MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA

Misrepresentation and Representation in the Media

Brandon Cisneros

CM-384-01
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 2

Within the film industry there is a large majority of misrepresentation amongst male,

female, people of color, and LGBTQ+ narratives. These narratives are created from social

constructs within our society today. In many of these films men play the leading character

while women are either co-characters or background characters. When you take a look at the

film industry it is dominantly a white demographic compared to other demographics. Why is

this? There are six transnational media companies that produce media for profit through

commercials, infomercials, and other advertisements. Politics is in everything nowadays, so

when we take a look at the political economy institutional analysis we see that wealthy,

white, old, straight heterosexual males own and produce this type of media in order to reach

the targeted audience. This audience being middle class, white, heterosexual males between

the ages eighteen through forty. By the hegemonic elite targeting this audience, it tends to

keep gender roles in place by creating a narrative that males are hardworking, tough, strong,

and providers, while females are put in non equal jobs, in the home taking care of children,

and needing to be taken care of. In this paper I will discuss the importance of representation

by analyzing ​Jane the Virgin​,​ Color Adjustment,​ and ​The Help​, while connecting them to a

larger dominating power, the hegemonic elite.

Since the beginning of class we have been discussing how the higher power known as

the hegemonic elite, which is where peoples ideas, views, and order dominate others. In fact

the term hegemony in Greek was originally defined as “the leadership or predominant

authority of one state of a confederacy or union over the others: originally used in reference

to the states of ancient Greece (Campbell et al., 2014, p. 81). The definition that we use today
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 3

for hegemony is defined as “the predominance or elite classes and the acceptance of the

dominant values in the culture by those who are subordinate and less influential than those

who hold economic, cultural, and political power (Campbell et al., 2014, p. 81). Typically

within the hegemonic elite it contains mostly older, white, wealthy, and straight heterosexual

men who owns and controls the media. Here they encourage the production of media that

targets the middle class heterosexual white men around the ages of eighteen to forty. For a

majority of the time, especially during the beginning and even now, various forms of media

such as paper, film, and radio, portray the ideas of ‘The American Dream’ and ‘how life

should be’ by making the media to be ‘black and white’ when unfortunately it was not. Many

of these media, if not all, build up various societal structures. The TV show “Black Mirror

Episode: Nosedive” is a great example of a societal structure. Here people are rating each

other when they interact with one another. This shows a society where depending on the

rating determines your social class. People with lower ratings tend to have a significantly less

advantage in the show's society. By having a low rating score some are not able to have a

decent home, a decent way of transportation, and even lose their jobs. Having a lower rating

does not mean that the interaction with people was bad or negative, but the society within the

show shows us that people who have a better score look down on those with lower scores.

We can relate to this in today’s society in the United States. Here people are of different

social classes. Some of us have a better education, income, job, and are more popular and

some unfortunately do not have that lifestyle or opportunity.

MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 4

The people who do not have the capability to have the upper class lifestyle or

opportunities are typically minorities. This includes people of color, women, and people with

any sexuality other than straight. When it comes to these minority groups there are a lot of

misconceptions about them. This misconception acts as a barrier to further expand

communities and minorities' knowledge to allow one to grasp a better understanding and

change his or her perception of them. We can see the ignorance in the film media. The

misrepresentation of these minorities is astronomical. Majority of films show White men as

the main characters and portrayed as ‘good.’ While women, people of color, and non

heterosexuals are background characters or little to no importance or they are sexualized.

One example of how films show misrepresentation is in the film ​Color Adjustment​ where the

focus was on the sit-com ​The Beulah Show,​ which was one of the first TV shows to star an

African American actress in the 1950s. Here the producer portrayed the housekeeper Beulah,

as a happy soul who loved and cared for a White family. As if anyone is that happy?

Hollywood rudely misrepresented African Americans in this show. One interviewees who

was being interviewed for ​Color Adjustment​ stated, “I have known housekeepers and how

those housekeepers had to explain to their children that they did not want the same for them.

She described it beautifully as nobility (Newsreel, 2016). Here the interviewee was telling

the interviewer that being a housekeeper was anything, but cheerful. This was not a job that

they wanted for their children, so why air it? Some people say that the reason the show was

so popular was because Beulah was a housekeeper that “everyone wanted” (Newsreel, 2016).

During this time there was a lot going on from the approval of the hydrogen bomb to the civil
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 5

rights movement in 1954-1968. Connecting the topic of housekeepers we can connect the

film ​The Help​. Here two African American women and one White woman are the main

characters in this film. In this film it is a different narrative. Yes there is some negativity

towards women and people of color, but the overall message of the film is truly remarkable.

When this young White writer's name, Eugenia or nicknamed Skeeter, Phelan decides to

write a book about not only the main housekeepers, but all the house keepers that worked in

White families homes (Taylor, 2011). In the film it was against the law and they had to keep

the meetings private, while also changing the names of the housekeepers. One of the most

powerful quotes from this film that stood out to me was when the interviewee Aibileen

Clark, one of the housekeepers asked the white writer ‘Skeeter’ “What if you don't like what

I have to say… about White people?” and Skeeter replies “this aint about me..it don’t matter

how I feel” (Taylor, 2011). To show not only a White person, but a White female with the

power to tell the narrative of housekeepers in the 1960s says a lot about the writer's character

and usage of White privilege to break these societal barriers that women of color continue to

have to overcome.

Another film that I found quite interesting to analyze is ​Jane the Virgin.​ Similar to

The Help​, this TV shows a significant amount of representation. Some representation

including people of color, women, LGBTQ+, and reversed gender roles. This show focuses

on Latin-American culture revolving around Latin television genre Telenovelas. Starting

with representation of women and people of color, most of ​Jane the Virgin​ shows Latin

characters and makes them the main character of the TV show (Urman, 2015). " The
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 6

Villanueva women in particular represent a segment of the society in the United States that

has not been reflected very often,” said Andrea Navedo (Urman, 2015). I agree with this

statement that Navedo made because it proves worthy of taking a look at. If you have noticed

in any film regarding a Latina or Latino person they are either background characters and or

overly sexualized. In ABC’s ​Modern Family​, Sofía Vergara portrays Gloria, “a feisty Latina

housewife married to an older, affluent White man. Her over-the-top reactions and

preoccupation with frivolous issues define her personality. She often wears form-fitting

clothing that draws attention to her breasts and curvy body. Like many Latina television

characters before her, Gloria is clearly stereotyped as a melodramatic and sexualized”

(McLaughlin et al., 2018, p. 4). Just like the previous citation above these Latina women are

accompanied by a White man, but why is this? Can the Latina character not be independent

or strong without the presence of a man? Our society today is continue to ‘lecture’ the

viewers that the characters are irrelevent and only there for sex appeal or in modern terms

‘eye candy.’ If we go back to our chart we made in class we see again that the intended

audience is not for minorities, but for the middle class White heterosexual males between the

ages of eighteen to forty. The film industry is tactically ‘programing and attacking’ these

White heterosexual males by using sexual desires and fantasy. Some may say that the

statement I just made may seem far fetched, but in reality it is not. At these ages young white

heterosexual men are becoming a ‘man,’ and what does becoming a ‘man’ mean according to

locker room talk? It means having intercorse with a woman and demonstrating toxic

masculinity at a young age. I remember hearing this talk in the locker rooms during physical
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 7

education. Before I had not thought much of it, but now reflecting on those statements I

regret not saying something. Another thing society and the media teaches you, to silence

your own voice. For Latin Americans and people of color this is their life. This is what they

grew up having to deal with. Do the hegemonic elite not care? No, they do not. Their only

concern is how much profit can they make by producing a specific niche content for a

specific audience.

Jane the Virgin​ does the opposite. This show breaks these barriers by representing

Latinas with any issue that anyone could have in life. Having the show feature three female

characters is a huge turning point along with their films such as ​The Help​. “"In TV you rarely

see three female Latina's being in charge of their lives," stated Iyonne Coll (Urman, 2015).

The importance of these female characters of color stand against the ‘outdated’ narrative that

shined light on White privilege. These three women represent independence, where they do

not need a man to take charge or protect them, but they do it themselves. Yes of course they

end up having a husband that does not take away the fact that they are any less independent.

In fact is only at the end of the show where they all three tie the knot and end up with a male

figure in their lives (Urman, 2015). During the beginning of the show you see the blood,

sweat, and tears from these characters showing the development of each without the need of

a man. Strength, courage, independent, protector(s) show the gender flip of male and female

characters. Males in the show are semi main characters with significant roles in the show.

Adding to the flip of gender roles and gender representation the male characters are shown to

be more vulnerable, supporting, caretakers, and peace makers. The importance of this is
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 8

critical when making this show because it is not about them. It is about the three main

women in control of their lives. It was very interesting seeing how the show played out

because of this alteration from the ‘normal’ narrative.

When representing people affiliated with LGBTQ+ it is a huge deal, sometimes even

life saving. We are starting to see a lot more representation around this community as it

becomes more ‘modernized.’ “Examining media frames becomes even more vital when we

consider that they do not only impact journalists, but on audiences as well” (Santos, 2016,

p.8). This quote comes from the section in the article about representation of sexual diversity

in the public sphere in Portugal. The article discusses the background of Portugal regarding

the long rein dictatorship that brutally harassed and torchered people who identified as LGBT

(Santos, 2016, p.9). In the 1930s homoerotic behavior was criminalized after the passing of a

dating law in 1912 (Santos, 2016, p.2). “This law was not a mere symbolic reminder of the

dominant moral paradigm – it was applied on many occasions, including police raids and

forced labour camps” (Santos, 2016, p.2). This tactic was used in order to maintain control

and to shun people for expressing one's true self. It further discusses how the media frames

situations regarding LGBTQ+ in the 1980s to early 2000s. It discusses how the media did not

fully cover the LGBT march, but rather make “sound bites, with images of semi-naked

bodies and drag queens, throughout the news programme in order to keep the viewers

interested, when in fact there would not be more than two to three minutes report shown at

the end of the news programme” (Santos, 2016, p.9). This in itself shows that even though

the country was liberated and no longer under dictator ruling, the media chose not to give
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 9

much notice to the community. The media also rejected “versions of the story which are told

by non-mainstream sources” (Santos, 2016, p.9). This shows that the media did not care. The

hierarchy after the dictatorship remained within the media when it came to news coverage

and inclusion.

Societal constructs like the dating law in Portugal played a significance in the future.

“Between 2005 and 2006 there was a surge in high-profile homophobic and transphobic

violence in Portugal, including death threats and the beating of gays in public toilets in the

northern rural city of Viseu and the murder of the transgender woman Gisberta” (Santos,

2016, p.7). It was until the people not only people a part of the LGBTQ+ community, but

people from other organizations such as anti-racism and political parties (Santos, 2016, p.9).

This movement was called ‘Stop Homophobia’ which forced these political figures to “be

more forward about their views on homophobia” (Santos, 2016, p.7). Something that was

rather interesting was how the media covered this event. It received a lot more screen time in

the media, which benefited the community overall. With the event being the “first event to

use the word ‘homophobia' it paved a way for the inclusion of the word within society and

also “demand public acknowledgement of the International Day Against Homophobia”

(Santos, 2016, p.7).

Jane the Virgin​ shows representation of the LGBTQ+ community towards the end of

the film when one of the sub main characters, Petra Solano, questions her own sexuality and

decides to further explore her curiosity. I thought that it was rather interesting choosing a

White female to play a role for the LGBTQ+ community because in a way it shows that
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 10

minorities are not the only ones in the LGBTQ+ community, there are also White people. For

the character being a woman it is also rather interesting. Looking into the article

Victimization over the Life Span,​ It discusses the vicitims of sexual violence by compareing

heterosexual and homosexuals. In this study I found that “more than twice as many lesbian

and bisexual women (15.5% and 16.9%, respec-tively) reported an experience of rape in

adulthood than hetero-sexual women (7.5%)” (Balsam et al., 2005, p. 484. In another study

in​ Persecution Experiences and Mental Health of LGBT Asylum Seekers​, the study showed

that ‘the most common trauma experience was sexual violence” when a survey was

constructed with sixty-one clients from a “torture survivors program in New York City who

reported persecution due to LGBT identity” (Hopkinson et al. 2017). This I found rather

interesting because maybe what the show was trying to represent is women in relationships

with women and how there is different stigmas that heterosexual normatives have around

women who identify as LGBTQ+. Adding to the importance of the reason why​ Jane the

Virgin​ made Petra Solano a White character apart of the LGBTQ+ could be because the

percentage of women in the United States that have experienced some form of sexual

violence. “According to the National Institute of Justice, 17.6% of U.S. women have

experienced completed or attempted rape”(Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). In this show there has

been a significant amount of sexual activity amongst all the characters, but when it comes to

Petra Solano it is a bit more than the others. There have been times within the show that

Solano unintentionally had been in a life threatening and violent situation, reason for my

assumption of this.
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 11

Within these three films and several sources it shows how crucial representation is to

our society, not only individuals who are affected by the heteronormative hierarchy, but as a

community. We as people in a society often find ourselves in areas that we identify in by

how the media represents these groups (Campbell et al., 2014, p. 221). In ​Frozen in Time,​

another article that I found interesting discusses how Native Americans are rarely portrayed

in the media. Not seeing themselves represented in contemporary media puts them at a

disadvantage of them trying to fit in with the domains of society (Leavitt et al., 2015). The

only time they are represented is in historical events and western films (Leavitt et al., 2015).

When someone is placed in a situation where they are outcast by society it is hard to try to fit

in. With the Native Americans having no representation in corporate media it becomes

haunting. Imagine living in a world where you are trying to merge in with corporate society

with little to no representation in the media. This affects minorities though their education,

careers, social life, and identity of self (Leavitt et al., 2015). “The media uses language,

visuals, codes, and conventions to tell us stories about who we are and how we are supposed

to behave and not to behave” (Campbell et al., 2014, p. 221). At times it is hard for one to

stand out and use their voice or any form of media to reach out and call out corporate media

and the hegemonic elite because the hegemonic elite own corporate media whose voices

dominate anyone other than the elite (Campbell et al., 2014, p. 221). We find that in

corporate media there is an abundance of identity stereotypes that they use to label various

groups. Because of this they give little thought to who these people really are and choose to

ignore and make them feel invisible (Campbell et al., 2014, p. 228). We are not defined by
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 12

the narratives of corporate media. We are defined by our own ideas, opinions, and identity.

The hegemonic elite continue to create a divide amongst the people because in reality the

power lies with the people. The people are the majority. Countless voices are hushed, people

of color are neglected, people of different sexual orientations are ‘invisible’ every day

because we live in a society in which we are continuously fed information accurate and

inaccurate, opinions, beliefs, theories, and many more because the hegemonic elite know that

we are the majority. We have the power to enact change. That is why they continue to create

a divide, feed the flame of hate that rolls off their tongues, and create these societal

constructs to maintain and control power.

MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 13

Bibliography

Balsam, K. F., Rothblum, E. D., & Beauchaine, T. P. (2005). Victimization Over the Life

Span: A Comparison of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Siblings. ​Journal

of Consulting and Clinical Psychology​, ​73​(3), 477–487.

https://gold.worcester.edu:2191/10.1037/0022-006X.73.3.477

Campbell, R., Fabos, B., Frechette, J., Gomery, D., & Jensen, J. (2014). ​Media in

society.​ Boston: Bedford/St. Martins.

Hopkinson, R. A., Keatley, E., Glaeser, E., Erickson-Schroth, L., Fattal, O., & Nicholson

Sullivan, M. (2017). ​Persecution experiences and mental health of LGBT asylum

seekers​. United States: Routledge. doi:10.1080/00918369.2016.1253392

Leavitt, P. A., Covarrubias, R., Perez, Y. A., & Fryberg, S. A. (2015). “Frozen in Time”: The

Impact of Native American Media Representations on Identity and

Self-Understanding. ​Journal of Social Issues,​ ​71​(1), 39–53.

​https://gold.worcester.edu:2191/10.1111/josi.12095

McLaughlin, B., Rodriguez, N. S., Dunn, J. A., & Martinez, J. (2018). Stereotyped

Identification: How Identifying with Fictional Latina Characters Increases

Acceptance and Stereotyping. ​Mass Communication & Society,​ ​21(​ 5), 585–605.

https://gold.worcester.edu:2191/10.1080/15205436.2018.1457699

Newsreel, C. (2016, July 6). Retrieved March 20, 2020, from ​https://vimeo.com/

ondemand/coloradjustment
MISREPRESENTATION AND REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA Cisneros 14

Santos, A. C. (2016). “In the old days, there were no gays” - democracy, social change and

media representation of sexual diversity. ​International Journal of Iberian Studies,​

​29​(2), 157–172. ​https://gold.worcester.edu:2191/10.1386/ijis.29.2.157_1

Taylor, T. (Director). (2011). ​The Help​ [Video file]. Retrieved May 08, 2020, from

​https://www.amazon.com/Help-Emma-Stone/dp/B006G2124E/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1

Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2000). Consequences of violence against women: Research

report. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice and the Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention.

Urman, J. (Director). (2015, October 12). ​Jane the Virgin​ [Video file]. Retrieved May 03,

2020, from https://www.netflix.com/title/80027158