Representation of Britain in the media today

Britain is represented in a number of different ways in the media, mostly in a negative light. We are often perceived as being obsessed with tea and having bad teeth by other countries, but our stereotypes in Britain are much different.

The first media text I will be analysing is Shaun of the Dead, the story of two friends living together trying to survive the sudden outbreak of zombies. There are a variety of stereotypes presented throughout this film. The main archetype we see is the typical buffoon character. Ed is living with Shaun and his brother, currently unemployed and obsessed with video games, he’s presented as a slob and doesn’t like responsibilities. The plot is about Shaun and Ed trying to get to the Winchester pub, along the way they overcome obstacles and we get to see some typical stereotypes. The typical uptight flatmates are stubborn and hard headed, as at first they refuse to go with Shaun. His mum is emphasises the stereotype of a nation of tea drinkers as she always wants to put the kettle on. The film represents the people of Britain as being not too bright and making jokes of serious situations.

The second media text is the character Lara Croft, who is in both the video game and the films. Lara represents the traditional English woman, she’s elegant and graceful, she has the qualities a stereotypical woman should possess and her house is grand with a butler. We see a view of the countryside and acres of land. Lara also attended a boarding school, adding to the tradition. Her accent is very well spoken and posh, a trait most countries associate with Britain. However, the majority of our nation does not speak like this, showing how differently we view Britain to outsiders.

The last media text i will be analysing is the Hovis advert. This represents Britain as being traditionalists, as a nation they have the ability to get through difficult and challenging times. Throughout the advert we follow a small boy travelling through different eras of historic events to bring home bred to his mum. The message is simple; good tradition never dies, no matter what is happening round it. One of the ideologies in this advert shows family and friends are most important. The Coronation street party shows togetherness, they celebrate with their neighbours, friends and family. This advert suggests our nation believe in hope, we see this in the Blitz, when we hear Churchill’s iconic speech in a time of sorrow. The two most prominent theories are the Mediation theory and The Contructionist approach theory. The encoders have chosen which parts of history to include and what order they put them in, this decision was important as if they chose differently, the whole message could have bee changed.