Ethnicity Representation

THE ONLY WAY IS ESSEX
Negative representation.

https://www.itv.com/itvplayer/the-only-way-is-essex/series-12/episode-1

Textual Analysis:

In this t.v series a mixed group of males and females are documented throughout their everyday life and it is presented in a series with a number of individual stories going on within the programme. However it is showing a negative representation of Essex as there is a continuous theme of: fake tans, fake eyelashes, perfect eyebrows, loud, argumentative people which have a tendency to cheat on their partner. Evidently this is only based on a small number of people living in Essex and therefore does not show a true proportion of the people living there but due to this series Essex now has a phrase attached to them as the majority of the words mentioned above. 

During the day the women always have their hair and make-up done and are often seen wearing heels shopping or meeting up with friends and in just general day to day life. This is not what a lot of people wear for general shopping or meeting up with friends however there are exceptions which would wear heels and make more of an effort to look nice. In the first few scenes of TOWIE Billie, sister of Samantha Faires is at her baby scan with Sam and Greg (fiancé) and even during her pregnancy she is wearing heels which goes against a lot of mums-to-be as heels affect your posture, which puts more pressure on the back knees and ankles as well as carrying a baby. On the contrary to this it is the first pregnancy to take place in the show as most people have never had a stable, long lasting relationship. Billie however has not always been in the big dramas and has been in previous series more of a minor character because of this. This could explain that taking a step back from the drama and cheating works better for relationships. 

The male characters in TOWIE are also seen to have perfectly shaped eyebrows, a good dress sense but very much seen as a 'lad'. This term stands for a stereotypical interpretation of a lad who has interests in girls, sex, money, the gym and being 'alpha male'.

During nights out most of the men wear suits and shirts, often with a tie. In previous series the women have looked very made-up with heavy fake tan and make-up, short dresses and huge heels. However, during the last few episodes in series 11 and the new series, they seem to have worn and looked more glamorous... this could be because of the rival tv show - Made In Chelsea, which has got a reputation of being posh, rich and bitchy. By having an opposing show also makes TOWIE look a lot less classy as they loud and very strong accent is not to everyones taste however in MIC their accent is much more toned down and less obvious. 

In both tv series there is a huge element of nastiness behind their friends backs and also a lot of cheating goes on. Whether these parts of the shows have been constructed for entertainment or not it sets out a negative representation of that particular ethnicity and region, which some people may not want to be associated with. 

In this article it is showing a positive and negative representation on age. The reason for this is because of the words used in the headline 'A true professional', by using the word professional it adds class and authority to the subject, which in this case is Ferne Mcann from the TV series TOWIE. Evidently this is showing a positive representation of Ferne and her age because as it states in the first few introductory lines, she is 23 years old. To be classed as a professional at the age of 23 is very rare as it is often associated with people who have been is a certain profession for a number of years and worked their way up through different stages.

Stereotypically at the age of 23, many girls want to look a certain way and be recognised for it and therefore Ferne is representing an image a whole generation wants to look like and in that aspect and to younger women, this article would appeal to them because they are interested in her and how she has changed her body and therefore engage with personal identity - being able to relate to her story and emphasise with how and why she has done what she has done. Body image and looks play a huge part in society and either in for the male gaze or personal identity and therefore any article to do with body images and weight will have strong opposing opinions.

On the other hand, it is showing a negative representation of age and gender because she is being objectified by wearing underwear, which also creates a sexualised image and the words in the headline 'killer tan' and 'sexy' contribute to the objectification of the subject.

As a whole, the article is showing Ferne in a positive light and giving her recognition for her work and success and therefore giving the audience (16-25 year olds) an enforced feeling about the story because the way they have described her is highlighting good points and not criticising her.

In this article it is a negative representation of a 60 year old woman and a mother. Stereotypically mothers are seen as nurturing and caring whereas in this case, the the mother or hr mentally ill child has turned against her own family and not only murdered him but dissected his body and thrown him away. This story is the complete opposite of what we would assume a 60 year old mother would be like and therefore it is showing a negative representation of older ages. From the story we are informed that her son was mentally ill and therefore assumptions from this is that dealing with his illness may have pushed her too far however there is no excuse for what she did. Also you could make a judgement and think that maybe if her son was ill, that she might have a slight mental illness as well.

The pictures in the article have all been put in to create an emotion and feeling about Donna Scrivo and this is done by putting in continuous images of her looking slightly scary. In the images of her in a yellow uniform, she appears to look very tired and the wrinkles on her face and faded roots suggest that she has not looked after her well and the look about her, to me, looks slightly scary and like a killer.

However, contradicting to the images and immediate information, later on in the article it provides quotes from family friends and neighbours an=bout how positive they believed Donna and her sons relationship was and how they don't understand why or how she did it.