AS Media - Exam Revision: Representation of Women and Weddings

Analyse the following two images.

Both are based around the same theme - weddings - but construct two completely different representations.

You should carry out three tasks, each of which is part of the actual WJEC AS Media exam:

• Analyse both images semiotically - use of colour, costume, written text, message etc.
• Consider what is being 'represented' by each image - who, what, why, how? Can you identify if there is a use of stereotyping or going against the conventional representation? Is there any dominant ideology being used or might there be an alternative point of view?
• Who might be the target audience? How can you tell? By what means are 'audience expectations' either met or subverted? Can you possibly identify more than one potential audience for both products?

Use your 'common sense' to start of with - look for the obvious messages. To get the potential higher grades, you will also need to examine some wider issues linked to both images, such as the representation of gender, the use of stereotypes, the issue of dominant ideologies (and who is responsible for them). You might also want to compare and contrast other similar texts you can think of in relation to these two.