gender and that women are inferior, and should therefore be lead by a man and do what he says. This message is also portrayed through the lyrics of the song, as he is telling girls to 'give him everything' in which makes women think that they have to answer to men, and should do whatever a man says to do. This is a stereotypical view of a male, in which makes women believe that they have to answer to men, and that men are more dominant. 

Male Stereotype.

A good example of a stereotypically masculine male is James Bond. James Bond is presented as quite a masculine character and this is shown through his attitude and looks. He is always dressed quite smartly in suits and ties and his hair is always perfect, this gives people the perception that he is smart and masculine, yet this is also reinforced by his strong stance and attitude within the film. He presents an image of a very strong and independent man. He is always seen to be driving fast cars and carries a lot of weapons in and this makes him seem very masculine and also makes him more attractive to the ladies. Men are stereotypically believed to have fast cars and be very muscular and masculine and the character of James Bond reinforces this stereotype and presents men as being strong and bold. So therefore, men will then believe that because they are represented in such a way, that they have to act in this way also. James Bond has been around for many years so this is a great example of how this type of male stereotype is old and has not just come about in the last few years. 

Metrosexual/New Man.

An example of the metrosexual new man is presented through this cover of 'People magazine' featuring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. This magazine cover takes a complete spin on the stereotypical masculine man, as he is playing with his child. This sends out a new message, as people now think it's acceptable for men to take on some of the jobs so that women don't have to do them all. This presents men in a very good light, as he is seen to be playing and looking after their child whilst his wife is having a bit of a break, he is taking some of the burden off his wife. This is a good ideology to send out, as men will now think that it is more and more acceptable to be doing some stereotypically female jobs and tasks, and we are able to learn that the roles of women have changed, and women do not have to stick to this stereotypical domestic view of a women. 

Mock Exam - How To Improve.

Audience Question.
To improve my audience question, i think that i need to revise key terminology and try to incorporate solid examples into my answer. I need to be able to justify my answers more and try to include theories in which help me to explain why that media text would be targeted at that audience.

Representation Question.
To improve this question, i need to find solid examples of how males and females are represented within the different media forms, and i need to be able to explain why they are represented in this way and what effect that has on the audience. 

Revision and Study.
To improve my grade i think that i need to revise more. I am going to do this by allowing myself a designated couple of hours every week in which i can go over theories and find solid examples of how males and females are represented within the media. I am then going to put these into practice by trying to apply them to a set question. I also need to make sure that i manage my time so that i have enough time to answer all of the questions to a high standard. 

Coursework.
To improve my coursework, i need to edit my images and experiment slightly with the layout of my inserts to see if they would look better when presented in another way. I also need to make sure that my report is completed and i have made all of the improvements suggested by David.