Stereotyping, ideology and under-represented groups

Overview

Term stereotype and claim to realism.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Define the term stereotype.

   Model answer

   A stereotype is a representation that reduces a group to a few simple, repeated characteristics. Repetition across many texts makes the reduction feel accurate.

2. 2

   Which groups are stereotyped most often in magazines, and why?

   Model answer

   Groups with least power in the wider society are stereotyped most often. Hall argues that stereotyping concentrates where inequalities of power exist.

3. 3

   What is ethnocentrism?

   Model answer

   Ethnocentrism is the habit of judging other cultures by the standards of one's own. A media text shows it when one culture is treated as the normal centre.

4. 4

   How can a magazine use a familiar type without reinforcing a stereotype?

   Model answer

   A recognisable type can be introduced quickly and then given depth the type does not have. The shorthand becomes an entry point rather than the whole portrayal.

5. 5

   How can a stereotype be used negatively?

   Model answer

   A negative stereotype limits how a group can be imagined and helps justify unequal treatment. Repeated negative types also make individual counter-examples look like exceptions.

6. 6

   What does under-representation mean?

   Model answer

   Under-representation is the near absence of a social group from a body of media output. A group that rarely appears is implicitly treated as marginal.

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