AGE REPRESENTATION

By Amina Hebouche

Rebecca Hills

Charlie Mead

Max Pentecost

CHILDREN

As cute – this is a common stereotype found in television commercials for baby products or toilet rolls.

As little devils – another common stereotype especially found in drama and comedy, e.g. Bart Simpson.

As brilliant – perhaps as child prodigies or as heroes for saving the life of an adult.

As brave little angels – suffering from a long-term terminal disease or disability.

As accessories – stories about celebrities such as Madonna, Angelina Jolie or the Beckhamsmay focus on how their children humanise them.

As modern – the media may focus on how children ‘these days’ know so much more ‘at their age’ than previous generations of children.

As active consumers – television commercials portray children as having a consumer appetite for toys and games. Some family sociologists note that this has led to the emergence of a new family pressure, ‘pester power’, the power of children to train or manipulate their parents to spend money on consumer goods that will increase the children’s status in the eyes of their peers

TEENAGERS

There is a whole media industry aimed at socially constructing youth in terms of lifestyle and identity.

Magazines are produced specifically for young people. Record companies,

Internet music download sites, mobile telephone companies and radio stations all specifically target and attempt to shape the musical tastes of young people.

Youth are often portrayed by news media as a social problem, as immoral or anti-authority.

The majority of moral panics since the 1950s have been manufactured around concerns about young people’s behaviour (drug taking or binge drinking).

ADULTS

Independent- they can do everything by

themselves.

‘breadwinner’- they provide money and stability for

their family.

Always right- they believe their opinion is always

the right one compared to other age groups, even

though they may be wrong.

Professional- never immature, always serious

OAPS

As grumpy – conservative, stubborn and resistant to social change.

As mentally challenged – suffering from declining mental functions.

As dependent – helpless and dependent on other younger members of the family or society.

As a burden – as an economic burden on society (in terms of the costs of pensions and health care to the younger generation) and/or as a physical and social burden on younger members of their families (who have to worry about or care for them).

As enjoying a second childhood – as reliving their adolescence and engaging in activities that they have always longed to do before they die.