The media’s role in shaping social norms, fashion trends, and the status quo is crucial. However, the absence of representation in today’s media perpetuates misrepresentations, posing a significant problem. In her work “Seeing and Making Culture: Representing the Poor,” hooks explores class misrepresentation, while Siering tackles gender misrepresentation in “Taking a Bite out of Twilight.” While I agree with their viewpoints, it is important to recognize that the lack of representation extends beyond these specific demographics to encompass the entire media landscape.
The media consistently underrepresents both gender and class. In the article “Taking a Bite Out of Twilight,” Siering argues that the Twilight saga conveys an anti-feminist message throughout its series. According to Siering, Bella is depicted as reliant on a dominant figure and lacks independent thoughts or actions that do not involve Edward. However, this misrepresentation of gender is not exclusive to the romantic vampire saga but also evident in the recent popular film Wolf of Wall Street. The movie portrays a world dominated by men, featuring wealthy businessmen, fast cars, drugs, and women.
The text highlights the portrayal of women as objects in a film, shedding light on the concerning prevalence of gender misrepresentation that often goes unnoticed by many viewers. Similarly, the misrepresentation of social class is also discussed. The author refers to hooks’ writing, where she explains how the media has stigmatized poverty, causing individuals to feel ashamed and unwilling to identify themselves as poor.
Throughout the film The Pursuit of Happyness, which is based on a true story, the argument presented by hooks in her essay is evident. The film showcases the struggles of Chris Gardner, a young father trying to make ends meet. Despite his destitute situation, Chris refuses to disclose his financial difficulties to anyone, including his own son. Throughout his internship, he consistently finds himself in situations with his bosses where he is obligated to pay for cab rides, buy them coffee, and even lend them money for their dry-cleaning. Despite having only what is in his pocket as his entire net worth, Chris feels too ashamed to reveal the truth about his financial state and therefore continues to fulfill the tasks they ask of him.
Examining the lack of representation beyond the mentioned demographics is crucial, but it’s also important to address negative portrayals of sexuality and race. The media perpetuates stereotypes regarding sexual orientation. These stereotypes suggest that determining someone’s sexual orientation is as easy as this: heterosexual individuals are those who appear and dress “normally,” lesbians are women who dress and act in a tomboyish manner, and gay men display flamboyant and fashionable behavior.
Although it is not accurate, the media often presents sexuality in these ways. In Sex and the City, Stanford and Anthony, the only two gay characters, are shown as very stylish individuals with extravagant and dramatic personalities. Mean Girls features a lesbian stereotype portrayed by Janis Jan, a tomboy character who constantly deals with accusations and being socially isolated because of her masculine behavior and clothing choices, even though she identifies as heterosexual.
The underrepresentation of race generates numerous stereotypes. In numerous books, TV shows, and movies, the protagonist is typically white, while minorities are relegated to supporting roles. Regardless of whether minorities have the lead role or not, they are consistently typecast based on their race. Black individuals, for example, are often depicted as confrontational and irate in media, as demonstrated in the film Bring It On: All or Nothing.
In the movie, a white high school girl named Britney Allen moves to a new school. The new school is more diverse than her hometown. Throughout the film, Britney finds herself in various situations where she makes small mistakes, like accidentally bumping into a black girl in the hallway. These mistakes lead to her being targeted and threatened by others. The media often creates stereotypes around Asians, portraying them as math geniuses and nerds. A book called “Bringing Down the House” by Ben Mezrich tells the story of highly intelligent MIT students, most of whom are Asian. These students join a card-counting team and discover how to make millions playing Blackjack in Las Vegas.
Regarding the issues of representation with gender and class, both Hooks and Siering bring up valid points. However, it is important to consider a broader perspective on media misrepresentation, including sexuality and race as just two examples among many.
