The Far Right in the 80's

The National Front is a British far right political party for whites only, the party is opposed to no-white immigration. The NF was founded in 1967, however has never won a seat in parliament. The party rapidly declined during the 1980's, although it retained some support in the west Midlands and in parts of London. The party effectively split into two halves during the 1980s, after it had expelled Martin Webster. On one side were the Political Soldier ideas of young radicals such as Nick Griffin, Patrick Harrington, Phil Andrews and Derek Holland , who were known as the Official National Front. They had little interest in contesting elections, preferring a 'revolutionary' strategy. The National Front have gone on to influence political parties such as UK Independence Party (UKIP). UKIP have issues such as : they are against same sex marriage, immigration. National Front has also influenced the British National Party, and have many of the same issues and opinions. 

Representations of Women in Women’s Magazines - By Viwe Ndzamela

"Women’s magazines form part of popular culture, which is not only concerned with the production process but also takes into consideration the needs of the readers. The aim of this research is to analyse the representations of women in selected women’s magazines. In particular, this research focuses on the social construction and cultural representation of women in terms of whether they are represented as glamorous sex objects or independent women who are in control of their sexuality."

This quote tells us how magazines construct a stereotype that women feel that they need to live up to.

"There are structures that are concerned with producing representations of women from primary school reading schemes to Hollywood films, from advertising to opera, from game shows to art galleries, women are depicted in ways that define what it means to be a woman in this society, what women are like (naturally), what they ought to be like, what they are capable of, what roles they play in society and how they differ from men."

How women are defined, showing women what they 'should' be.


 
"Because stereotypes have their basis in the material conditions and social practices of society, they
serve to naturalise the power relationships in society, they have a hegemonic function, hence women are often stereotyped as subservient to men (Lacey 1998:139). This implies that women may be represented in a way that suits the views of those who are involved in the production process as well as the owners in the manner that they think will be profitable for them." 

Tells us that women are often stereotyped to please other people in society.

"Tuchman states that according “…to media researchers, the media do not represent women who are viable role models, and therefore the media’s irrational role models when internalised, prevent and impede female accomplishments” (1979:11). As a result of this the media also encourage readers to define women in terms of the way men perceive them (as sex objects) or in the context of the family (as wives and mothers)."

The magazine picks who to make into a role model therefore picking who women should look up to as they are the perfect image.

“Women are generally not in positions of control and perhaps as a result are less likely than men to be prominently featured in media products”

Women are not in control, very traditional outlook.

"This seems to say that women have one thing in common, a concern about how they look, how they can please men and how they can look after their families in an even better way."

Women have been programed to all have the same interest.

Research: Gender and The media by Rosalind Gill

Gender and the media by Rosalind Gill

"Relationship between representations and 'reality', and differen understanding of how images relate to individuals' sense of identity and subjectivity."

This suggests that the magazines are completly unaware of how what they write in their magazines are effecting the readers.

"she cares to much about shoes, she is always confined to the domestic sphere, she is always worrying about her looks, or she just wants to find a man and settle down."

These are the stereotypes that the media has built.

"The mother-daughter difficulties of a previous generation's rejection of the housewife" (Brunsdon 2000)

The traditional image of women has been removed, therefore adding more pressure on women to become something more.

Research: Nick Lacey - Image and Representation

 
"the traditional image of the 'wife-mother-housewife' is now being replaced by images of sexually assertive, confident and ambitious women who express their 'freedom' through consumption."

This quote suggets that the image of women has now been changed however women are now being pressured with a new traditional image, instead of women being housewives they are now sexually assertive women.

"The exemplary female prototype in advertising, regardless or product or service, displays youth (no lines or wrinkles), good looks, sexual seductiveness, and perfection (no scars, blemishes, or even pores).” (Cortese, Provocateur, 1999)

The 'perfect' image of woman is described.

"She loves make-up and beauty products and will splash out on designer items, but when it comes to shopping for her wardrobe he's a shrewd bargain-hunter and is most likely to be found elbowing he way to the front of the queue in primark for the latest cat walk copy"

The lengths that women will go to to mantain the ideology of the 'perfect image'.

"In order to appeal to both its target audience and advertisers, must have a distinct idea of what it means to be female in her early twenties. This means that ' magazines inevitably draw up the boundaries of a fixed gender identity, which is turn is assumed to be the natural sign of an original sexual demarcation as female"

In order to attract an audience and appeal to them, the magazine industry create the image of what it means to be a female in her early twenties. Therefore after they have created a image they can then reflect all of their own ideologies onto the audience through this 'perfect' image that they have created.

Research: Media, Gender and Identity By David Gaunlett

Media, Gender and Identity By David Gauntlett

"As time goes by we start to think that since magazines for women and those for men celebrate super-attractive people, both women and ment, it probably doesnt matter about sexism terms. At the same time we might be annoyed that the same ideas of beauty regurgutated over and over again."

This quote from Media, gender and identity agrees with the ideology that young people today who read both male and female magazines are greeted by the same stereotypical image of what the 'perfect' person is in terms of there image.

"Women in Great Britain spent more time on shopping and other domestic work in 2005 than on paid work."

This quote supports the idea that women are continued to be pressured by the media to with hold a lifestyle that fits into the ideologies of society.

"Magazines, bought on one level for a quick fix glossy entertainment, promote self confidence (even though they partly undermine it, for some readers, at the same time) an provide information about sex, relationships and lifestyles which can be put to a variety of uses."

This quote supports the ideologies of most magazines in the 21st century, this is because the quote states the many different ways in which magazines pressure women to lead a certain lifestyle where things such as sex and relationship are the priority.

"magazines for young women are emphatic in their determination that women must do their own thing, be themselves, and/or be as outrageously sassy and sexy as possible."
This quote supports the idea that women are expected to be themselves however still meet the expectations of society and the media which are impossible to mantain.

"the traditional view of a women as a housewife or low status worker has been kicked out of the picture, by the feisty, successful girl power icons."

This quote suggetss that the traditional expectations of women have been removed and now women are under pressure to essentially make something of their lives for example unlike women in 1950's.

"young women and men will grow up to be the narrow minded traditionalists of the future"

This suggests that there are thoughts that if the media today forces the ideologies such as 'thinner is better' then this will become the ideas of the future and there will be no change.

"Contemporary masculinity is often said to be 'in crisis'; as women become increasingly assertive and successful, apparently triumphing in all roles, men are said to be anxious and confused about what their role is today."

There is pressure today from the media such as magazines to mantain the image that has been created by the media.

Representation of Gender in Women's Magazines

Representation of Gender in Women's Magazines

• Women and Representation By Jane Gaines
• Media, Gender and Identity By David Gauntlett

Genre Essay: Iron Man 3.

Film Genre

The film 'Iron Man Three' is stereotypical of the fantasy adventure/superhero genre. 'Iron Man Three' follows the main character Tony Stark when his world becomes torn apart by a formidable terrorist called The Mandarin, he therefore starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

By using mise-en-scene we can see that the film is stereotypical of the superhero genre as the location, visual imagery, lighting, costume, props, colours and everything that is seen on the screen is typical. We can also label 'Iron Man Three' as a stereotypical example of the genre by using binary opposition. The trailer begins with a long shot of the sun rising, and helicopters flying in, this presents the idea that this is the day that the action begins and you immediately know the genre of film you are watching. Also the setting of the film is stereotypical of the genre as it is set in a modern day city, this adds a sense of realism to the film for the audience. The image is then changed to the lead character Tony Stark walking as his voice over is playing, this is then clear that this character will be the superhero of the film as this is the first character to be shown. It is also shown that Tony Stark is living two lives, we see this by him firstly introducing himself as Tony Stark and not 'Iron Man', this is a stereotypical battle between the main characters identity that is shown in many films of this genre. There are many things to associate with the superhero genre, for example in every film of this genre there is a leading love interest for the main character, this is shown in the trailer by Tony saying in the voice over "I don't need stuff, I've got a great girl" . There is also advanced technology in the trailer that support the idea of fantasy and professionalism which are all key aspects of a superhero film. There is always a villain who tries and fails to take power. A sidekick who will always be at the superhero's demand, and will stand by them throughout it all, this character also creates humour in the movie between themselves and the main character.

Within the trailer there are problems that arise and have the audience anticipating the end result. In the first 20 seconds of the trailer we are presented with a personal problem that Iron Man is having "so why can't I sleep?" and straight away we question what has happen that has caused this for our superhero. Then we are faced with another problem, The Mandarin. To chose a villain that relates to relevant topics within society is typical of this genre. By using a terrorist, The Mandarin, as the overall villain of the film the audience immediately go against him, this is because in society we have become paranoid over terrorism due to the 9/11 after effect.We are first shown The Mandarin as a back shot and are being left to question his identity. Then by creating a montage of The Mandarin features preparing for war and the US Government identifying the problems that have been caused, we as an audience know that Iron Man will be the only person to save the country from a terrorist attack and therefore we want him to be successful.

The fast pace music mixed with the fast montage of action from the film is typical of this genre as it gives the audience a taster of the rush of action that will take place. The actor starring as the iconic character 'Iron Man' is Robert Downing Jr, who represent success, deserved respect and determination that the character has been presented as. Throughout the trailer there are many binary oppositions stereotypical of this genre that occur, for example the battle for Tony Stark of wanting normality and being destined to do the unthinkable. There is the typical hero vs villain, war vs peace and right vs wrong. The most important opposition in my opinion is love vs duty, this is shown through the debate between living a normal life with the girl he loves or fighting a ongoing battle for his county. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - how it influenced my views.

The film ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ is an example of a piece of text that has changed my views of the opinions of society and it has also changed the way I see other people. Many people will class ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ as a ‘coming of age’ film that only appeals to young people who are lost and need to be reminded that they are not the only ones that are going through what they are although they may feel like this.

When I first watched ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ I didn't fully understand the true meaning of the film. I watched an immediately associated myself with one of the characters on the screen without giving it much thought similar to every other teenager who viewed each character. I knew straight away that the film would include the classic struggles that every teenager goes through; however I underestimated the main story of the character Charlie. The characters of Charlie is a young boy who often has confusion, pain, stress and fright that in the film we find out comes from a repressed memory. The characters story is not one that gets revealed at the beginning of the film but after the audience has gathered an emotional connection to this particular character. The core part of Charlie’s story is that he was sexually abused by a female relative. In the film after gaining a connection to the character the reveal of the abuse shocks the audience as they never thought it would happen, the film and the character make you relate therefore you feel the pain and confusion that Charlie feels.

After watching ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ I have not only strongly developed my opinions on sexual abused and how wrong it is but also how unaware many people are that men can be sexually abused by women, it doesn't always have to be the opposite way round. I am also much more aware that everybody has a past and everybody has a story.

Peaky Blinders by Lauren Cusack

The UK TV series Peaky Blinders is a short six episode historic crime drama created and written by Steven Knight. The series is set in Birmingham just after World War 1, and tells the real story of the historic gangster family Peaky Blinders gang. The show is broadcasted on BBC Two at 9:00pm and began on September 12^th 2013, I found out about this drama through reading an article on The Daily Mail website. I became very interested in the series because I enjoy watching real life events if it is documentary or a drama. The purpose of the series is to inform the audience of the events that involved the gang in Birmingham and to show the audience the dangerous events that happened after the gang came to the attention of Chief Inspector Chester Campbell who is sent over from Belfast to Birmingham to clean up the city and remove the gangs. In my opinion I think that Peaky Blinders is aimed at ‘The Succeeder’ because as the series is on at the same time every Thursday night at 9:00pm this fits the terms needed to please ‘The Succeeder’ as they are very organised and therefore know when the show will be broadcasted ‘Their core need in life is for control’. Although the producers of media often view audiences as a mass rather than an individual, we can create an individual profile of the perfect target audience:

·         Gender- Male

·         Age group- 28

·         Family- lives with partner

·         Class- middle class

·         Nation- British

·         Ethnicity- White British

·         Education- completed degree

·         Religion- atheist

·         Politics- Labour

My reaction to the text was very positive as I knew what to expect and enjoyed what I viewed very much. However some people may react differently to the series, firstly they may react to the violence and excitement of the events of the Peaky Blinders, and secondly they may be interested in the history of the story.

Lauren Cusack Film review: The Mortal Instruments

Based on the best selling book series written by Cassandra Clare, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is directed by Harald Zwart. The film tells the story of a young girls life and how a secret kept for over a decade changes her completely. Actress Lily Collins stars as Clary, the young girl who's Mothers past becomes her present adventure.
           A fiction adventure filled with vampires, werewolves, demons, fairies, warlocks and the common teenage romance is what you would expect when you first hear about this film, and yes it is all that and so much more. As a viewer of the overrated teenage saga Twlight I can honestly tell you that The Mortal Intruments is a new modern twist on the classic vampire/werewolf films. Set in 21st century New York City, The Mortal Instruments creates a mysterious magical world amongst that of the everyday 'Mundane' ('someone of the human world'). The film follows Clary, her best friend Simon (Robert Sheehan) and their Shadowhunter companions Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower), Alec and his sister Isabelle on their journey to retrieve the missing Mortal Cup.
           The most important thing for me as a reader of the books is that for the film to follow the original storyline and I can say that the film did achieve this until nearing the end were the biggest secret is revealed that isn't told until the third book, which is disappointing however the acting and cinematography did make up for this aspect. I was incredibly impressed by the way the fictional world was cleverly fitted into the famous New York skyline which created a sense of realism for the film and its audience.
          Overall I would recommend going to see this film if you have been a fan of the book series or just interested in the fictional missions of the shadowhunters you will not regret it. 

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