Case Study: Representing the World

As I learned today in class, representation is considered the constructed and mediated presentation of people, things, ideas, or places...how the real world is showcased in the media. It is significant since it can shape the way an audience views certain characters and even ourselves. In fact, by establishing an accurate portrayal of society, representation has the potential to influence social norms and allow all voices to be equally represented in the media. Yet, the following three pieces of media types are considered inaccurate representations of individuals of specific religions, age ranges, and gender, known as stereotypes.

Regarding movies, television shows, magazines, video games, and other forms of media, I picked three examples that I thought contained the most visible representation.

1. Example 1 (Movie Still)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

Essentially, in every fantasy fiction film, goblins are depicted as greedy and vengeful creatures; however, in J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter film and novel series, goblins are rather depicted as hook-nosed bankers. In fact, these characters appear somewhat similar to the Jewish caricatures that used to be present in antisemitic propaganda, proving that this can be considered an unfair representation. In other words, these representations are undoubtedly inaccurate, especially since this depiction is rather exaggerated and portrayed negatively to establish character. Plus, Jews' physical appearance has been a significant lasting element of the Jewish stereotype, meaning as it has passed down over centuries, more individuals associate it as part of the Jews' identity. When in reality, however, it should not be assumed that someone of a certain religion looks remarkably different than the rest of society, hence why this portrayal is relatively based on a myth.

I think this representation is created by various people with the same motive: to negatively misrepresent this character in a certain way (in this case, to look like a stereotypical Jew). More specifically, I believe that the author of the Harry Potter book series, J.K. Rowling, originated this representation first as she was the one who created the storyline and character originally. Yet, I believe that later on, the producer and other members of the television crew further mediated this representation. As a matter of fact, the makeup artist directly impacted the goblin's physical appearance or the extent to which the character is being stereotyped. For instance, if they made the nose less prominent by reducing the amount of makeup or prosthetics used, the representation's intended meaning would not be as strong and deliberately harmful.

Personally, this character is not necessarily someone like me and portrays myself only to a low extent. Particularly, while I am Jewish, I do not look physically similar to the character in this film. After all, as expressed previously, this representation is not fully accurate, hence why I—along with others of this religion—may not be able to relate to the stereotype. Lastly, it should be noted that this negative depiction of goblins is not how goblins are classically represented in folklore. Normally represented as monstrous characters fighting in battles, J.K. Rowling's twist of representing goblins as bankers is definitely distinct!

2. Example 2 (Television show Still)

High School Musical 2 (2007)

Intended to represent teen girls, the most common teen movie stereotype is the "mean girl," the character that is often crazily look-obsessed and has an intense desire to be popular at school. One of the many films that acknowledge this stereotype is High School Musical 2, where jealous antagonist Sharpay Evans is portrayed as the mean girl. Given the main lead in almost all musical productions at her high school and feeling intimidated when another new student, Gabriella, auditions too, one could definitely argue that she is a diva. To make matters even worse, Sharpay went to extreme lengths to maintain her spotlight, whether it was manipulating Gabriella or ruining her relationships and interests. Then being communicated to the viewers, this creates a representation that teen girls are spoiled brats that—as shown in the still—often dress femininely. Though, while this characterization may be accurate to some extent, it can't be denied that while watching this film, teenage girls may be pressured to conform to these stereotypical gender roles. In other words, since not everyone in this age and gender group are self-centered drama queens, wear over-the-top outfits, have the "proper" figure, or are wealthy with countless material items, it can be concluded that this representation does not positively nor accurately present teenage girls.

I think this representation is created by the filmmakers and crew members—the individuals that attempt to "replicate" the real world with the help of lighting, editing, camera work, and mise-en-scène. Although they often try to help the audience relate to the content in their own lives and experiences, the previous factors can make the representation more noticeable...or in this case, more stereotypical. In fact, mise-en-scène (such as costumes, makeup, and color) as well as camera work can highlight Sharpay's expression and actions, establishing her mean-girl personality.

Lastly, despite being a teenage girl close in age to Sharpay, this representation does not portray a character much similar to me since I certainly have a different personality and clothing style that does not align with this gender stereotype. I do not relate to the factors commonly present in teen movies, such as getting involved in drama, being controlling to others, or constantly obsessing over one's appearance.

3. Example 3 (Video Game)

Super Mario Brothers Deluxe (2019)

As one of the best-selling video games of all time, Super Mario Brothers involves players directing Mario across levels of different obstacles to save Princess Peach. Most importantly, it should be emphasized that this video game contains protagonists of both genders. Yet, the portrayal of these two characters can be seen as somewhat underrepresented as they follow common gender roles. More specifically, present in the video game cover, the female protagonist Princess Peach clearly has more of a stereotypical female physique with her small nose and lush lips. Most obvious, however, is that she is dressed dominantly in pink, a color often associated with females. On the other hand, the male protagonist Mario has more of a "boyish" physique and is dressed in a blue and red outfit, has facial hair, and has a big nose. This gender stereotype can lead some to believe that this video game does not fairly/accurately represent both sexes. In particular, this video game can be considered as gendered; the male character is portrayed as brave since it saves the female character, who is rather portrayed as cute and even helpless. Not only that, the overly used theme that a male hero rescues a female victim, the "damsel in distress," is represented in not only this video game but also several other types of media. However, this representation is not accurate by any means since it is heavily influenced by common stereotypes in society.

Whether it was intentional or not, I think this representation was created by its designers—the individuals that invented the storyline. However, these individuals may have unconsciously made this representation inaccurate and may have simply just wanted to create two contrasting characters. I also think that the stereotypes in this video game could have been intentionally included, especially as they most likely originated from socialization and upbringing.

Lastly, this representation is not someone like me since I do not dress similarly or act like any of the characters, whether it's Mario or Princess Peach. This can further support the idea that this representation is inaccurate; if this representation was more accurate, a larger percentage of players—one being me—would be able to relate to either one of these characters. Yet, this video game has characters that are more exaggerated in terms of their looks, further contributing to the representation's inaccuracy.