Film And Television : Stereotypes And Implications

The representation of the LGBT community in the film industry has long been a topic of much debate. In her article, “It Ain’t Easy Being Bisexual on TV,” Amy Zimmerman addresses this topic with specific interest on bisexual representation. By appealing to the logic of her audience, using an informal tone, and referring to relatable content, Zimmerman constructs an argument which persuades readers of The Daily Beast that the film industry is unfairly and inaccurately representing bisexuals. However, her argument holds little influence over those who are not movie fans or The Daily Beast readers.

The film Ethnic Notions examines the various caricatures of African Americans in popular culture and the consequences of these representations from the 1800s to the 1980s. The film showed how America went through a face of injustice for a period of time. The internet defines stereotype as qualities assigned to groups of people related to their race, nationality and sexual orientation, to name a few. (Kemick) Throughout American history, African Americans have been victims of stereotypes in many ways. White majority use violence caricatures, stereotypes, dominance, subordination and the media as ways to overpower African Americans.

Television is regarded as a significant source of information that plays an influential role in formulating an individuals social reality. As a tool that conveys the simulations of every day life it “may become a part of our social experience and serve as a basis for social judgements such as racial attitudes and ethnic stereotypes” (Fujoka, 52). Stereotypes are explained as widely held beliefs about a particular person or group. Research shows that “television images of minority groups might affect minority members’ self-concept and racial awareness” (Fujoka, 54). The portrayal of minorities on television were deemed by minority groups as a conception of socially existing beliefs toward their racial group. As such, television may have perhaps

Connor Manning addresses some of the more common stereotypes bisexuals experience such as people not accepting your sexuality unless you have had sexual experiences with multiple genders, that bisexuals are more likely to cheat on a partner, bisexuals are greedy, that sexuality is black and white between homosexuality and heterosexuality (Manning). Within media representation of bisexuals is scarce. When there are bisexuals in media, writers often either rely heavily on stereotypes instead of developing an interesting and complex character, like Alice in The L Word (Schrag and Dabis), or they use bisexuality as a plot point and gloss over it for the rest of the show, like Reagan in New Girl (Meriwether). If bisexuals were portrayed more

Amy Zimmerman's position on the difficulties of bisexuality on TV presents an intriguing argument. However, Her use of pathos and ethos were rendered ineffective because of her select choice of audience and use of real-life examples.

There is a lack of information and misrepresentation when it comes to non-monosexual/romantic orientations such as bisexuality. Some of the vocabulary that it used to describe this orientation can be misleading. Bisexual has the prefix of bi, meaning two, but the orientation itself is more broad than the sexual attraction to just two genders. What is also commonly unknown is that bisexuality is also a romantic orientation. There is little information out there concerning bisexual people and such a lack of resources may have them looking for answers that are not, but should be out there. Alternatively, most of the information that is out there and available is wrong and delegitimizes bisexuality. America is a monosexual society in its history, legislation, and media. Bisexuality has constantly been misrepresented because of America 's monosexual standard towards individuals.

While many believe that homosexuality has only been seen in mainstream media for only a few decades, it has actually been with America cinema since the early 1920’s. The portrayal of homosexuality in film and TV has come a very long way since the 1920’s. What viewers see on TV about homosexuality is really just a representation of America’s changing public view on the subject. While we have come to accept the topic of homosexuality in American society more willingly, we have substituted much of our prejudice about gays with the stereotypes that we see on TV constantly. Because as a society we are constantly forced to see these stereotypes, we are being halted in our progression to accept all different kinds of lifestyles.

Media, defined as a mean of mass communication that reaches and influences the general audience. When the media is combined with moral theories, known as the guides for humans to figure out what actions are either right or wrong, it creates a balance in our entertainment about what is ethical or not to display on society. By having various Moral Theories and none of them being one 100 percent perfect, it causes humans to create their own satisfactory moral theory. My own satisfactory moral theory, in essence, is a combination of being able to take into consideration my personal relationships while still making an impact in my community, society and the world. Having morals in the media is what allows us to know when one may cross the line.

The lesbian and bisexual

Media influences the minds of those who consume it. Portrayals in media quickly become the norm as the consumers believe the strangest of headlines. Representations in media, specifically television, are subconsciously analyzed and placed into the mindset of the viewer. Racial depictions in television and the lack thereof, for example, influence the perspective of the consumer and portray a false reality. Although the future for more racial diversity in the American television industry looked promising, this white-dominated industry has proven that not much has changed in regards to hiring, including, and depicting more ethnic groups and people of color in entertainment. People of color are given stereotypical roles that presents the race in a negative manner; its depiction on television gives additional credibility to the stereotypes. “””Tokenistic representation hinders the nation's ability to see the reality of diversity in the world by limiting the numbers and types of people that are seen through the

Throughout the article Zimmerman uses television shows such as House of Cards and Game of Thrones to show examples of how media portrays bisexual men. Zimmerman found that in both shows the bisexual actors were muscular men with toned abs, and that these characters were limited in their roles. Zimmerman

Media will always play an influential role in the public’s eye. Whether we are watching television or watching a movie, in some way we are being influenced. It is through the media that we form ideas and opinions of individuals and we begin to associate them with certain stereotypes based off the different characters that are being portrayed. More than ever we are seeing how sexual relations other than that of the general male/female relationship are becoming generally accepted not only by society, but on television screens as well. In present day society the way that lesbian and bisexual females are portrayed in the media, is by far more different than what it once was in the past.

This stereotype come from both the gay and straight communities which is sad because both are part of the whole big LGBTQ+ concept. But people don’t seem to notice this. Bisexuals being “indecisive or confused” like the writer on alternet.org recalls how “A gay man I met at a bar once told me that bisexuals “just can’t make up their minds.” Derogatory statements like the above are all too common to a bisexual’s ears. And yes, it comes from both the gay and straight communities... isn’t it odd that it’s always the gays and straights who are confused about bisexuality, and not bisexuals themselves?”. And just like that bisexuals are being offended based on assumptions straight and even some of the other groups under the LGBTQ+ community make. NO we are not indecisive or confused we just like the best of both worlds what is so confusing about that. This is the type of judgement that not a lot of people see or if they do they do not take it

Masters, N., Casey, E., Wells, E. A., & Morrison, D. M. (2013). Sexual Scripts among Young Heterosexually Active Men and Women: Continuity an

People constantly try to gain direction and insight from their evaluations of other people. One such way they do so is through stereotypes. Stereotypes are cognitive constructs involving an individual’s half-truths and distorted realities knowledge, expectations, and beliefs about human groups. As such, racial stereotypes are constructed beliefs that all members of the same race share certain specific characteristics. In America, the media and Hollywood play an integral role in entrenching and dispelling these stereotypes. However, Hollywood and the media create characters according to stereotypes to attract an audience, from which the viewers can reflect on and laugh at the stereotypes recognizable within American society. This paper seeks to discuss the common stereotypes in American society and how the media and Hollywood promotes those stereotypes and their impacts.