Representation Analysis

Think of your favorite movie or tv show. In the research that I have done, I most likely can conclude that a main character or person heavily involved is a white male or female. Representation is the way media chooses to represent reality or aspects of our reality through people (race and ethnicity), communities, gender, sexuality, and events.

If we look at the advertisemnt for Tide, a mom is speaking to the viewers while her young daughter is concentrated on playing with blocks in front of her. We find out that the daughter loves wearing her cargo shorts and camo clothing, differentiating from her mother who is very feminine in her clothing and decor around the house. The use of the color pink emphasizes this concept. One day the daughters shorts were dirty giving hope to the mother as the daughter has to wear different clothing. Thanks to tide though, the stain was removed letting the daughter go back to cargo shorts and camo clothing, a more masculine outfit. The representation presented in this commericial is about women and how sterotypes have separated women from any masculine activities or clothing. This however has changed as more women are beginning to step up and be more involved in sports, jobs, and clothing of any kind. 

A better look at representation among all races, ethnicities, genders, and body sizes is in the advertisement for H&M. The ad contains a diverse portrayal of models that vary in size, age, gender, sexuality, religion,race,and ethnicity. Along with this, there were different body sizes, and people with under arm hair, beards, and head hair in different styles. This representation is very important because it truly shows how different people can be and are and how we can all come together in peace. Especially in media, which is viewed everyday, representation is crucial so that every race, gender, ethnicity, and person feels respected and valued. Audience reactions are the ticket to how every movie and tv show is made, if the audience likes it then there will be more of it. When underrated groups are represented in big name companies, the audience reactions seem to improve and more people are able to relate to this. This is why represenation for underclasses is appreciated as its increasing into the media.