One lesson that I have really enjoyed since starting back at the academy was our class with Andy. We were discussing the representation of women within film and television, both in the past and in modern day. It was interesting to learn about some of the strong female women from the 30's 40's and beyond. Most of the women that Andy talked about were fairly unknown to me and I think it was a benefit that I am now aware of some of the major female stars in history.

We then moved on to talk about female stars in 2010. I got the impression that Andy did not like the way women in 2010 represented themselves in comparison with 50 years ago. We looked at the actress Cameron Diaz in particular. Some may say that she relies on her beauty within her films rather than being a serious actress or role model. However I would say that she is a positive role model. Although she may not be the most intelligent person to act as a role model to young girls she must surely have her wits about her. She has successfully created a strong and reasonably long lasting career and although she may be seen to rely on her beauty I would say that she simply uses her good looks to her advantage. Hollywood is a fickle place and there is no reason why a woman who is good looking should not use this to her full potential. People say that she may not be a wonderful actress, but she defiantly performs well in what she does. The audience are not always looking to watch a film full of serious dramatic actors, sometimes they just want some light comedy relief.

I understand that these perfect images of women that are showered across the media on a daily basis may make women feel inadequate. However I am sure that most people understand that this is not what these women really look like, they have hair stylists, make-up artist and their photographs are re-touched to the extreme. When you see a celebrity on the front cover of a magazine you know that this is not who they really are, it is simply a re-presentation of them created by the producers of the magazine. Infact no source created by the media, be it film, television, magazine articles or even documentaries, can ever provide a totally accurate or realistic representation because every source has been mediated, and every source has been edited. When you see something in a film or on television you can never say it is a totally realistic representation because this representation has been controlled by the creator, they show you what they want the audience to see not what the person or social group is actually like. Even something non fiction such as a documentary does has been controlled and edited to get across the appropriate message. I feel that for the most part that the audience understand this. What they are watching is not reality, it is simply one persons representation of that reality.

During this lesson we also discussed negative and positive traits in female characters within films. The girls in the class were asked to discuss some of the worst traits that could be found within a female character in a film. Some of the traits that arose were:

.Overly emotional.

. Weak

. Needy

. Dependant on men.

. Bitchy.

. Fickle

. Slutty.

. Obsessed with appearances.

The boys then had to come up with positive traits that they would like to see within women in films. It seemed that it was much easier to name characters in movies that had the negative characteristics that we listed as apposed to the positive traits that the boys brought up such as :

. Good looking.

. Successful in their own right.

. Confident ect.

It was quite disappointing that there were so few characters that embodied the positive values that we desire in female characters within films. However I think that we may be more likely to find these positive traits among women on television. I am unsure if the more positive female roles appear on television because it is a smaller viewing platform with a lower budget so there is less risk involved. Or if it is because television programmes such as soap operas have higher viewing figures amongst women, because they are the target audience the producers may be more likely to feature more strong female roles to cater to the demands of the audience.

Overall I really enjoyed this lesson, I liked the fact that it featured a bigger element of discussion and it really got me thinking about the representation of women within the media. After watching films such as 'The best years of our lives' it makes me question why a film made in 1946 can produce female characters that represent women in a more positive light than a film made in 2010. The role of women in society has changed so dramatically than in the 1940's yet this is not reflected on the screen. 'The best years of our lives' seems so advanced for the time period. I particularly liked the character of Peggy, who appeared as smart, funny and a strong character, who despite her love for Fred, didn't beg or plead with him to love her. I found this film really captivating and refreshing and would be something I would like to watch again.