Representation in media texts are often simplistic and reinforce dominant ideologies so that audiences make sense of them

Evaluate the ways that you have used and/or challenged simplistic representations in one of the media products that you have produced. The statement above suggests that the representations within media products are generally simplistic and conventional to genre-specific ideologies and conventions in order to help audiences understand them; I would agree with this, as many representations within media products are stereotypical and simplistic ideas, as these are easy for the audience to digest and relate to. Within my AS product I created a pop genre music magazine, whilst producing my magazine; I had to make careful considerations about the sorts of representations that my magazine would encompass. The cover artist that I chose to use within all three elements of my magazine (cover, contents and double page spread) was carefully considered regarding representations as she would not only represent other pop-genre artists and the sorts of people associated with my product, but also be represented by my media product as a successful cover-worthy artist and a role model for my readers. To create representational elements within my product that would reflect these areas, whilst also being simplistic and relatable to the audience, I chose to focus on the genre-specific conventional elements when presenting my artist. The artists hair and make-up was bold and created a statement, this has connotations of confidence and strength which helped to reinforce the idea of her being a role model to my audience. My artists costuming was made up of bright, bold, fashionable and on-trend clothing; this also created a statement that connotes strength and confidence, which also adds to her credibility as an artist, the use of on-trend clothing also conforms to pop genre conventions and appeals to the existing target audience. Having a strong image for my artist makes her believable, but also helps the audience to make links between her and existing pop artists through clothing, appearance and style, which adds to her credibility as a successful artist and creates a representation of all pop genre artists within my media product. Within my double page spread, I use both the mise-en-scene of my artist photographs and words on the page to create representations through anchorage and connotations; for example, I used the phrase Britains Next Superstar within the title, this suggests through connotation that the artist is extremely successful. The use of the adjective super in the phrase connotes power and strength, which help to reinforce the ideological representation of my artist as a strong independent woman. The way in which I have presented my artist on the cover would appeal to my audience as it presents her as a generic pop genre artist; however, there are elements of representation here that I have challenged, for example Laura Mulveys theory of the male gaze. The male gaze suggests that women are presented in a way that appeals to men because the male view is dominant, and that women are therefore often sexualised within the media; however, as my product is aimed at a female market, I decided to present my artist within a role model light as opposed to a sexualised way. Janice Winship suggested that the gaze between a cover model and women readers marks the complicity between women seeing themselves in the image masculine culture has defined, this is something that I intended to challenge by representing my artist as a strong female role model for my readers, someone with power and determination that the audience can aspire to. This also challenges the statement above as this idea does not reinforce dominant ideologies and is not a simplistic representation, however, I believe that the way in which I presented my artist both on the cover and within the double page spread was effective at portraying my representation in a simplistic way. By basing my representations of my artist around this idea of empowerment to women, some may argue that this helps to reinforce a sense of hyperreality within my media product by appealing to the female audiences want for female empowerment. Hyperreality is postmodern idea that is unconventional to pop, however, it has also been included within my magazines portrayal of my artist, especially within the double page spread interview with the artist; in the

interview the artist describes her dreams coming true, this is something that many of my readers would most likely not be able to directly relate to, therefore making it a hyperreal idea in my audiences eyes. Within my media product I have made many stereotypical representations, for example, the assumption that all members of a pop-genre audience will enjoy and relate to fashion elements within the media product, as my product appeals to the audiences appreciation for fashion and being on-trend within all elements of popular culture. I have also presented my artist in a stereotypical light by creating a genre-conforming perfect example of a popstar. Overall, I would agree with the statement above, as simplistic representations that reinforce dominant ideologies are often easy to portray and successful as generic representations that conform to genre-specific conventions. However, I believe that stereotypical views are not always necessarily the best option for representation, as there is room within the media industry to challenge this statement, and representation theories to create a new and interesting take on representation within media products.