Media Representations of Social Class

Ever wondered why certain social groups always seem portrayed the same way in films and TV? It's not an accident. Media representations of social class significantly influence how we perceive different groups in society.

Social class refers to groups sharing similar economic situations, including occupation, income, and wealth ownership. These factors greatly impact people's power, education, social status, housing, leisure activities, and consumer choices.

Your life chances (opportunities to improve quality of life) vary dramatically depending on social class. Higher social classes enjoy better housing, cars, food, holidays, income, and job security. Wealth distribution in Britain is highly unequal, with just 10% of households owning around 44% of Britain's wealth, while the poorest 50% own only about 9%.

Did you know? Nearly twice as many babies die within the first year of life in the lowest social class compared to the highest social class, showing how deeply class affects even basic survival.

Media representations often rely on stereotypes – oversimplified and often negative beliefs about groups. These make content easily understandable but can lead audiences to form unfair judgments. The media gaze (how media looks at and represents society) typically reflects the perspective of white, middle-class males who control media production, rather than showing true diversity.

Class Representations and Stereotypes

The media gaze is heavily influenced by wealthy upper-class media owners and middle-class media professionals. This creates biased portrayals where middle and upper classes receive more positive representation while the working class is underrepresented or stereotyped.

According to Owen Jones, media creates the impression that "we are all middle class now" or should aspire to middle-class values and lifestyles. This frames working-class experiences as abnormal or deviant. Weltman suggests that across media formats, the working class is consistently devalued compared to the middle class.

The working class includes two main categories:

1. Traditional (Old) Working Class:

   • Industrial/manual workers (factory workers, miners)
   • Strong community ties and solidarity
   • Close-knit families and local networks
   • Traditional gender roles
   • Stronger class identity tied to occupation

2. New Working Class:

   • Service sector, retail, and gig economy workers
   • Less community cohesion due to job instability
   • More consumer-oriented lifestyle
   • Weaker class identity
   • More diverse political views

Important to remember: Gramsci's concept of cultural hegemony suggests media representations reflect the interests of the powerful and rarely challenge class privilege, inequality or power differences.

Working Class Stereotypes and the Underclass

The media often portrays the working class through four dominant stereotypes that significantly shape public perception:

Unintelligent: Working-class individuals are frequently shown as less educated or intellectually inferior to those in other social classes, reinforcing educational stereotypes.

Lazy/Unmotivated: Media representations often suggest working-class people lack ambition or work ethic, ignoring structural barriers to advancement.

Uncultured/Crude: This stereotype implies working-class individuals lack sophistication, refinement, or good taste, presenting middle-class tastes as the cultural norm.

Dependent/Irresponsible: Working-class people are often portrayed as reliant on government assistance or making poor financial decisions, rarely acknowledging economic constraints.

At the bottom of the social hierarchy sits what some sociologists call the underclass. New Right sociologists like Murray characterize this group as having high levels of illegitimacy, "yob culture," crime, benefit fraud, educational failure, and benefit dependency. This portrayal blames crime primarily on underclass families who supposedly fail to socialize their children properly.

Critical thinking point: Consider how Owen Jones argues that negative portrayals of the poorest sections of society have expanded to include the entire working class in a process he calls the "demonization of the working class."

Shildrick's research shows that characteristics of poorer groups are typically attributed to personal failings rather than structural inequalities and social deprivation, reinforcing negative stereotypes while normalizing middle-class lifestyles.

Middle and Upper Class Representations

Media portrayals of the middle class are far more diverse and nuanced than working-class representations. The middle class appears in five distinct groups:

1. Professionals (lawyers, doctors, teachers)
2. Managers in private business and civil service
3. Self-employed small business owners
4. Financial and creative middle class (media, advertising)
5. Lower middle class "white-collar" workers

Middle-class representation dominates media content with more positive portrayals showing them as mature, sensible, educated and successful. Key features include depicting middle-class families as functioning units and presenting their lifestyle as the societal "norm."

The upper class consists of three main sub-groups that own most of society's wealth:

1. Traditional upper class - royalty and landowners
2. Owners of industry and commerce
3. Stars of entertainment and sport

Media portrayals of the upper class fall into four main categories:

The Benevolent Elite: Shown as hardworking, sophisticated, and deserving of wealth and power (e.g., Royal Family, business leaders like Richard Branson)

The Out-of-Touch Aristocracy: Portrayed as old-fashioned, clueless, socially distant (e.g., Downton Abbey characters, Made in Chelsea)

Consider this: How might these media representations influence your own perceptions of different social classes and their "deservingness" of wealth or respect?

More Upper Class Stereotypes and Ethnic Minority Representations

The upper class continues to be portrayed through two additional common stereotypes:

The Corrupt & Ruthless Elite: Depicted as unethical, power-hungry, and exploitative (e.g., characters in Succession, The Wolf of Wall Street). Neo-Marxists argue this creates an illusion of media criticism while ignoring the systemic capitalism that enables elite power.

The Glamorous & Aspirational Upper Class: Shown as icons of luxury, style, and success (e.g., Kardashians, luxury brand advertising). This promotes extreme wealth as something to desire.

Media consistently represents the upper class as powerful, well-bred, cultured and superior, often with "posh" accents. Period dramas romantically portray their luxury lifestyles. Marxists argue that such representations celebrate hierarchy and wealth, creating "false needs" that drive consumerism and support capitalism.

Ethnic minority representation in media reveals significant issues:

Ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the media industry, with most media professionals being white, middle-class males. Stuart Hall argues that media is shaped through a "white, middle-class perspective" or "white eyes."

Research by Cumberbatch (2014) found only 1 in 7 TV roles were played by ethnic minorities. While Black African Caribbeans are overrepresented in certain genres, South Asians are broadly underrepresented across media. Ethnic minorities are mostly seen in entertainment shows rather than in lead roles or as main presenters.

Think about it: How does the "ghettoization" of ethnic minority interests (relegating them to niche programs focused on stereotyping or discrimination) affect public understanding of diverse cultures?

Ethnic Minority Stereotypes and Representations

Ethnic minority representation in British media reflects persistent problems. Hargrave (2002) found Asian audiences feel misrepresented, with little recognition of their cultural or religious differences. Malik (2002) noted that Afro-Caribbeans are mainly shown in music, sport, and comedy, rather than politics or major film roles.

In advertising, Beattie (1999) discovered Black and Asian people were typically given supporting roles, rarely shown as professionals, and mostly appeared as musicians, athletes, or in "exotic" dress. ClearCast data (2010) confirmed only 5.3% of UK TV adverts featured ethnic minorities.

The most common stereotypes of ethnic minorities include:

1. Deviants and lawbreakers: Ethnic minorities, particularly Black people, are disproportionately portrayed as criminals involved in drug-dealing, terrorism, welfare fraud, mugging, or gang culture. Hargrave found Black people are twice as likely to be represented as criminals on TV.

2. Threat to British culture: Ethnic minorities are often portrayed as possessing cultures "alien" to and threatening British values (the "enemy within"). Media frequently presents immigration as threatening the British way of life or jobs, while highlighting rare events like forced marriages or honour killings that create misleading impressions.

Critical insight: Stuart Hall's Neo-Marxist analysis showed how media reporting of "Black mugging" in the 1970s fuelled a moral panic that distracted attention from wider economic and political crises of the time.

More Ethnic Stereotypes and Islamophobia

Media portrayals of ethnic minorities often include these additional harmful stereotypes:

3. Causing social problems: Ethnic minorities are frequently portrayed as illegal immigrants, disruptive students, welfare dependents, or "bogus" asylum seekers rather than as victims of social problems.

4. Limited talents and skills: Often shown in low-paid work like cleaning, as educational failures, or succeeding only in music or sport. Rarely portrayed as academic or professional successes.

5. Having problems internationally: Developing countries shown as chaotic, suffering from uncontrolled health epidemics, famine, tribal conflicts, and wars.

These stereotypes are problematic because they create and reinforce racial prejudice by blaming ethnic groups for problems they didn't create. Recently, similar negative stereotypes have been applied to people from Eastern Europe.

Islamophobia – prejudice against Muslims or Islam – has become particularly prominent in media. "Muslim" has become a stigmatised identity (a social label carrying negative connotations) leading to discrimination and exclusion.

Think critically: How might these media representations affect how you view people from different ethnic backgrounds in your daily life?

Different perspectives explain these stereotypes:

• Pluralists argue they reflect journalists' news values and audience preferences
• Neo-Marxists argue they're created through "white eyes" of the media establishment, reinforcing white cultural hegemony and diverting attention from structural inequality

Changing Ethnic Stereotypes and Gender Representation

Despite persistent problems, ethnic minority representation is evolving in positive ways:

• Growing appreciation of Black culture in music, arts and media
• Media industry commitments to recruiting more ethnic minority presenters
• Diverse media specifically targeting ethnic minority audiences
• New media technology allowing audiences to counter negative stereotyping
• More ethnic minority actors in mainstream soaps and dramas

These changes suggest growing acceptance of ethnic minorities as part of British society, though progress remains incomplete.

Gender representation in media reveals persistent patterns that shape our understanding of men and women:

1. Stereotyping of Traditional Gender Roles:

   • Men portrayed as strong, dominant, aggressive, and rational
   • Women shown as passive, emotional, nurturing, and dependent

2. Sexualization and the Male Gaze:

   • Women frequently objectified and hyper-sexualized (Laura Mulvey's "male gaze" theory)
   • Men depicted as powerful and action-driven

3. Underrepresentation and Marginalization:

   • Women underrepresented in leadership roles, politics, and expert positions
   • Men dominate in action, business, and politics

Important concept: The "male gaze" theory by Laura Mulvey explains how media is often created from a male perspective, showing women as objects for male pleasure rather than complex individuals.

Gender Stereotypes and Social Construction

Media representations continue to reinforce gender stereotypes while showing some signs of change:

4. Double Standards:

   • Women judged more on appearance and age
   • Men valued for power and intelligence rather than looks

5. Changing Representations and Feminist Influence:

   • More strong, independent female characters emerging
   • Social media and feminist movements challenging stereotypes

6. Toxic Masculinity and Changing Male Roles:

   • Traditional masculinity shown as aggressive and unemotional
   • Modern depictions including more sensitive, caring male characters

Media represents a hegemonic (dominant) masculinity and femininity with distinct characteristics:

Think about it: How might these media portrayals affect your own understanding of "appropriate" behavior for men and women?

Female Stereotypes in Media

The media consistently portrays women through several dominant stereotypes that shape public perception:

1. WAG (Wives and Girlfriends) or Femme Fatale:

   • WAGs defined by relationships with powerful men, shown as materialistic and glamorous (e.g., Victoria Beckham as "footballer's wife")
   • Femme Fatales depicted as seductive and manipulative women using beauty to control men (e.g., Catwoman, Amy Dunne in Gone Girl)

2. Sex Object:

   • Women hyper-sexualized and reduced to physical appearance for the "male gaze"
   • Common in music videos, advertising, and films (e.g., Megan Fox in Transformers)

3. The Supermum:

   • Idealized mother balancing career, home, and children effortlessly
   • Often sacrifices her own needs for others (e.g., Mrs. Incredible, Marge Simpson)

4. The Angel:

   • Pure, kind, nurturing woman supporting others
   • Self-sacrificing and lacking personal ambitions (e.g., Cinderella, Mary Poppins)

Interesting theory: Naomi Wolf's "beauty myth" suggests that society uses unrealistic beauty standards not simply to celebrate attractiveness but as a tool to control women by keeping them focused on appearance rather than power and equality.

These stereotypes don't simply reflect reality but actively shape how society views women and how women view themselves. Media representations of women are particularly concerning from a feminist perspective because they reinforce traditional gender roles that limit women's opportunities and self-perception.