Representation Analysis

WHAT IS REPRESENTATION?

Representation in regards to media is the way in which the media presents and deals with gender, age, ethnicity, national and/or regional identity, and social issues to an audience.

WHY IS REPRESENTATION IMPORTANT?

Representation is important because it reflects all of the members of a population, not just a specific section or group of people in a population. When people view films in which the main characters appear more like them, it is easier to relate to those characters. Minorities have a more difficult time with this process since most main characters are played by members of the majority. Often times, when characters are played by minorities, the characters often conform to stereotypes about a certain group of people; for example, the sassy black sidekick or the rude female boss. This can be dangerous because it causes minority viewers to believe that this is all that is expected from them by members of society. Representation in regards to social events is also very important because it can bring awareness to a certain situation that not many people know or are educated about. 

AXE COMMERCIAL

The Axe Body Spray commercial shows a very obvious lack of representation. A majority of the women portrayed in the commercial are white, blonde women. All of the women in the commercial are wearing bikinis and have an ideal body type. The one man in the commercial is a white man. This lack of representation is dangerous because it reinforces the idea that in order to be considered pretty, you must be skinny and have a perfect body.

H&M COMMERCIAL

The H&M commercial is very inclusive and has an excellent use of representation. First of all, much of the cast consists of people of different genders and represents people of many different races and cultures. The commercial challenges traditional stereotypes by having members of the cast wear items that go against traditional stereotypes, such as men wearing skirts and women wearing suits. The presence of diversity in this commercial generates the idea for those who watch it that they do not have to conform to societal standards and do not have to look like the majority.