LoOnGgG...EsSaY PlAn...2

“Recent developments in genre have included the emergence of parody, pastiche and hybrid forms. Show how such developments have influenced the nature of media texts.”

A set of conventions usually through familiar narrative, mise-en-scene, actors and representations; defines genre in a basic form. Genre is constantly developing in order to keep audiences interested. Parody, pastiche and hybrid forms, have more recently been introduced and have influenced many texts within these genres.

Theories…

Genre theory- discusses different repertoire of elements, how genres are not fixed although they have identifiable similarities, the way genres are dynamic...

Reception theory- an audience having their own interpretations of a text (genre text), with their own responses....

Final girl (Carol Clover)...

Post-modernism...

Things to include…

Focus on slasher genre…
Explain a parody, pastiche and hybrid form…when were they introduced into genre?…by who and why..?

What changed when looking at the repertoire of elements? (typical conventions and also final girl theory) Analyse texts such as ‘Scream’ a post-modern text and also the last nightmare on elm street movie, as it was the first postmodern text however not as successful as the later postmodern texts ---> also ‘Scary Movie’ which was a parody of the making of ‘Scream’…compare texts from an earlier decade where these forms had not yet been presented…

LoOnGgG...EsSaY PlAn...1

“The audience may know what to expect, but are still excited by genre texts” To what extent is this true?

A set of conventions usually through familiar narrative, mise-en-scene, actors and representations; defines genre. Genre creates familiarity for audiences and gives them a sense of reassurance. However genre is often described as “flexible”; at the same time as creating expectancy and familiarity it is constantly changing and developing. This creates something slightly new every time an audience watches something of the same genre, which is arguably the reason why “they are still excited by genre texts”. However, this is only one side of the argument to determine whether or not this statement is true.

Theories…
Reception theory- an audience having their own interpretations of a text (genre text), with their own responses.

Uses and gratifications theory- Audiences decision as to why they wish to watch a certain text…

Postmodernism..

Things to include…
Include Slasher genre for references/examples.
Discuss repertoire of elements for slasher texts, typical conventions and also what has changed. ---> What have these changes affected if anything?
Talk about the history of the slasher genre…psycho --->developed---> how texts began to differentiate? (post-modernism introduced…parodies etc.)

Discuss the zeitgeist...how does this effect genres ---> is this part of the reason they are constantly changing as they have to adapt to the change in society and does this keep audeinces interested? "excited by genre texts". --->linked to wider contexts..

Useful Quotes...

"difference is absolutly essential to the economy of genre."- Steave Neale (1980)
" films repeat themselves in different ways"- "
"genres are felxible" - Richard Maltby (1995)
" the pleasure for the audeince is as much in the conventional base as in the suprise twist"- Patrick Phillips (2000)

FiNaL...WoOoO leavin in a week :D

“How are women represented in Sugar Rush and in what ways might the audience interpret the text?”- “This is my mother, only, I call her Stella, her idea, she doesn’t like to be reminded of her parental responsibilities”

‘Sugar Rush’ is a contemporary teen drama series broadcast weekly on Channel Four at 10pm. Adapted into a television series after the successful release of the novel ‘Sugar Rush’, written by Julie Burchill, “Sugar Rush explores the world of Kim and her earth-shattering lust for the gorgeous and sassy Maria Sweet, aka Sugar”.[1] Many of the storylines are based around female characters and explore dilemmas faced by women and teenage girls every day. The series differs from many others in exploring issues such as sexuality and differs from more typical representations in contemporary television drama. As many of the characters are female, their representation stands out and gives us a chance to question how the representation of women in the media has changed. The target audience for ‘Sugar Rush’ is females aged fifteen to twenty-one as the series is based around the lives of teenage girls, allowing this audience to relate to the characters and what is going on in their lives. The secondary audience is males of a similar age group. However, as these two audiences are of different sexes, they may interpret the text in different ways; but how? Both of these questions can be explored by drawing on theorists such as Laura Mulvey and considering historical texts which give us an opportunity to review what has changed and what remains the same; concerning the representations of women in society.
Although the representation of women has progressed; despite many typical negative female stereotypes having been eliminated, women are still being objectified and many appear to live their lives for men. This therefore, subordinates them to live in a patriarchal society.

Audiences interpretations may vary: women may watch in order to relate to similar personal situations, whereas men may watch purely to satisfy voyeuristic pleasures. This is suggested by female’s comments in Channel 4’s forum; they talk about the characters, dialogue and story line. Whereas, a lot of male audience comments, concentrate on the women in the programme or unrelated issues. A male leaves a comment including this quote, “Women should be Women, you know, all curvy and soft and good enough to eat"[2]. This suggests it is the female’s appearance that matters.

Over the last few decades however, representations of women in the media have changed drastically and so has women’s’ on-screen time. Gunter (1995) stated that “from the 1950’s to 1970’s only 20 to 30% of characters were female yet, by the mid 80’s there were more female characters with leading roles”.[3] ‘Sugar Rush’ typifies this trend, as the majority of the characters are female, including the lead roles. However, the question of how these women are represented still remains. Previously, women in the media were shown to revolve their everyday lives around marriage, parenthood and often domestic activities; such as housework and cooking. This may have been because during earlier decades; post war, women were expected to look after the house and children whilst their husbands were out earning a living. Women were most often portrayed as inferior to men and it was atypical to see an independent, working woman. The few women who did appear on television and in films, represented a specific appearance; they were expected to look youthful and elegant, designed to satisfy a man’s desires. These representations were publicised throughout the media during this period of time. Take adverts for example; women were often shown selling household cleaning products, food or advertised with young children. ‘Shake and Vac’ (1979) was a prominent cleaning advert during the late 1970’s, “the advert featured Jenny Logan, dancing around a typical British living room in high heels, shaking the powder onto the carpet and hoovering it up”[4]. This is how women were expected to present themselves to their husbands at home and was therefore reflected in the media. “The representation of women in film, during the fifties, was a time of change. Films began addressing more realistic desires and needs of the female populous. But it also seems that the old ways are still powerful.”[5]

In more contemporary media, the representations of women have changed drastically in comparison to texts such as the ‘Shake and Vac’ advert. ‘Sugar Rush’ challenges many of the stereotypes which were once linked with women and the way in which they were represented. For example in ‘Sugar Rush’, Stella, the mother of Kim, switches roles with a typical male representation; appearing confident, dominant and strong minded. Rather than taking on a housewife role, she instead, leaves this to her husband, whilst she commits adultery. Stella illustrates one the most challenging representations of women in the programme; rather than portraying herself to be dominated by men, she appears superior. However, she and many other women come across as objects “to-be-looked-at”[6], a statement often used by Laura Mulvey. Laura Mulvey is a theorist who discusses the ‘male gaze’, it suggests that we live in a patriarchal society, whereby women are objectified; their purpose is to be looked at by men, in order to satisfy a man’s voyeuristic pleasures. This can be seen in ‘Sugar Rush’, as they are often seen wearing revealing clothing and a lot of make-up, in order to satisfy the male audience or even satisfy the female audiences’ perception of how women would be viewed by men. ‘Sugar Rush’, ‘Skins’ and other similar contemporary teen series, are now, clearly challenging older representations of women and although some of the women conform to ‘The male gaze’, overall they appear as stronger and more dominant characters.

Feminism played a huge part in the development of women’s representations in the media. This women’s movement arose, partly due to women having to take on men’s jobs when they went to war and then, wanting to continue working and making money; even after the men had returned. “Cameras moved in tight to stringy haired, Bra-less women in t-shirts, with angry signs”[7]. “The first wave of feminism arose in the 19th century and followed through till the early 20th century, political rights such as giving women the right to vote, was important during the period of this movement.”[8] The second wave of feminism, however, focused more on gaining social equality and eliminating oppression of women, from the 1960’s to 1980’s.[9] Lastly, the Third wave of feminism, which aimed to challenge common stereotypes of women and also sexualities, often clashed with second-wave feminism as they believed that the Second wave hadn’t achieved what they had claimed. All three waves of feminism play a big part in the representation of women in the media, particularly the second and third wave of feminism.

After civil rights laws were made, women were expected to be treated equally to men; they began working, being paid equal wages, and also began showing society that women could also be independent. It also lead to women having more control over the media (on and off-screen), which gave women greater control over their representation. As these rights became more open to society, not only feminists but also parts of the media wanted to challenge the pre-dated stereotypes. This gradually became apparent in the media; on the news, television shows and in film, slowly becoming more extreme over the years. Although many may say, that there are women in the media who are still being represented in a stereotypical way, overall feminism led to female characters subverting these stereotypes. Even in, a historical text such as ‘Grease’ (1978), it began showing signs of some female characters challenging these stereotypes. However, when being compared to more contemporary texts such as ‘Sex and the City’ ‘Charlie’s Angels’ and of course ‘Sugar Rush’, it is clear to see how much stereotypes are being subverted in today’s media, as women are now shown as strong and independent.

The ‘Madonna’, “pure, maternal, chaste, modest” and the ‘Whore’; loose, sexual, amoral, sinful and usually punished” are two of the most basic representations of women in the media[10]. When comparing a contemporary text with historical texts, it is obvious what has changed and what remains the same. As like ‘Sugar Rush’ (2006), ‘Grease’ (1978) focuses on the lives of teenagers and also includes a close female friendship. The two main characters in the girls’ group (Pink Ladies), Sandy and Rizzo, both have completely diverse images and personalities. Rizzo portrays herself as the ‘Whore’; Rizzo fall pregnant, this can be perceived as her punishment. Sandy however, is shown as the ‘Madonna’; a female character appearing naïve and innocent.

However, in more contemporary media texts this simple representation is seen less, e.g., in ‘Sugar Rush’ none of the female characters are portrayed as the ‘Madonna’ as they all appear as strong and independent women. It could be argued that they are still being represented as the ‘Whores’ however, as there are no female characters who play the role of the ‘Madonna’, it eliminates these conventions. In ‘Grease’, Sandy is portrayed as what was at the time a typical stereotype of women in society. She appeared naive, talking about love and romance whilst at the same time, the man she was in love with was only thinking of sex. On the other hand ‘Sugar Rush’, a contemporary television series portrays Kim and Sugar as more aware and although at times they think about romance, they too think about men and sex. They are all sexually active and feel free talking about their sex lives; Stella and her husband join a swingers club, Kim begins to explore sex with a new girlfriend and sugar casually talks about her sex life; “All that stuff I said about losing ‘it’, I’ve always been too pissed to remember”[11]. This amount of freedom, to have and talk about sex, was not commonly seen in historical texts.

However, it is obvious in both historical and contemporary texts that Laura Mulvey’s theory, ’The male gaze’; suggesting a women’s purpose is “to-be-looked at”, is still relevant. In ‘Grease’ many of the women are shown in tight clothing, low cut tops and wearing lots of make up. One of the scenes shows Sandy changing her image to tight sexy clothing, for a man, therefore conforming to ‘The gaze’ and representing a patriarchal society. This is also seen in Sugar Rush however it lacks similarity due to the fact it’s more extreme in the contemporary text, showing women as strong individuals. It may seem as though they still live their lives to satisfy a man’s visual desires, however in comparison to society during the time grease was released, trends and attitudes have changed. The third wave of feminism gives women choice and freedom to do what they want, which argues that the make-up and clothes they wear is for nobody but themselves.

This then leads on to discuss the ways in which ‘Sugar Rush’s’ audience interprets the text. The way in which women are represented in the programme does, in fact, cause an effect on these interpretations. ‘Sugar Rush’ targets both males and females from the age of fifteen to twenty-one, as it is shown after the water shed and discusses mature issues. Everybody has their own reasons as to why they choose to watch certain programmes. This is discussed in, Uses and gratifications theory which suggests “a more active role for the viewer”[12] meaning they are able to select what they wish to watch. Blulmer and Katz listed four reasons why an audience may watch a text; diversion, personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance. Different sexes will have differing reasons for watching a text, as will they interpret these texts in different ways. In relation to ‘Sugar Rush’, diversion and personal identity stand out, diversion being a form of escapism; a way for the audience to escape from reality and instead, focus on the lives of others. Women are also likely to watch ’Sugar Rush’ in order to relate to things that the characters are going through and also to become involved in the characters, a form of personal identity .

Men, on the other hand, are more likely to indulge in ‘Sugar Rush’ as they are presented with the chance too look at beautiful women, sex and lesbian relationships. As the women in ‘Sugar Rush’ are shown in revealing clothes on many occasions in the program, men are frequently encouraged to look at the female characters in a sexual way. Again, this supports Laura Mulvey’s theory as she discuses the way in which, women’s purpose in the media appears to be looked at by men. This could therefore suggest that women feel the need to portray themselves in a certain way, in order to satisfy men’s needs. “Men dream of women, they daydream of women, they fantasize about women”[13]. When looking at it from this perspective, it is obvious that women have become stronger, independent and now feel as though they have the right to show themselves as individuals in the media. However, it is still being constructed to satisfy men’s desires and can make society seem patriarchal. Men may also watch ‘Sugar rush’ as it contains various sex scenes throughout the series and as Kim is a lesbian, shows girl on girl action. Many men find this desirable and in a lot of cases, watch programs in a voyeuristic manner. Voyeurism is a term used to describe an audience watching something; usually sexual, even though they know it’s invading someone’s privacy and is something they should not be watching. Laura Mulvey argues that it “has associations with sadism: ‘pleasure lies in ascertaining guilt - asserting control and subjecting the guilty person through punishment or forgiveness’”[14] Men may watch a program for this reason and gain erotic pleasure, then leading them to watch it again, purely for sexual needs. However, it should also be considered that ‘Sugar Rush’ features homosexual women, therefore other homosexual women may also watch these women in a similar way to men. This again shows more freedom and choice and also begins to explore the ‘queer theory’. “Queer Theory assumes that sexual identities are a function of representations. It assumes that representations pre-exist and define, as well as complicate and disrupt, sexual identities.”[15]

These programmes are structured in a way whereby women and men are both satisfied, in order to gain a larger audience. As discussed, men often look at texts such as ‘sugar rush’ in an objectifying and voyeuristic way. It is believed that in today’s society “Sex sells” and it is all over the media, “Even the Women's Institute in England resorted to selling racy nude calendars!”[16] Sex is used in advertising, film and television, directors portray women the way they do as they know that this is what a large proportion of the audience want to see. Even texts directed by women, show women in this way, as they are just as aware that sex will sell. For Example, ‘The Sun’, containing page three, offering images of topless glamour models. “From the early 1970s, both feminists and many cultural conservatives objected to the Page 3 girls, which they saw as pornographic”[17]. Yet, even though the editor of ‘The Sun’ is female, it has been left as it is.
After looking at both: representations of women and the way in which an audience may interpret a text, then applying it to ‘Sugar rush’, it can be determined as to whether the hypothesis stated is correct. ‘Sugar Rush’ is an excellent text to have analysed as it challenges what was once the typical representations of women. Now, women have been given the chance to move away from oppression, they have gained more independence and are free from what used to be expected from women.

The women in ‘Sugar Rush’ clearly show that the representation of women has progressed enormously. It shows independent women who are subverting the stereotypes of their roles, for example Kim’s mum. When comparing the characters in ‘Grease’ (1978) or the women in cleaning adverts, the way in which the women present themselves has a drastic difference to those in a contemporary text such as ‘Sugar Rush’. Whilst the majority of women in ‘Grease’ (1978) are represented as naïve bimbo’s who would sacrifice a part of them to satisfy a man’s needs, ‘Sugar Rush’ shows them take control and as like Kim (the teenage lesbian), appear strong and intellectual. However, as like the hypothesis discussed, although the representations of women in the media have obviously progressed, ‘The male gaze’ is still arguably relevant. Many of the women in ‘Sugar Rush’ wear tight, revealing clothing, or are shown to be doing things which the audience should not be watching. This because in the media sex sells, both male and female directors know that in order for the text to sell, there should be women represented in this way however it is also argued that they dress and act in this way as they have the choice and freedom to do so.

In terms of the way in which the audience interprets the text the hypothesis also appears accurate. ‘Sugar Rush’ is aimed at both males a females so there has to be something that gives this audience a reason to watch it. There are aspects within a text that different people relate to or enjoy watching. In ‘Sugar Rush’, teenage girls often have dilemmas and new experiences going on in their lives, teenagers and young women can therefore relate to similar situations and issues that characters are going through. They also take interest in the characters presented in the program and how their character progresses throughout a series. Men on the other hand, are more likely to watch ‘Sugar Rush’ in a voyeuristic manner, for example watching a sex scene with two women. Also when watching ‘Sugar Rush’ men are likely to convey to ‘Laura Mulvey’s theory’ as they are “visually stimulated creatures, they can become aroused from a glance at a static image of their preferred sexual fantasy.”[18] This is why many of the women are represented in this way, as it encourages men to look at their bodies, creating an interest for a male audience.

It is clear to see that the hypothesis stated is almost exact, being backed up throughout this discussion on the way in which women are represented in ‘Sugar Rush’ and how different audiences may have interpreted the text. “Overall we find that terms of gender roles, popular media is today relatively challenging of the traditional ideas: women are expected to be confident, sexually assertive, do what they want to do no matter what anybody says.” – David Gauntlet[19]

[1] http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/S/sugar_rush/show.html
[2] http://community.channel4.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3036019711/m/9580064326
[3] Gauntlet, David ;Media, gender and identity
[4] http://www.answers.com/topic/shake-n-vac
[5] http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a9003211/cheathouse/hollywomen.html
[6] Mulvey, Laura (1989): Visual and Other Pleasures (Theories of Representation and Difference)
[7] Kovacs, M. (1972): Women’s rights drive gets of the ground.
[8] http://www.answers.com/topic/second-wave-feminism
[9] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-wave_feminism
[10] Sardar and Van Loon, Borin and Ziauddin (2000): Introducing Media Studies, USA
[11] Channel 4, ‘Sugar Rush’ (2006): Episode 1
[12] Sardar and van loon, Ziauddin and Borin (2000): Introducing media studies
[13] Moir, Anne and Bill (1998): Why Men Don’t Iron, The Real Science of Gender Studies
[14] http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html
[15] http://www.sou.edu/English/Hedges/Sodashop/RCenter/Theory/Explaind/queer.htm
[16] http://www.fazed.com/lifestyle/sex.html
[17] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_(newspaper)
[18] http://www.fazed.com/lifestyle/sex.html
[19] http://theoryhead.com/gender/interview1.htm

ThE BlOg...?

1. How easy has it been to set up your Independent Study blog and to get used to posting things on it? Were you given enough support in doing it? What other help would have been useful?

It was easily set up and if any help was needed our teachers were there to offer their support...

2. How did the blog help with your research? Did the blog motivate you to do more and better research? How? Why?

Using a blog makes it easier to organise reserach, you can paste directly from your research source and makes it easier to refer back to...

3. Is it useful having all the Independent Study/blog tasks posted on the Macguffin blog? Does it make it more likely that you will get them done?

It helps when you miss lessons or forget to take down the homework..

4. How often (honestly!) do you check the Macguffin blog? (Remember, it should be at least twice/week).

Whenever i think that their might be homework..it depends, but usually 1-2 times a week..

5. Has it been useful being able to see and access everyone else’s research and planning through their blogs?

yea..because it helps to see what others; who are looking at similar topics have done so far and whether tehre is naything else that you need to include...

6. How do you feel about the fact that your teacher can keep a close check on your progress through accessing your blog? Is it too intrusive and controlling or is it encouraging and supportive?

Its good because the teacher can leave comments and you dont alwayz need to bring work to lessons...not so good when you havnt been keeping up to date with homework though!!

7. How useful have the comments been that you received from…a. Macguffin, b. other students.

i havnt realli recieved many overall it varies ...some are better than others...comments from macguffin are usually helpful though..

8. How has the blog helped with your essay planning? How useful was the blog when it came to writing the essay? Do you think your first draft is better because you have used a blog?

I was good for planning because you could look at how others had layed out their essay and was alwayz there to refer back to..

9. How would you evaluate the quality of your blog? What could you have done better?

i think that i could have included more by now..

10. Do you think you will get a better final grade for your independent study through having used a blog?

yea i think it helped in a lot of ways..from organisation to being given help from teachers and other students...

11. Which are the best three blogs? Why?

i havn't really seen them all but from the ones i have:

Navdeeps..alot of information on her topic and in detail.. :D

Heena..has alot of information and also pictures.. :D

There the only ones i remeber :S oopz.. i think itz because they are looking at similar topics...

12. Do you think next year’s Year 13s would benefit from setting up an Independent Study blog?

yup..

13. Are there any negative aspects to preparing for an Independent Study using a blog?

Not really...i guess technical problems with the blog can cause problems..

14. What could be done to improve teaching and/or learning in future through blogs?

ummm maybe more comments on blog entries..

15. Overall, are you pleased that we used blogs? Has it been interesting and enjoyable? Why? Why not?

yea..i like typing more than i do writing so iits more motivational and also it good being able to look at other students progress..

LoNgGgG EsSaY...xXx

“How are women represented in Sugar Rush and in what ways might the audience interpret the text?”

‘Sugar Rush’ is a contemporary teen drama series broadcasted on channel four at ten pm every Thursday. “Sugar Rush explores the world of Kim and her earth-shattering lust for the gorgeous and sassy Maria Sweet, otherwise known as Sugar”.[1] Many of the storylines are based around female characters and dilemmas that women and teenage girls may face during their lives. It is a series that parts itself from many others as it explores things such as teenager’s sexualities and moves away from typical representations often seen in contemporary television series. As many of the characters are female, the way in which they are represented stands out from all other representations in the program and gives us a chance to question whether the representations of women in the media have changed. The target audience for sugar rush is females aged fifteen to twenty-one as the series is based around the lives of teenage girls, therefore allowing this audience to relate to the characters and what is going on in there lives. The secondary audience would be a male audience of around the same age group. However as these two audiences are of different sexes they may interpret the text in completely different ways but the question is how… Both of these questions can be answered by looking at theorists such as Laura Mulvey and looking at historical texts which give us a chance to look at what has changed and what remains the same; concerning the representations of women in society.

Although the representation of women has progressed; as many typical stereotypes of women have been eliminated, women are still being objectified and many appear to live there lives for men. This therefore portrayed them to live in a patriarchal society. This then links to the way the audience interprets the text. Women watch the program to relate to similar situations they may be going through, whereas the men watch it purely to look at the female characters in an objectifying manner.

Over the last few decades the representation of women in the media has changed drastically and also the amount of women seen on-screen. Gunter (1995) stated that “from the 1950’s to 1970’s only 20 to 30 percent of characters were female, yet by the mid 80’s there were more female characters with leading roles”.[2] However, the question is how were these women represented? Many of these women were shown to be purely interested in marriage, parenthood and often tied in with domestic activities. This was because during earlier decades (post war) women were expected to look after the house and children whilst their husbands where out earning a living. They were shown to be inferior to men and it was very uncommon to see an independent, working women. The few women who appeared on television and in films had to withhold a specific appearance; they were expected to look youthful and elegant, in order to satisfy a man’s desires. These representations were shown throughout the media during this period of time. Take adverts for example; women were often shown selling household cleaning products or food. ‘Shake and Vac’ (1979) was a famous cleaning advert during the late 1970’s, “the advert featured Jenny Logan dancing around a typical British living room in high heels, shaking the powder onto the carpet and hoovering it up”[3]. This is how women were expected to present themselves to their husbands at home; therefore it was then reflected in the media. “The representation of women in film, during the fifties, was a time of change. Films began addressing more realistic desires and needs of the female populous. But it also seems that the old ways are still powerful.”[4]

In more contemporary media, the representation of women has changed in comparison to texts such as the ‘Shake and Vac’ advert. ‘Sugar rush’ challenges many of the stereotypes which were once linked with women and how they were represented. Stella, the mother of Kim, switches roles with a typical male representation, appearing confident and strong minded. Instead of taking on a housewife role, she instead, leaves this to her husband whilst she is having an affair behind his back. This shows Stella to illustrate one of the most challenging representations of women in the program; instead of portraying herself to be dominated by men, she appears superior. However, some of the women are still looked upon as objects “to-be-looked-at”[5], as they are often seen wearing revealing clothing and make-up. ‘Sugar rush’, ‘Skins’ and other contemporary teen series clearly challenge older representations of women and although some of the women conform to ‘The male gaze’, overall they appear as stronger and more dominant characters.

Feminism played a huge part in the change in representation of women in the media. It came about in three waves, the first, second and third. This women’s movement arose partly due to the women who took the places of men that went to war, wanting to continue working and making money even after the men had returned. “The first wave of feminism arose in the 19th century and followed through till the early 20th century, political rights such as giving women the right to vote was important during the period of this movement.”[6] The second wave of feminism however, focused more on gaining equality throughout society and to eliminate oppression for women, from the 1960’s to 1980’s.[7] Lastly there is the third wave of feminism which aimed to challenge common stereotypes of women and also sexualities, it often clashed with second-wave feminism as they believed that the second wave hadn’t achieved what they had claimed. All three waves of feminism play a big part in the representation of women in the media, particularly the second and third wave of feminism.

After civil rights acts were made, women were expected to be treated equally to men; they began working, being paid equal wages, and also began showing society that women could also be independent. It also meant that women could have more control over the media (on and off-screen) which gave women a chance to alter the representations of women. As these rights became more open to society not only feminists but also parts of the media wanted to challenge the pre-dated stereotypes. This gradually started being reflected in the media; on the news, television shows and in film, slowly becoming more extreme over the years. Although many may say that there are women in the media who are still being represented in a stereotypical way, overall feminism lead to female characters subverting these stereotypes. Even in a historical text such as ‘Grease’ (1978) it began showing signs of some female characters challenging these stereotypes. However when being compared to a more contemporary texts such as ‘Sex and the city’ ‘Charlie’s angels’ and of course ‘Sugar Rush’ it is clear to see how much stereotypes are being subverted in today’s media, as women are now shown as strong and independent women.

When comparing a contemporary text with historical texts (during the women movements), it is obvious as to what has changed and what still to this day, remains the same. As like ‘Sugar Rush’ (2006), ‘Grease’ (1978) focuses on the lives of teenagers and also includes a close friendship of girls. The 2 main characters in the girls group (pink ladies) are Sandy and Rizzo, who both have completely diverse images and personalities to one another. On the one hand, Rizzo portrays herself as the ‘whore’; a female character who shows her self to have independence, strength and usually sexual, however they are usually punished for their actions. As she shows these characteristics she then ends up pregnant, left in a difficult dilemma. Sandy however, is shown as the ‘Madonna’; a female character who appears naïve and innocent.

The ‘Madonna’ and the ‘Whore’ are a basic representation of women in the media. However in more contemporary media texts this representation is seen less, for example, in sugar rush none of the female characters appear to portray themselves as the ‘Madonna’, all appear as strong and independent women. It could be argued that they are still being represented as the ‘Whores’ however, as there are no female characters who play the role of the ‘Madonna’ it eliminates the representation and contexts to this theory. In ‘Grease’, Sandy is portrayed as what was at the time a typical stereotype of women in society. She appeared naïve, talking about love and romance whilst at the same time, the man she believed she was in love with was only thinking of sex. On the other hand ‘Sugar rush’, a contemporary television series portrays Kim and Sugar as more aware and although at times they think about romance, they too think about men and sex, which was less commonly seen in historical texts.

However it is obvious in both historical and contemporary texts that Laura Mulvey’s theory ’The male gaze’; which suggests women are there purely there “to-be-looked at”, is relevant. In ‘Grease’ many of the women are shown in tight clothing, low cut tops and wearing lots of make up. One of the scenes also includes sandy changing her image to tight sexy clothing, for a man. Therefore conforming to the gaze and also showing these women to live in a patriarchal society. In ’Sugar rush’ they also are shown wearing skimpy and revealing clothing, particularly Sugar, who constantly has men looking at her in an objectifying manner. Although this is a similarity between the two texts, it is shown to be seen more extreme in the contemporary text, showing women to be strong individuals but at the same time they still seem to live their lives “to-be-looked at”.

This then leads on to discuss the ways in which ‘Sugar rush’s’ audience interprets the text. The way in which women are represented in the program does in-fact, cause an effect on these interpretations. ‘Sugar rush’ targets both males and females from the age of fifteen to twenty-one, as it looks at mature issues and is shown after the water shed. Everybody has their own personal reasons as to why they choose to watch certain programs and both men and women will interpret these texts in different ways. In general an audience watches television/film to escape from reality and instead look at the lives of others. Women are likely to watch ’Sugar rush’ in order to relate to things that the characters are going through and also to become involved in the character and the way they progress throughout the program.

Men on the other hand, indulge in sugar rush as they are presented with the chance too look at beautiful women, sex and lesbian relationships. As the women in sugar rush are shown in revealing clothes on many occasions in the program, men are constantly being encouraged to look at the female characters in a sexual way. Again, this supports Laura Mulvey’s theory as she discuses the way in which, women’s purpose in the media is to be looked at by men. This therefore suggests that women feel the need to portray themselves in a certain way, in order to satisfy men’s needs. When looking at it from this perspective, it is obvious that women have become stronger, independent and now feel as though they have the right to show themselves as individuals in the media. However, it is still being constructed to satisfy men’s desires and makes them appear to have control. Men may also watch ‘Sugar rush’ as it contains various sex scene’s throughout the series and as Kim is a lesbian, shows girl on girl action. Many men find this desirable and in a lot of cases, watch programs in a voyeuristic manner. Voyeurism is a term used to describe an audience watching something; usually sexual, even though they know its invading someone’s privacy and is something they shouldn’t be watching. Voyeurism is something that Laura Mulvey also includes in her theory, she argues that it “has associations with sadism: ‘pleasure lies in ascertaining guilt - asserting control and subjecting the guilty person through punishment or forgiveness’”[8] Men may watch a program for this reason and gain erotic pleasure, then leading them to watch it again, purely for sexual needs.

These programs are structured in a way where by women and men are both being satisfied in order to gain a larger audience. As discussed, men often look at texts such as ‘sugar rush’ in an objectifying and voyeuristic way. It is believed that in today’s society “Sex sells” and it is all over the media, “Even the Women's Institute in England resorted to selling racy nude calendars!”[9] Sex is used in advertising, film and television, directors portray women the way they do as they know that this is what a large proportion of the audience wants to see. Even media texts directed by women, show women in this way, as they are also aware that sex will sell.

After looking at both; representations of women and the way in which an audience may interpret a text, then applying it to ‘Sugar rush’, it can be determined as to whether the hypothesis is correct. The hypothesis stated that “Although the representation of women has progressed; as many typical stereotypes of women have been eliminated, women are still being objectified and many appear to live there lives for men. This therefore portrayed them to live in a patriarchal society. This, then links to the way the audience interprets the text. Women watch the program to relate to similar situations they may be going through, whereas the men watch it purely to look at the female characters in an objectifying manner.”

‘Sugar Rush’ is an excellent text to have analysed as the women in the series are portrayed as independent individuals who are challenging what was once the typical representations of women. Now women have been given the chance to move away from oppression, they are able to gain more independence in life and do not have to keep up with so many expectations. The women in ‘Sugar Rush’ clearly show that the representation of women has progressed enormously. It shows independent women who are totally subverting the stereotypes of their roles, for example Kim’s mum. When comparing the characters in ‘Grease’ (1978) or the women in cleaning adverts, the way in which the women present themselves has a drastic difference to those in a contemporary text such as ‘Sugar Rush’. Whilst the majority of women in ‘Grease’ (1978) are represented as naïve bimbo’s who would sacrifice a part of them to satisfy a man’s needs, ‘Sugar Rush’ shows them take control over men and as like Kim (the teenage lesbian), appear strong and intellectual. However as like the hypothesis discussed, although the representations of women in the media has obviously progressed, ‘The male gaze’ still remains relevant. Many of the women in sugar rush wear tight revealing clothing, or are shown to be doing things which the audience should not be watching (voyeurism). However, this because in the media sex sells, both male and female directors know that in order for the text to sell, there have to be some women represented in this way.
In terms of the way in which the audience interprets the text the hypothesis also appears accurate. ‘Sugar Rush’ is aimed at both males a females so therefore there has to be something, that gives this audience a reason to watch it. There are aspects within a text that different people relate to or enjoy watching. In ‘Sugar Rush’, teenage girls often have dilemmas and new experiences going on in their lives, teenage girls and young women can therefore relate to similar situations and issues that Kim and Sugar are going through. They also take interest in the characters presented in the program and how their character progresses throughout a series. Men on the other hand, watch ‘Sugar Rush’ in a voyeuristic manner, watching the things they know they should not be watching, for example a sex scene with two women. Also when watching ‘Sugar Rush’ they are likely to convey to ‘Laura Mulvey’s theory’ as men are “visually stimulated creatures, they can become aroused from a glance at a static image of their preferred sexual fantasy.”[10] This is why many of the women represent themselves in a way which will encourage men to look at them, such as the clothes that they wear.
It is clear to see that the hypothesis stated is almost exact, being backed up throughout this discussion on the way in which women are represented in ‘Sugar Rush’ and how different audiences may have interpreted the text. “Overall we find that terms of gender roles, popular media is today relatively challenging of the traditional ideas: women are expected to be confident, sexually assertive, do what they want to do no matter what anybody says.” – David Gauntlet[11]

[1] http://www.channel4.com/life/microsites/S/sugar_rush/show.html
[2] Gauntlet, David ( ) Media, gender and identity
[3] http://www.answers.com/topic/shake-n-vac
[4] http://www.unet.univie.ac.at/~a9003211/cheathouse/hollywomen.html
[5] Mulvey, Laura (1989) Visual and Other Pleasures (Theories of Representation and Difference)
[6] http://www.answers.com/topic/second-wave-feminism
[7] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second-wave_feminism
[8] http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/gaze/gaze09.html
[9] http://www.fazed.com/lifestyle/sex.html
[10] http://www.fazed.com/lifestyle/sex.html
[11] http://theoryhead.com/gender/interview1.htm

SeLf EvAlUaTiOn...

EvAlUaTiOn..

Attainment...2...

I think I have understood all or most of the content taught so far. I aslo think that im making good prgress with my independent study..

Effort...2...

I feel i do feel as if though I put alot of effort into Media Studies and i think that i have made an improvment with my effort since last year.

Punctuality... 1...

Im never late anymore :D..

Submission & quality of homework... 2...

There have been sum H/W tasks which i have failed to hand in on time however i make sure it then completed as soon as possible to a high standard...

Ability to work independently... 1...

I feel as if though I can work independently, however sometimes do prefer working in a group as its more motivating at times.

Quality of writing... 2...

I do try and express my media knowledge it is of a high standard however there are area which could still be improved.

Organisation of media folder...2...

I would give myself a 2, as I feel ive organised my folder more seperating the work needed for my independent study and work which i need in lessons however there is still space for imrpovment.

Oral contributions in class... 2....

I think i do contribute in class, more so than i did last year however i think i could contribute more often.

InTrOdUcTiOn..

FiRsT PaRaGrApH..

"How are women represented in Sugar Rush and in what ways do the audience interpret the text?"

• Sugar rush is a contemporary teen drama series broadcasted on channel four at ten pm every Thursday. It explores the life of a lesbian teenager kim, who falls in love with her best friend sugar. Many of the storylines are based around female charcaters and dilemmas that women/teenage girls may face in their lives. It iss a series that parts itself from many others as it explores things such as teenagers sexualities and moves away from typical representaions often seen in contemporary television series. As many of the characters are female, the way in which they are represented stands out from all other representaions in the programme and gives us a chnace to question whether the representaions of women in the media have changed.
• The target audeince for sugar rush is females aged 15-21 as the series is based around the lifes of teenage girls therefore allowing this audience to relate to the charcters and what is going on in there lives.The secondary audeince would be a male audience of around the same age group. However as these two audience are of different sexes they may interpret the text in completly different ways but the qustion is how...
• Both of these questions can be answered by looking at theorists such as laura mulvey and looking at historical texts which give us a chance to look at what has chnaged and what remains the same in drama series such as Sugar Rush.
  I beleive that although the representation of women has progressd; as many typical stereotypes of women have been eliminated, women are still being objectified and many appear to live there life for men, showing them to live in a patricachal society. This then links to the way the audeince interprets the text. Women watch the programme to relate to similar situations they may be going through, whereas the men watch it purley to look at the female characters in an objectifying manor.

EsSaY PlAn..

EsSaY PlAN..
‘How are women represented in sugar rush and in what way does the audience interpret the text’

KeY WoRdS:
Male gaze
Erotic pleasure
Feminism
Role-reversal
Post-feminism
Objectification
Stereotypes
Patriarchal society
Voyeurism
Scopophilia

ThEoRiStS:
Laura Mulvey
Gauntlet

Introduction (1st paragraph):

• Sugar rush is a contemporary teen drama series broadcasted on channel four at 10:00pm every Thursday. It explores the life of a lesbian teenager who falls in love with her best friend sugar and many of the storylines are based around female charcaters. Its a series that parts itself from many others as it explores things such as teenagers sexualities and moves away from typical representaions often seen in contemporary television series. As many of the characters are female the way they are represented stands out from all other representaions and gives us a chnace to question whether the representaions of women in the media have chnaged.
• target audeince is females aged 15-21 as the series is based around the lifes of teenage girls, they would therefore be able to relate to the charcters and what is going on in there lives.The secondary audeince would be a male audience of around the same age group. However as these two audience are of different sexes and may interpret the text in completly different ways but the qustion is how...
• both these questions can be answered by looking at theorists such as laura mulvey and looking at historical texts which give us a chnace to look and what has chnaged and what remains the same.
• My hypothesis is: although the representation of women has progressd, as many typical sterotypes of women have been eliminated, women are still being objectified and many appear to live there life for men (patricachal society). Which then links to the way the audeinces interpret the text. Women watch the programme to relate to similar situations they may be going through, whereas the men watch is purley to objectify the female characters.

2nd paragraph:

• In general, how women have been represented over the years and the way in which women were once sterotyped in televison series ..
• Analyse and didcussing a hstorical text ( ) backing up how women were represented in the past and the roles that they played. For exmple the way they were shown to be under the control of a male character and that many women were shown as housewives who were there to keep everything going whilst the man was at work. Those women that didnt conform to this were often punished and were rarley seen. Also discussing how all this shows how patriachal society was in these texts.

3rd paragraph:

• Feminism...what it is and when it occured (3 waves of feminism: First-wave feminism focused on gaining the right of women's suffrage - being able to vote, Second-wave feminism: concerned with independence and greater political action to improve women's rights, Third-wave feminism: seeks to challenge and expand common definitions of gender and sexuality. lesbians)...The way that it changed society, the effect that it had on television and the way that women were represented.
• It lead to many stereotypes being eliminated giving the chance for female roles to expand and also caused alot of role reversals between men and women. It also lead to females playing more important roles in the programmes in comparison to the few roles played by women at al before feminimsm occured. (gauntlette*)

4th paragraph:

• A more datailed anaysis of historical texts and the differeneces/similarities that can be seen between Sugar Rush (a contemportary teen series) and historical texts, which should hold different representations of women.
• Did this lead to a change in the audiences and interpretations of the two texts and is it effected because of the way in which women are now represented or whether it remains the same throughout both contemporary and historical texts.

5th paragraph:

• Into more depth about the way in which Sugar Rush's audeince interprets the text. Why they watch the programme and what is it that satisfys the audience.
• men and women in general, discussing the way men watch it to objectify women getting sexual pleasure from watch two women having sex (laura mulvey*) and also to watch sugar who, through out the whole series seems to flaunt her body. Whereas women watch it to relate to the situations women get into and to follow the characters around watching relationship progress and so on.

6th paragraph(conclusion):

• "Although the representation of women has progressd, as many typical sterotypes of women have been eliminated, women are still being objectified and many appear to live there life for men (patricachal society). Which then links to the way the audeinces interpret the text. Women watch the programme to relate to similar situations they may be going through, whereas the men watch is purley to objectify the female characters." was this hypothesis correct? (does the essay suuport what I belive)
• Do we still live in a patricachal society in terms of the media and even though women have been given more roles in the media are they purley there to satisfy the male gaze?
• Sugar Rush has two main audeinces...are there interpretations different, why do these interpretations diffrenciate so much...
  

HiStOrIcAl TeXtS..

My HiStOrIcAl TeXtS..
The main historical text i will be talking about is Grease (1978 however was set in the 1950's). I feel that as like Sugar rush it looks at a group of female friends, which will make it slightly easier to diffrenciate between 2 similar texts one being contemporary and the other historical...

Another text which I could refer to is Dirty dancing (1987) which has different representations of women within the film that could be looked at and compared to those in Sugar Rush...

SuBvEtIsMeNtS..

SuBvErTiNg AdVeRtS
RePrEsEnTaTiOn Of WoMeN

AdVeRtS..rEpReSeNtAtIoN oF wOmEn!!

TrAdItIoNaL WoMeN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRlGQvOxDwI

ThE "WhOrE":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcesTs833qg

ChAlLeNgInG StErEoTyPeS - AcTiVe WoMeN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWwv_U4AX14

SeLf EvAlUaTiOn..

EvAlUaTiOn..

Attainment...2...I think I have understood all or most of the content taught so far. I think however I could read over my notes and handouts to get a better understanding of the topics dicussed.

Effort...2...I feel i do feel as if though I put alot of effort into Media Studies and i think that i have made an improvment with my effort since last year.

Punctuality... 1...I feel as though i have improved a great deal since last term as im not usually late for my lessons.

Submission & quality of homework... 2...I have failed to hand in some piecs of work this term, however make sure that it is all done even if it is late.

Ability to work independently... 1...I feel as if though I can work independently, however sometimes do prefer working in a group as its more motivating at times.

Quality of writing... 2...I do try and express my media knowledge it is of a high standard however this also could be improved.

Organisation of media folder...3...I would give myself a 3, as I still need to properly sort out some work, making sure its all in order so i can use it iin the future.

Oral contributions in class... 2....I think i do contribute in class, more so than i did last year however i think i could contribute more often.

bOoOk rEfErEnCeS

bOoK rEfErEnCeS

A2 Media Studies: The Essential Introduction" Peter Bennet, Jerry Slater and Peter Wall, 2006

Gill Branston and Roy Stafford,(2002): "The Media Student's Book" London: UK

Ross, Mandy (2002): "The changing roles of Women

Joanne Hollows, 2000 "Feminism, Femininity and Popular Culture

Philip, Rayner, Wall, Peter and Kruger, Stephen (2004): "Media Studies: The Essential Resource

Smelik, Anneke, (2001): And The Mirror Cracked, Feminist Cinema and Film Theory. Palgrave: New York

Carter, Cynthia and Branston, Gill, Allan, Stuart (1998): News, Gender and power. London. Routledge.

BloG BuDDiEz..

[G.C] [..My BlOg BuDDiEz..] [G.C]

..Priya..

I've chosen priya to be my blog buddy as i feel that our indepenent studies are similar and i would be able to gain relevent information etc from her blog. We have chosen a similar topic discussing the representation of women and we are both looking at a tv series, which revolve around women...

..Furzana..

I have also chosen furzana from the other media class as she is studying the sme text as me. Although we are looking at different aspects of the text we will most likley be looking at things which concern both of the aspects of the text...

Social Realism - the representation of characters and issues in film and television drama in such a way to raise serious underlying social and political issues.

Patriachal - male domination of politcal, cultural and socioeconomic system.

Gender - Psychological and cultural aspects of behaviour associated with masculinity and femininity, acquired through socialization, in accordance with the expectations of a particular society.

Post-femisim - part of the post modern perspective which takes the achievements of femisim for granted and views it as ineffective in explaining the current condition of women and the many identity choices they face.

Series - a television or radio narrative that presents self-contained weekly episodesm using a recurring set of characters.

Scopophilia - This is a term used by the psychologist Sigmund Freud to describe ‘the pleasure of looking’The term is used by Laura Mulvey in the development of her ‘male gaze’ theory in her essay Visual pleasure and narratives cinema.

Hypodermic Needle Theory - early attempt in the 1930's and 40's to see the effects media texts have on audiences.

Ideology - a set of attitudes, beliefs and values held in common by a group of people and culturally reproduced within that community to sustain its particular way of life.