Representations of Stereotypes

In society we have representations of certain races, genders, disabilities and sexualities. These representations are often very stereotypical, especially when it comes to the media.

Age:
In media, young people are often portrayed as rude and are often seen using social media. They tend to be troublemakers and go to a lot of clubs and parties. While this is often seen in real life, there are a large amount of younger people who don't act this way. The older generation tend to be seen either as weak and ignored or as the bosses of large corporations. The middle aged group is the most commonly used age group in movies and TV. They can be portrayed in a number of ways such as action heroes, average Joes, and really anything else.

Gender:
Male characters are often portrayed as being stronger than female characters. They tend to have more "masculine" jobs like builders or police officers whereas women are usually shown doing more domestic tasks like cooking, cleaning or looking after kids. Sometimes the roles are reversed, for example a woman goes out with her friends so the man is asked to look after the kids. Within five minutes of the woman leaving the house, the man has lost track of the kids and finds them on the roof. This suggests that all men are inept when it comes to domestic tasks when in reality, this doesn't usually happen and women often have jobs that could be considered more "masculine" like police officers or fire fighters. In most cases in media, men are portrayed as more dominant, however we sometimes see women as more dominant. For example, there could be a very nerdy and cowardly man with a brave and dominant woman.

Race:
The media usually shows very stereotypical view of each race. Caucasians are used most commonly as main characters whereas "drug lords" are often portrayed as being Mexican, Tuco in Breaking Bad for example.

Disability:
People with disabilities, mental or physical, are often portrayed as weak and often require help from others. They are commonly used to make the main character seem caring so that people like them more.

Socio-economic status:
Lower classes are often badly represented in media. They are often associated with drugs and don't go anywhere in life. Middle classes are usually used as main characters. They aspire to be successful and dream about getting that promotion that will keep their family on their feet. Upper classes are often seen as snobby and selfish. They don't care about anyone but themselves and tend to be seen as evil and corrupt.

Nationality:
In media, Russians and Germans are often seen as evil. We usually see British or American heroes fighting against other nationalities. It is common to see terrorists in the media and they are never British or American.

Sexuality:
The main character in movies and TV is almost always heterosexual. It is extremely rare to see a homosexual or bisexual main character, however they are sometimes used as side characters. For example, in Scott Pilgrim VS the World, Scott's room-mate is homosexual and seems to be attracted to every man he sees.