G321 Research into Stereotypes

Harry and Lloyd

The representation in media and stereotypes of teenagers is rarely a positive. However, in comedy, the media tends to portray different sets of social groupings, organised by their interest, looks and status in school or other social events. These groupings are known as the prototypical groups of the teenage stereotypes and are popular in films about high school or teenagers in general. American media tends to stick to the extremities of these groups, such as the characters of 'Harry' and 'Lloyd' in Dumb and Dumberer (2003) but they also appear in UK film, such as the groups in St Trinians (2007). Since the opening of my group's film includes stereotypes, I have researched into the different representations of teenagers in order to help portray the right characters in our opening. The stereotypical teenage groups usually consist of the following:

Jocks (often also popular) 

The 'Jocks' are the kids who love and live sport. Typically in American media, boys will play American football or take part in athletics and, in the UK, boys will most likely play football or rugby. As masculine sports, this helps them to display their strength and speed, therefore asserting themselves over those around the school. Though they're uncommon, a female jock will usually take part in athletics, cheerleading, swimming, gymnastics or a sport that displays agility and elegance, as well as power but in a more subtle way than males. They usually wear hoodies or sportswear at school and males tend to have short hair whilst females will have their long hair tied back. Sometimes, the jocks are also portrayed as the popular characters or the bullies further reinstating their power and social status in the school. 

A good example of a 'Jock', would be the characters of 'John Tucker' and 'Heather' from John Tucker Must Die (2006). They're popular at school and do lots of sport to show their dominance. The plot of the film also centres around John as he is the popular male that the girls are after. In the opening of our film, a jock will throw a sandwich at the geeky boys and a popular girl will be seen getting ready for school. When casting for our film, I will bare these characters in mind and look at the appearance and stage presence the actors create.

Emos 

Andrea

An 'Emo' (short for 'Emotional Child') will often keep to themselves. Stereotypically, an emo will be introvert, shy and emotional person who may also suffer from social problems or have issues at home that they will deal with through self harm or expression through writing and drawings. Typically, they wear dark clothing, slim-fit jeans, tight t-shitrs of their favourite bands and dark makeup but are not afraid to express their feelings through colour.

There are few characters from films in which an emo will be the main character of a film but, in St Trinians (2007), they are represented through the character of 'Andrea'. With dark hair, pale skin and piercings she has the stereotypical appearance. She's also clever but quiet and this is a common portrayal of an emo character. We do not have any emo characters in our opening but I will bare in mind the traits of them when selecting costume and makeup in order to avoid portraying this stereotype.

Janis Ian

Goths

A goth, primarily, will be quiet, reserved and wear a lot of dark clothing inspired by the Victorian era and black makeup. Often confused but not to be mixed with emos, goths stereotypically have their own culture of voodoo dolls and an obsession with those who they hate (usually those who pick on them). They are also associated with self-harm and suicide. However, beneath the dark exterior typically lies a genuine character. Gothic characters don't tend to be a a main role in films but are smaller ones or extras. This is because they tend not to be exciting enough to fufil central characters and are too dark for a comedy film.


An example of a gothic character is 'Janis Ian' from Mean Girls (2004). She wears dark makeup and has dark hair but has slightly lighter costume with greys and the odd colour. This character is slightly more out-going than most goths portrayed but still includes the emotional aspect of a goth's personality. Like emos, we do not have any gothic characters in our opening and I will bare in mind the traits of gothic characters in order not to portray the wrong stereotype when deciding on costume and makeup.

Geeks/Nerds

Napoleon Dynamite

The geeks and nerds are known to put their cravings for intelligence above their social lives and prefer to spend their time on computers or intellectual activities. A geek will be interested in computer technology whilst a nerd will have hobbies to do with a specific topic or subject as school, such as science or maths. Typically, not only will a geek or nerd be socially awkward but they will be physically awkward too. They will often be slouched or stood proud, wearing glasses with poor skin. Stereotypically, a nerd/geek will wear smart clothes with their shirts tucked into their trousers which may be a little bit too short. Props associated with these characters are digital watches, belts and mathematical equipment and so when creating the costumes for our three geeks, I will make reference to this research.


A good example of a geek is 'Napoleon' from Napoleon Dynamite (2004). He is both socially and physically awkward with his best friend, 'Pedro', a fellow geek. His smart, old-fashioned appearance along with his inability to interact properly with others creates a humourous character perfect for our opening. Since we have three geeks in our opening, I will take inspiration from the character of Napoleon in order to create an original and creative costume for each of our characters. I will also think about his stage presence and use of voice, comparing it to those who audition for our cast.

Popular/Cool Kids
The popular kids, often also jocks or a bully/bitch, rule the school and tend to dominate the canteen sitting at a certain table each day. They associate themselves with only others like themselves socially, aesthetically and financially creating a close circle of friends. However, they do mix with others in order to keep their high-status exterior and may run for or be the class president in films. A popular character will also receive respect from their peers. Stereotypically, a popular character will either come from a wealthy background where they are supported emotionally or a poorer background where they are not (this is often revealed to the audience in a film and suggests motivation of any bullying behaviour). Stereotypically, a popular kid will have expensive or designer clothing and accessories and dress to the latest trends to build their high status.


The character of 'Regina George' from the film Mean Girls (2004) is a stereotypical representation of a popular girl. She wears designer clothes, is admired by many boys around the school and is considered a nasty character to those who threaten her social position. In our film opening, we have the popular character of 'Stacey' showing her get ready for school. When casting the actress for her role, I will bare in mind the stage presence that Regina brings to Mean Girls and use the findings of my research to help create an individual character, both in appearance and personality.

High School Musical 2
(Main cast: 2 males in blue and
female in white between)

The Rest
These are the regular kids who cannot be classified into any of the above and are often friends with several people from a variety of groups. They will be pretty plain and listen to mainstream music but don't push the boundaries or draw attention to themselves creating plain characters. The rest is often just seen as extras in order to fill a school population in a film since they play no significance to the plot. They're seen throughout the film industry and often are dressed in plain, dull clothes in comparison the the main characters in order for them to blend into the background and create atmosphere for the rest of the cast. Though we will not need extras for our opening, it is helpful to remember that there will most likely be several extras in our film since it's based at a college and this will help us to design the main character's costumes to be unique and stand out.