Task Four

http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/MM30_real_women.html

Goody and Boyle: A tale of two (real) women.

“The Susan Boyle story symbolises the start of ‘new media’s’ power in disseminating information and allowing audiences to be part of the construction of a story; at the same time it highlights the rise in influence of new technologies such as YouTube and Twitter.”

“Within days, Boyle’s’ performance was the ‘most watched’ video on YouTube and the singer had achieved international fame by the end of the week”

“her next appearance on Britain’s Got Talent was eagerly anticipated; the impact of the sudden fame on a ‘simple woman from Scotland’ was discussed and her physical appearance and its changes became a story in itself”

“Now the hype has died down it’s worth considering what the story was really about. ‘Woman can sing’ is hardly news even if ‘contestant in TV talent show can sing’ is slightly more unexpected. Boyle appeared to be newsworthy in the first instance, not because she could sing but because of the way she looked”

“Susan Boyle surprised people because she does not meet audience expectations: she is a middle-aged, plump woman who has talent.”

“The most common positive representations of women, in today’s media are as being thin, young and attractive. Despite the recent ‘Size 0’ debates, the idealised physical image of women is still very narrow and often a woman’s accomplishments are secondary to her physical appearance. Myleene Klass for example is a classically trained pianist. This fact has been played on in recent Pantene ads but the main point of the campaign has been that Myleene has great hair.”

“What is clearly visible in people’s faces is mockery and disdain because Boyle did not present the image expected of women singers. She was immediately judged on her appearance and seen to be ‘other’, an outsider in a culture that favours physical perfection, grooming and youth”

http://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/mm/subscribers/downloads/archive_mm/_mmagpast/mm26_stars.html

Star Struck

“Stars have a persona; a recognizable image constructed through their physical appearance, on-screen roles, and media coverage of their off-screen life.”

“To be a star is to represent glamour and an aspiration to succeed.”

http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-representation-stereotyping/

Representations

“Representations change over time depending on society’s view of a social group, and are influenced by cultural and legislative changes and, arguably, by media texts. Social groups that are now represented in a progressively more positive way include working women, homosexuals, ethnic minorities, the disabled and the homeless.”

“Many people think that if you point a camera at an event or person the ‘reality’ of that event or person will be immediately apparent. Seeing something through a lens changes not just the perspective and size of a person but also how the audience perceives that person.”

http://media.edusites.co.uk/index.php/article/understanding-reality-tv/

Understanding Reality

Programmes created to entertain a large audience involving putting real people in manufactured situations and filming what happens. The entertainment values are increased with a competitive element and audience involvement using interactive voting to eliminate contestants. Examples include: Strictly Come Dancing, The X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, The Apprentice.

Reality TV has become an important part of celebrity culture as it creates and maintains ‘celebs’ such as Jade Goody, and reinvigorates faded personalities in reality shows such as I’m a Celebrity Get Me out of Here.