Representation Analysis

Representation is the way the media chooses to represent the different aspects of our reality. It is a big component within the media industry, which has become a controversial topic. Controversy within representation arouses when company owners under-represent minority groups, such a people of color, or different ethnicity, people within the LGBTQ community, with mental illness or disabilities, and with different body sizes, as well as the elderly.

The white race, who is also the majority of the U.S. population, has always been seen as superior over other races. For this reason, white female or male actresses are always presented as the leading figure of movies or commercials; this way, the audience will be more “attracted” towards the movie. People are starting to realize that the content shown or presented through media, does not accurately represent our society. For instance, while 17.8% of the U.S. population is Hispanic, only 3.1% of characters in movies are represented as Hispanics, according to Los Angeles Daily News. It is extremely unlikely to see Native Americans, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian taking a leading role in a Hollywood movie. “Hollywood is as White, Straight and male as ever” – New York Times.

A great example where favoritism over the white race is portrayed, is in the Axe Body Spray’s Commercial, published in 2006, where not only are women fitting society’s beauty standards, but also represented as the inferior gender. In contrast to the H&M "close the loop"ad, which provides an accurate representation of our current society. This ad represents people from all genders, ages, races and ethnicities. During the Axe commercial, a large group of white women in bikinis are running towards one man, who is using the product marketed. The woman in the video were white, tall, young and slim, which are unrealistic expectations from society. This commercial further supports the idea that women must satisfy those characteristics and expectations in order for them to be considered attractive. 

Advertisements, movies and every form of media that does not provide an accurate representation of our modern world, will have negative consequences upon the viewers. The audience might feel inferior and unvalued when exposed to commercials who lack an accurate representation of society. They might feel excluded and discriminated given the fact that the group they “identify in” is highly unrepresented. It creates a division between society. We shouldn’t have to belong to a specific group in order to fit in or be considered important. We are all humans. We are equal.