Male and Female Stereotypes

Gabrielle Solis

Gabrielle Solis from Desperate Housewives follows the stereotypical female in a TV drama as firstly, it is obvious that she cares about her appearance as she wears a lot of make-up ( foundation, eye shadow, lip gloss, mascara etc.) her hair is expertly styled without a hair out of place and her clothes are mainly designer which she only wears once. The look she has in this picture seems like natural glamour, causing her to not look too over done, but at the same time emphasises her ‘natural’ beauty which causes both sexes to want to look at her: women as they want to be her and me as they see her as attractive. She also lives in a nice house in a nice neighbourhood where she spends the day with her socialising with her friends, while her husband goes to work, causing her to fit the female stereotype as she’s a mother and a housewife who doesn’t do anything while her husband is away, thus also causing her to look like a bimbo (another stereotypical view) as she would rather sit at home looking after her children and generally doing nothing, than actually go out to work. Another point that stresses the fact that she’s a ‘bimbo’ is that she usually doesn’t know how things in life work and sometimes insults people without thinking through what she’s saying. Even throughout the series we learn that she was raped as a child, causing her to appear weak and vulnerable, yet she also uses her appearance to her advantage as she seduced a fashion photographer and became a successful model. The camera angle used for this photo is a mid shot where it appears the she has her hands on her hip which emphasises her curves and her sexual appeal; the camera angle is slightly higher than her giving the impression that she’s slightly vulnerable, but her natural glamour hides this fact slightly.




Rory Gilmore
Rory Gilmore from Gilmore Girls challenges the female stereotypical image in a TV drama as firstly both her and her mother are the main roles in the TV drama, which is extremely rare in TV dramas as when traditionally it’s the males who have the main starring role. Also, if you look at her clothing, you notice that it’s smart but not overly fashionable, which is a typical stereotype, and is smart as she’s wearing a blazer/jacket and a blouse, yet it’s not too masculine, so the outfit is challenging the stereotype, but not completely. She also comes from a sleepy village in Connecticut and lives with her single-mother, where she spends most of her time studying as she wants to go to an Ivy League college, instead of lounging around town doing nothing and acting like a bimbo, causing her to be self-driven. Additionally, you can tell that she’s also naturally pretty like Gabrielle Solis, yet she doesn’t use it to her advantage, and as she’s pretty you would expect her to have a continuous string of boyfriends which follows the stereotype, but she doesn’t; she has one continuous boyfriend for two years and another later for three years at college, showing maturity as well as the fact that she’s independent as doesn’t need to rely on men to look after her and certainly doesn’t expect to be a housewife waiting on her husband on children as in one of the episodes she explained that she found it unfair and wrong. She’s also not afraid to voice her opinions on subjects that she’s passionate about, causing her to be empowering and mentally strong. The camera angle used for this shot is a mid shot and level with her, which causes her to be metaphorically on the same level as the viewer or audience and connotes the idea that she’s level with the ‘male gaze’, and not being portrayed under it with a high-angle shot which would cause her to look vulnerable and inferior, which is another female stereotype. She’s also looking down slightly, thus connoting the idea that the males who would look at her because she is attractive are inferior to her and less powerful.

James Cook

Cook from skins follows the stereotypical male in TV dramas as firstly he’s quite strong as he’s always getting into fights thus supporting the idea that males are mainly physically aggressive and think with their fists, which connotes the idea that he’s also quite powerful as he once beat someone up so badly that they had to go to hospital and he was charged with GBH. He’s also known to have a continuous string of girls, which supports the stereotype that he’s physically attractive as well as the fact that it implies that he’s quite womanizing and as he never has a steady girlfriend it also implies that he’s independent and doesn’t need anyone to rely on; this is also supported by the fact that he’s estranged from both his parents and doesn’t live with either of them. Additionally, he likes to have a pint down the pub with his friends – the pint is a typical stereotypical object associated with male characters. Even though his clothes might not be the most corporate or neatest of clothes, they are typical of men of that age, especially thuggish males who live on council estates, who expect power and respect, so by wearing this jacket he’s expecting this too; additionally the colour red connotes danger, suggesting danger and a ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude.  The camera angle appears to be a high-angle shot, which I wouldn’t expect for a stereotypical male image. Instead, I would shave expected a low angle shot, which would have made him look more powerful, however his pose seems animated and powerful as he’s holding his fist out and his face is slightly scrunched, suggesting that someone might have just said something slightly offending and he’s trying to emphasise his power and suggest that he’s dangerous.

Ben Mitchell

 Ben Mitchell from Eastenders challenges the male stereotype as firstly he wears glasses, which challenges the idea that men are physically strong and also suggests that he’s not physically attractive, which is supported by his weedy appearance. He’s also not that  independent as he constantly wants his fathers approval and will do anything to make him happy – a characteristic which is common in female roles, not male. Also, in the past, his storylines, such as being abused by his father’s girlfirend Stella, caused him to look vulneable and in need of protection from her,  has an interest in tap-dancing and is bullied by girls, which goes against the male norms, however he does react physically sometimes. Although he lives in the rough East End of London, you would expect him to be rouger and more of a typical stereotype, yet most of the time he’s sweet natured – that’s not to say that he isn’t violent thought, as he has in the past been violent towards famil members and hut some one so badly that he had fractured their skull, which resulted in him going to prison, where he was bullied once again, emphasising the fact that he isn’t physically strong and this a stereotypical male. The picture uses a high angle shot, which suggests that the character is vulnerable and also causes Ben to look inferior.

Rory Williams

I think Rory Williams from Doctor Who is most like me, despite the fact that he's a boy and I'm a girl, because firstly he's always one step behind The Doctor and Amy when they're trying to figure out what's happening and he doesn't get what's happening as much as they do, and sometimes when people are talking or going through a thought process that they're saying out loud I don't catch on until later. He also follows orders from respectable figures, or those he regards as higher up than him, causing him to not think a lot for himself, which I tend to do as I'm keen to follow what others are doing or telling me to do, causing me to be like Rory as we're both eager to please and eager to please in this sense. Unfortunately, Rory also needs to be rescued a lot, this connoting the idea that he needs to be looked after, which I see in myself. However, there are some honourable points in Rory, such as the fact that he brings comic value to the trio as he always has these silly one liners that cause the audience and sometimes both The Doctor and Amy to laugh at him, which I do a lot (all be it purposefully or not) and he's quite clever as he's a nurse so he as medical training and, due to being a nurse, the job suggests that he's quite caring and loving, which I like to think I am. As well as this, being a nurse isn't a typical job for a man so it suggests that Rory is quite unique in a way, however, because it's a strange profession for a man Rory has to sometimes prove himself because of it and show that he can be quite clever and as useful as an actual doctor, which I share as well.