Representation of Age in the Media

TV Programme - Waterloo Road

In Series 10, episode 7, Floyd, Tiffany's brother confronts Justin and Tiffany about their relationship. Floyd and Tiffany have been dating, however Tiffany's family do not approve. When Floyd confronts Justin about them dating, he handles the situation poorly, argues with Justin. Justin then says 'she can't keep her hands off me'. Floyd reacts to this by punching Justin. This is a clear representation of age in the Media as it is portraying teenagers not being able to handle a situation in a mature or composed manner. Furthermore, the mis-en-scene of this scene connotes a school situation, indicated through their clothing of a school uniform and the background of the school. The lighting of the scene is natural lighting to portray that the situation is a natural and reoccurring situation in teens. This shows that the two pupils depicted arguing haven't matured enough to leave the school environment, therefore are not acting in a mature way. The representation of age in this scene is stereotypical as the two teens are portrayed to handle the situation poorly, which is a stereotypical trate of young people. The argument they are having is also very stereotypical as it is an argument expected from the age group.

Music Video - Anaconda by Nicki Minah

In this music video, Nicki Minaj, in her 20's, uses her sexuality to appeal to her audience. She is dressed in very little clothing, dancing provocatively. Furthermore, there are shots of alcohol bottles, which connotes that people within their early 20's like to drink. She uses a stereotypical image of her in an apron in a kitchen to show a stereotype of young women doing cooking within the home. Her facial expressions are also very provocative, she uses a lot of eye contact to appeal to her audience. She is using her sexuality to sell her music and is living up to the stereotypical early 20's women who like to party and use their bodies to attract men. Her facial expressions are also very provocative, she uses a lot of eye contact to appeal to her audience. Within the media, women within their 20's are often sexualised for the purpose of the male audience. This is seen throughout most media forms. The most obvious one is in magazines, when girls dress in little clothing, with the camera focused on them, giving eye contact. In the music video, Nicki Minaj and her dancers within the mise-en-scene very much live up to this stereotype.





Film Trailer - The Fault In Our Stars

The film trailer for The Fault In Our Stars goes very much against the stereotypical idea of a teenager, When we think of the health of a teen, they are represented to be healthy and happy. However, in the movie trailer, this stereotype is very much challenged. Hazel is a teen suffering from cancer and she isn't living what she considers to be a 'normal' teenage life. Her daily routine is different to most teenagers, she goes to support group, hospital appointments and spends her time at home. This is seen in the scene where she is speaking to her parents about being a teenager. She says that her parents need to give her a fake ID so she can go to clubs and take pot. To this, her Father says 'you don't take pot''. This portrays that she believes she is not a stereotypical teenager and she wants to be. However, as the trailer goes on, we see that she meets Augustus and seems to become a more stereotypical teenager, falling in love with him. The love story of teenagers within the media, especially in movies, is stereotypical. Therefore, within the film we see a non-stereotypical teenage girl become more stereotypical, but her experience of teenage life will always be different to others because of the cancer. This play on the non-stereotypical character adds emotion to the film trailer.