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.