A Student's Report on Stereotypes

Original Document written by SATOKO

This report would like to focus on analyzing stereotypes in media and how it has changed throughout the years. There are many media messages from the United States that can be used to analyze racial and gender stereotypes. Stereotype is a label which involves a process of racial categorization and evaluation. It is often used to describe particular groups, and is one of the easiest ways to describe their characteristics, usually using negative images. We would like to examine how media creates stereotypes of African Americans and women in popular culture, and if those stereotypes have changed throughout the years.

Racial Stereotypes

First, we are going to examine how stereotypes of African Americans have changed since the 1970s. We would like to compare two movies; Platoon(1986), an Oliver Stone film which won the Academy Award, and 24, one of the most popular American TV programs. Secondly, we are going to examine the stereotypes of women, by comparing a classic American movie, The Seven Year Itch, and a recent television drama series, Sex and the City.

In the 1970s, African Americans seemed to be described as barbaric and illiterate in films. These impressions made the audience think of African Americans as helpless people. It was not until the 1970s that films began to cast African Americans in main roles which captured a different view of African American culture(O'Sullivan et al.2003). However, the emphasis was now on violence, sex and lack of education. In one of the scenes in Platoon, it shows an African American soldier in Vietnam is depicted as illiterate, for he is not able to write a letter to his girlfriend, who is also illiterate. The main white character shows pity on them. From this point, the audience is forced to believe that most African Americans are deprived of the opportunity to receive education, and this builds a sense of pity toward them. Needless to say, such an act of feeling pity tends to become an act of undermining people. Through this film, we can see how the audience could be persuaded to think of African Americans as subordinates. In another scene, the main character witnesses an African American trying to rape a Vietnamese girl, and tries to stop him. This narrative seems to draw images of whites having a higher moral value than African Americans.

Let us look at the statistics taken in the 1970s. The number of African Americans who received higher education was low. A survey conducted in Chicago showed more than 50 percent of African Americans not being able to go to school. In addition the number of African American criminals are shown to be quite high at this time. However, we need to note that by the 1960s, Daniel James, became the first African American colonel in the U.S. military as well.

In the 21st century, African Americans started to be depicted as equally intelligent as the white European Americans. We would like to use 24, a popular TV drama series in the U.S. as an example. In this film, Dennis Haysbert plays the role of a heroic U.S president , David Palmer. As the first African American president in the U.S., he rescues the nation from a nuclear attack. As his counter role, a white American actor plays the role of the villain who supports the terrorists. This gives the audience a positive image of African Americans. This positive impression is reinforced by the fact that there is no other African American character except David Palmer. The main character and all the other important characters are white. Interestingly enough, the only African American is the hero. On the other hand, the Arabs tend to be described as enemies of the United States. This character representation is probably due to the change in stereotypes since the 9/11.

When we compare films in the 1970s to the more recent television series, we can say that stereotypes have changed. The negative stereotypes of African Americans as barbaric and uneducated made not only those in America, but people all over the world comfortable even though these were no longer applicable to them. Although more recent television programs depict African Americans as equal to white European Americans, can we really say people no longer have images of African Americans as violent and illiterate?

Gender Stereotypes

Next, we would like to examine stereotypes of women in films. In the 1950s, women were depicted as subordinates to men. These are some classic examples of preferred feminine features; blondeness, seductive, frequent use of body language, heavy make-up, innocence or naivety, childlike voice and wit, illogical thinking(O'Sullivan et al.2003). If we look for these features in the movie Seven Year Itch(1955), Marilyn Monroe, the main character, is described as a seductive, ridiculous sexy blonde woman. She was the typical sex symbol. In the year 1955, just after World War II, many people believed that women should stay at home, take care of their children, and be obedient to their husbands. At that time, women who obeyed men were valued.

In the 21st century, women have begun to be described as more active and independent, such as in the TV drama series, Sex and the City, where we see many types female characters. Women in this drama are single, and earn enough money to live single lives. They are depicted as active and beautiful, but they feel lonely and flirt with guys to fulfill their loneliness. There are lots of sex issues in this drama. This series became popular among women who live in New York. According to one survey, Sex and the City was popular because it described a single womans life in New York realistically. The target audiences for this drama were working women in NY. It was believed that the audience could easily identify with the characters and their lifestyles. Or at least, that is what the media industry assumes.

We can assume that the media encoders assumed that their female audience appreciated the male gaze as did the character in The Seven Year Itch. Likewise, in Sex and the City, women are portrayed as strong and independent but still yearning for that male gaze. Do stereotypes ever change in the media?