Representation is someone’s concept of existence, codified into a series of signs and symbols. In short, it is the way directors and actors portray a certain part of society (eg: men and women). Representation is often confused with stereotyping, and while similar, representation is the way certain types of people are portrayed in media specifically, not life in general. Representation is often a political and prejudiced issue, and usually has a positive or negative connotation (is rarely unbiased).
In order to fully appreciate the part representation plays in a media text you may consider:
- Who produced it?
- Who is represented in the text?
- How are these people represented?
- Why was this representation selected?
- What frame of reference does the audience use?
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