Case Study: Representing the World

In class we are going over the study of media representations. What I have learned so far is that representation is a process where the media presents how the ‘real’ world is, usually made with stereotypes. It is a constructed and mediated presentation of characters, people, things, ideas and many more. Representations are used to show the message and make sure that the audience gets what you are appealing to.

Here are my 3 examples/pieces of media that relate to me:

1. Instant Family (movie)

In this movie I relate to the girl, the oldest child, Lizzy. Since she is the oldest and for a long time she herself and her siblings were without parents, she's the one who had to take care and support her siblings. I relate to that in the way that I am the oldest child in the family and always care and help my little brother. I have that responsibility that is an important part of my life. This representation is present in that movie and relates to Lizzy. It is very accurate and shows how hard it is to find a compromise with your loved ones. The creator of this representation is probably a person who had experience being responsible for children or somehow was related to communication with young generations. The creator has close and similar ideas about struggles and successes in taking care of others, understanding them and comfort them. This representation however might have a slight stereotype, since it is common where the oldest are in charge of the youngest, but I feel like the author represented this situation in a very truthful way.

2. Mean girls (show)

Mean Girls is a show about teenage girls and their high school life. Even though I did not watch that show, I know its concept and relate to it as I am a high schooler myself. Girls that engage in relational aggression, a form of anti-social behavior, are sometimes referred to as "mean girls." Gossip, verbal insults directed at other people, bullying, backstabbing, and taking advantage of others are all examples of mean girl conduct. This is a representation of a popular high school girl life. The creator of this representation could be any person who attended a high school, because there is always going to be that one group. However, I feel like the creator of this representation was a lady who related to these high school times and its popularity. Creator might closely be connected/linked to fame in high school or affected by gossip and other troubles. These representations do show and send the message of the rough high school life. However, I do not relate to the creator of the representation in this situation.

3. 16 Wishes (movie)

16 Wishes is a movie about a girl, Abby, who cannot wait to get older and wants all her wishes to come true. I relate to her character in this way, because when you are still learning and being dependent on your parents you just want to live freely and individually. The main character is a representation of teenegager’s common problems, where they want a new and better life. On her 16th birthday, she's amazed when her wishes start to come true, however it ends up horribly. The message at the end was that the life you want is the life you live right now and you should not complicate it with unreal wishes. A young lady who got over her struggles during teens is creating this type of representation, where now she knows what she wants and is a successful person. I might relate to the person who creates a representation in the future, since ‘self-respect, good friends, and supportive family’ (which are the message of the representation) come as you get older and gain more experience in life.