passive, secondary participants in the plot (Mulvey)

weak, victim, lack of strength

sexualised or objectified, seen as prize, trophy or rewards to be won

usually factor into the plot as rewards, MacGuffins to rescue

focus of attention and subject of the male gaze (Mulvey)

Proppian Princess archetype (Propp)

conflict with other females for attention of males

if not objectified, then represented as maternal, mother figures

strong female characters often demonised, or associated with homosexuality

often fall into traditionally feminine roles; 'the girlfriend', 'the mother', 'the grandmother', 'the daughter'. 

gender representations of this nature often cross over with others, and are usually white, and straight (only major comparison with male representation)

however, race/nationality may be a factor to represent the female as exotic (Bond girls, magazine models, celebrities or influencers)

Richard Dyer may refer to them as the "pin up" or the "independent female" 

often exaggerated, leading to hypermasculinity

stoic, emotionless, often brooding, resistant to feelings

reflects, or ignores the female gaze

strong, associated with violence and athletic prowess

mentally and physically strong, but no emotional weakness

active participants in the plot, seen as the leader

conflict with other males as alpha male 

objectify the female, seen as a "womaniser"

possible ego, arrogance and confident body language

independent or "lone wolf" 

possible tragic of broken backstory, morally grey

leads to an antihero archetype

gender representations of this nature often cross over with others, and are usually white, and straight (only major comparison with female representation)

Richard Dyer may refer to them as the "good joe" or the "tough guy" 

aka "the have nots"

working class, trades, factory, labourers

low key lighting used, poverty, dark, desaturated colours

common, regional accents, slang with profanity or innuendo

hand-me-down clothing

overcrowded houses, large families under one roof, working class terrace house, council houses

often seen as violent, represented as part of a gang

often costumed in sportswear or very informal garments such as pyjamas (Stereotypes Medhurst)

narratives involve drugs, alcohol, crime and troubled childhoods

audience psychographics could include struggler or resigned

gratifications could include personal identify

perhaps may still be happy or more content with life, not always miserable as a result of lack of wealth

seen to have a poor or lack of education, and as such no disposable income

lack of power or status in society

aka "the haves"

upper class, government figures, leaders or executives

high key lighting used, bright, modern, extravagant colours used

well spoken, sophisticated or posh accents, regal or "British" aka "Queen's English"

large mansions, country homes, castles or palaces, empty rooms, lonely

often seen in positions of power, represented as part of a corporate organisation

Careless of struggles of the lower class

materialistic, often shown with lavish cars, clothing and lifestyle

cares about brands and reputation

narratives involve status, wealth, glamour

audience psychographics would include aspirer or succeeder 

perhaps may be unhappy or and not content with life, not always happy as a result of wealth

as such, sometimes seen as loner, often in childhood, when sent to boarding school narratives for example, poor relationships with parents

often represented as conventionally masculine

usually associated with concepts of masculinity, such as job roles, costume and body language

often associated with masculine job roles such as mechanic or engineer

as such, the 'Butch Lesbian' stereotype is usually short hair, masculine costume, deep voice, and often likes sports and cars.

female homosexuality is often fetishised as being desirable or included for heterosexual male audiences (Friends)

may still be objectified especially if the appearance of the female is presented as heteronormative

also often trivialised as a lifestyle choice, phase or fashion trend

often a taboo; something to be ashamed of, treat as 'other' or an outsider

plot lines often include a 'coming out story'

often the punchline to a joke or a derogatory name

often represented as conventionally feminine

usually associated with concepts of femininity, such as job roles, costume and body language

often associated with feminine job roles such as hair, make-up and beauty professions, traditionally feminine roles that tend to weak and passive

sometimes this is not negative (Perkins) (Ru Paul's Drag Race)

the 'gay best friend' stereotype sees the individual involved in a female circle of friends

representation is usually referred to as "camp"

flamboyant in personality and clothing,  high pitched voice, and often likes fashion and makeup

often a taboo; something to be ashamed of, treat as 'other' or an outsider

plot lines often include a 'coming out story'

often the punchline to a joke or a derogatory name

Ignorant, rebellious, immature

Loud, disrespectful, troublesome

Impressionable, naïve

Involvement in gang culture, crime, ASBOs, violence, intimidating,

Informal in attitude and language

Energetic, coming of age

Progressive, potential, reformer, activism

Unique, creative, full of life, expressive, 

Sometimes thought to be more sophisticated

Often said to hold outdated, therefore controversial political views

Often portrayed as weak and decrepit and treat as 'other'

May fall into 'mentor' roles as in Propp's Helper/Donor Archetypes

Not usually the protagonist of the narrative. They are more often the antagonist.

national identity, emphasis on patriotism, nationalism

regional identity, emphasis on dialect, accents, local slang

representations could also refer to class and wealth

representations could also infer racial stereotypes

representations could also infer religious stereotypes

concept of location could be homogenised and refer to a whole group of people or an entire nation

stereotypes could be both positive and negative

stereotypes will be familiar and easily recognisable, and used as media shorthand (Medhurst)

will promote a series of binary opposites (Strauss)

usually deal with the notion of "haves vs have nots"

therefore, overlap with upper class and lower class, see above

often associated with wealth, and location

possible links to "north south" divide

therefore society and culture will also be in opposition

mise-en-scene will be important to establish differences in lifestyle

location could determine class, and therefore may overlap with location

stereotypes will be familiar and easily recognisable, and used as media shorthand (Medhurst)

Treat as lesser; second class citizens, often represented as "weak" or "broken"

Barnes (1992) identified a number of recurring stereotypes of disabled people including:

• Pitiable and pathetic – a staple of television documentaries, which often focus on disabled children and the possibilities of miracle cures (Nemo, Sex Education)

• Sinister and evil – sometimes the antagonist for example villains in James Bond movies often have physical impairments (Bond Villains) where disabled people are included in drama to enhance atmosphere of menace, unease, mystery or deprivation.

• Super-cripples – sometimes portrayed as having special powers, for example blind people might be viewed as with a “sixth sense” (Mad Max, Captain America Winter Soldier, Star Wars, Daredevil)

• Sexually abnormal – the media usually treat the disabled as having no sense of sexuality, but when they do there are represented as sexually degenerate (Broadchurch) incapable of participating fully in life – Barns calls this the stereotype of omission.

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