Representation is used within all media, sometimes even subconsciously. For example, Within the book The Matter of Images, Richard Dyer tells us that “how we are seen, determines in part how we are treated; how we treat others is based on how we see them; such seeing comes from representation” (Dyer p.1). This is one of the main reasons why representation plays such a huge part in media, and why it has caused so many controversies, particularly within the film industry. As representation determines how we are seen by others, this can lead to huge negative impacts on the way people are treated, all because they were misrepresented. Richard Dyer supports this by later saying, “A negative designation of a group has negative consequences for the lives of members of that grouping” (Dyer p.3).
Where the problems lie with representation, is representation is never reality, or necessarily even realistic. When discussing the idea of ‘realistic’ in soap opera’s, Charlotte Brunsdon, Professor of Film and Television and author of Screen Tastes, suggests that the representation of the real world is controversial in itself. She states that “arguing for more realistic images is always an argument for the representation of ‘your’ version of reality” (Brunsdon p.28). Different people have their own idea of what reality is and therefore have different ideas for how groups should be represented. ‘Real world’ representations are often extremely important to those groups, who aren’t as in the norm as others, such as the LGBT community. Prior to 1968, representation of sexual diversity was not actually permitted in theatre due to the Lord Chamberlain’s Office and the Hayes Code. It wasn’t until the Stonewall Riots of 1969 that the LGBT community became emancipated. This also shows representation to be largely political.
Social minorities are often represented as ‘others’. “Stereotypes do not only, in concert with social types, map out the boundaries of acceptable and legitimate behaviour, they also insist on boundaries exactly at those points where in reality there are none” (Dyer p.16). Labelling an individual or group as someone that challenges society’s norms and expectations, is often what leads to their stigmatization. Acts such as this may generate certain expectations surrounding the deviance of particular groups. Some examples of these stereotypical traits in modern society are black men being perceived to be childish or seen as sexually aggressive. Or gay men being effeminate or promiscuous. These traits can have serious effects on people and can lead to in some cases people feeling ashamed. “A community offers a ‘vocabulary of values’ through which individuals construct their understanding of the social world and their sense of identity and belonging”. (Weeks, p.79)
Self-identity is a combatant to these stereotypes, and are also a key area of representation. We all integrate our own identity into our productions whether it be consciously or subconsciously. With the move to a post-traditional culture, individuals see their self-identity to be a reflexive project. “Self-identity, then, is not a set of traits or observable characteristics. It is a person’s own reflexive understanding of their biography. Self-identity has continuity—that is, it cannot easily be completely changed at will—but that continuity is only a product of the person’s reflexive beliefs about their own biography” (Giddens p.53). This is the idea that instead of passively accepting who we are, we actively construct and monitor our selves. Building and re-building our narratives throughout life. These narratives are something that we consciously construct and deconstruct in accordance to our situations and environments. This then means that our identities are more so like projects. We are able to either choose to conform to ideas, or even challenge those ideas. Erving Goffman suggests that we present select identities at certain times. His idea of the ‘Front stage’ and Back Stage’ performances (front stage being our constructed identity in a professional or organised environment. Back stage being the more personal identity behind the scenes, and out of the gaze of one’s peers etc) drawn from research into our social media presences further supports the idea that we construct identities to show to society. Therefore, if people within society are constructing their own identities and choosing what is and isn’t shown with regards to themselves and the groups that they belong to, it could be argued that media companies are unable to correctly give a 100% accurate representation of members within said social groups within their media texts, as the identities of the members, are self-constructed and are in some cases no where near reality.
Discussing Paratext and representation within Marvel's 'The Avengers' 