Part 1: Critical Frameworks
For this project, I will be investigating an issue within the media that I am interested in. To do this, I need to understand each of the frameworks in order to find a specific area to research the potential issues of.
Genre
Genre is a way to classify types of art, film, television series, music or literature into categorise that can be recognised by audiences in ways for them to decide whether or not the product is something they would enjoy.
To decipher the genre of a product, content creators use conventional codes, being commonly seen characters, narrative elements, iconography, setting and technical and symbolic codes from their chosen tropes/genres, which suit the desired genre for their product.
Sometimes, products tend to use hybrid genres; the combination of two or more genres. Not only does this give a new twist to one genre, but it has the ability to draw in a new audience who are interested in the additional genres found in the product.
More genres are more successful than others – for example, horror has been a popular genre for years, still being one of the most popular genres in the media, with its conventional stories and themes that the audience loves to watch. However, genres such as western and dying out due to the advance in technology – it’s been down before, and with the new genres being introduced, the audience for westerns are moving on.
Narrative
Narrative is the way stories across media texts are told and structured.
Famous theorists have discovered patterns in which narrative fall, giving stories different ways to be told while still staying in the common narrative seen in films. Vladimir Propp – The Character Theory. This narrative theory focuses more on the characters in stories, many characters created to help deepen the story and provide plot twists and obstacles that will allow the story to move in an unexpected, yet interesting way.
Claude Levi-Strauss – The Binary Opposite. This is where there are two big forces, the good and the bad
Tzvetan Todorov – Equilibrium Theory. Equilibrium, Disequilibrium, New Equilibrium
Roland Barthes – Barthes’ Codes. Action, Enigma, Symbolic, Semic and Cultural
Representation
Representation is the way groups of people are portrayed across all media texts. Age, gender, ethnicity and sexuality is open to a large amount of prejudice in media texts due to how the characters are coded – producers commonly create stereotypes that can be seen as offensive to the chosen groups, and usually causing damage towards world’s view on the image of the said group of people, making representation a large issue in media. For example – making a black man the villain of a TV series could be classified as a racist representation of black people, vilifying them.
Audience
The audience are the people that consume the media text that is being created. For content creators, the audience is one of the most important things to consider when creating media text – understanding who will want to consume their content helps them mould their media text into something that a certain audience will enjoy.
As everyone has their own interests and dislikes when consuming media texts, this category comes into play with the rest here, for example, a certain audience would be drawn to watch a certain genre, or representation would bring an audience that wants a certain aspect of their life portrayed positviely in a film.
When creating and studying media texts, finding out how the audience acts and thinks is one of the most important things. Some examples of this could be how the audience consumes their preffered media texts – do they buy video games from the store to play them, or do they watch gameplays online to understand the story. Do they make sure to watch movies in the cinema to help support the creators, or do they save themselves the money and stream them from online website. Considering questions like this helps creators adjust their products to something their target audience will use and appreciate the most.
A theory called ‘Hypodermic Needle theory’ debates whether or not the message from a media text is accepted and absorbed by the audience, leading to the audience’s impact on the world around them. It looks into how children watching violent films will give them the impression that violence is acceptable in the real world.
Regulation
Regulation in media text is companies controlling what should and shouldn’t be shown on TV, in films and radio and video games etc. Linking in with the Hypodermic Needle theory, regulation is used to make sure that, for example, children aren’t watching violent and dark films by creating Watershed – putting more adult films on TV stations after 9pm, when children would be sleeping – to lessen the chance of them being exposed to inappropriate content which could either frighten them or change the way they think about a certain subject. Regulation can be considered a shield as well, making sure that more commonly viewed things, such as adverts, aren’t displaying triggering content that could upset potential watchers.
With the internet becoming avaliable to everyone, children can easily find and watch content that wouldn’t normally be shown to children. Depending on the efficiency of websites and the parents’ control over their child’s internet sessions, regulation can be difficult. Even with media texts that explictly state that it is not for kids, children can still find a way to consume it.
Desensitisation vs Catharsis hypothesis is a theory on whether or not people watching more harful things will either make them become unaffected to the violence or become more aware on the damage behind it.
Technology (includig digital media)
The types of technology used in media texts varies from the software and equipment that creates the product, to the way the audience consumes it, and because of this, technology plays a large part in the creation and earnings of media texts.
In a positive light, the progression in technology means better quality equipment for the products – high resolution cameras to film, motion capture for video games, digital art for animation, powerful computers to edit on -, giving each product higher standards than the last and making it more enjoyable, immersive and professional than the last. Newer technology can also help with advertising by displaying ads across popular social media and capturing the attention of more people than it would on billboards or ads in magazines, and the accessability of enjoying the product – buying movies, games or books straight from online stores such as Amazon or Google, or subscribing to movie and TV show streaming websites such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, giving viewers thousands of movies at their fingertips without the hassle of loaning movies from Blockbusters that need to be returned after a certain amount of time.
On the contrary, with the advancements in technology, old fashioned ways of getting content is beginning to die. People spend more time on the internet and Netflix, having whatever they want in seconds with a simple search – an easier and more efficient way to watching what you want, when you want, rather than having to deal with TVs strict programmes and waiting through the ads. With the lack of ads being seen, the creators behind shows are struggling to get a renvue and earning money from their productions. Similar to this, people aren’t buying actual CDs or legally buying albums from musicians anymore – with YouTube and Spotify providing good quality music for free, people can easily access music they like without buying it, meaning artists are beginning to suffer.
Production/Distribution/Exhibition
Production is the act of producing something, like movies, art, literature, video games or music etc. This is another important aspect to consider when creating something, as the production of a media text is the creation of it. During this stage, the creators will have to take into mind the budget, technology used, where and how it is made and the time scale and quality that it will be made in. Without professionally thinking and planning these out, the production will be difficult to make, for example, if you’re making a video game, you will want to look through all the different ways of making it – which game building software will you use and how much will it cost? If you’re trying to make an A List game, will you use motion capture to make it more realistic, and do you have the budget and technology to do so? Do you have the proper staff and surroundings to do so? This all needs to be considered with every type of media text before delving into the actual production of the media text.
Distribution is the act of distributing, spreading or appopriating the said media text – how business or the target audience will get the finalised product once it’s ready for realise. This would be like putting magazines in shops, selling video games to video games companies or putting them up for sale online, or framing artwork in galleries. Issues within distribution is finding appropriate places to sell your work that will reach the intended target audience.
Exhibition is a collection of things for public display, such as going to see movies at the cinema, going to an art gallery to see art or a library or bookstore to buy books. It can also be where the product is shown via television or cinema, or if the audience will be watching it illegally online, which cuts down the profit the creators will get.
Marketing and Promotion
Marketing and promotion is how the media text is portrayed and advetised. This could be on billboards posters, bus posters, banner ads on websites or short trailers put on websites and YouTube videos.
Depending on the genre and the audience of the media text, the marketing and promotion of said media text will change, for example, if a movie is being made about teenage superheros, tagetted at teenagers, ads will start be placed in places that are generally visited by the younger generation – this would be more internet based, appearing in between YouTube videos or banner ads or teenage orientated websites, possibly making Twitter and Facebook pages promoting their product that can get shared among teens that catch interest in it, knowing that teens are going to be the people that see it the most. Oppositely, if a show is made for elderly people, it might be advertised more on the TV and in the newspaper, as typically, older people stay with the more out dated technology that is avaliable that the younger generation wouldn’t use.
Usually promotion is pretty succesful, especially the teenage/younger generation orientated products, as the easily accessed social media sites that allow posts promoting the media text to share among their friends and possibly going viral.
Part 2: Choosing your Focus Area
Now that I know about each of the media topics, I need to choose one of the above media topic area and link to how it applies to one of the media industries.
Here are a few of my intial essay titles that I would like to explore in this assignment:
- How PoC are represented in television in comparison to white characters
- How LGBT+ characters are presented in television
- How does television influence real life
- “Token Characters” vs Representation in television
How PoC are represented in television in comparison to white characters
This question would be focusing on television + representation, as I will be looking into how PoC (people of colour) are presented in television.
I think for this one I will compare two different television series, thinking about comparing the animated kids shows Voltron: Legendary Defender and Avatar: The Last Airbender, which both include a number of PoC main characters.
Especially as the audience for both of these shows include a lot of diverse people, the PoC viewers will want to have good representation of their culture/people without falling into stereotypes and how they compare to the other white characters in their relevent shows.
How are people with different sexualities represented in television
Similar to the first question, this one will always be focusing on television + representation, as the LGBT+ community is another largely stereotyped minority that commonly has bad representation across all types of media texts.
As the gay community (or more commonly referred to as the LGBT+ community) is growing, and gay and trans rights is becoming more prominent – not perfect but with the recently new introduction of legal gay marriage across a large number of countries and the increase of charities, it is improving – and thus having positive, if any, gay representation in television is a good step forward at making the world equal, more aware and comfortable with the presence of gay people.
Some shows that I could use as examples for this essay could be Riverdale, The 100 and The Walking Dead that not only have stereotypes for gay people, but also how they are treated in the media, for example how gay characters are usually killed off after their representation is done. Other shows, such as, Shadow Hunters, Brooklyn 99, One Day at a Time have good representation of LGBT+ characters.
How much does Television Influence Real Life
With this question, I could incorporate more of the topics that I am interested in, linking the representation of men and women, the representation of the different sexualities, and the representation of different races and ethnicities and how these topics can change the way the audience views these types of people. Because of this, it would let this essay be television and a mixture of audience and representation.
Not only could I talk about how other people outside of the minorities displayed receive and view the representation on screen, but also how the minorities themselves see it. With the increase in confidence with minorities in social media, I’ve learnt a lot about how seeing characters representing themselves in the media can change the way they view themselves, for example, seeing the influx in popular and well loved women of colour in not only television but across all type of media helps coloured women feel proud of their appearance, race and ethnicity. Opposing this, I’ve seen a lot of people speak up about how they can also feel uncomfortable with who they are depending on how they are represented – for example, gay and bi people feeling upset with their orientations due to thinking they’re exactly the same as the bad representation of their sexuality on TV.
I could use the same TV shows as I listed in the previous, as I have a few good ideas for each show that can I look into.
Abstract
For my media investigation essay, I will be using my first essay title: ‘How PoC are represented in television comparison to white characters‘. As I planned on before, I want to compare two kid’s TV shows, one showing good PoC representation and one another questionably good PoC representation. I have picked two of my favourite shows, Avatar: the Last Airbender and Voltron: Legendary Defender, as I know that both of these shows have prominent coloured characters throughout the series. With these two shows, I want to explore whether they are presented well or not, with comparison to other prominent white characters within their respective show, including possibly hurtful stereotypes, and to see how this can affect the viewers.
I wanted to do this topic for my essay, as I am a fan of both of the shows and am upset with the difference in respect the writers have towards the characters in Voltron. Though four of the main seven characters are coloured, I still believe that the way they are treated in a lot “worse” in comparison to the way the white characters are. Avatar, on the other hand, was one of the most well done kid’s TV shows in my opinion. Not only does it have prominent characters of colour, but they also play big parts in the plot – without them, the plot wouldn’t have progressed or be as interesting.
The research I plan to do is compare the two shows together, getting screenshots and parts from the series to show where the representation might be putting the characters in a bad light. I would also like to get some secondary research, hopefully collecting fans opinions on whether or not they believe the representation in the shows are good or bad.
I expect to discover that Avatar: The Last Airbender portrays its characters of colour in a better light than Voltron: Legendary Defender does, even if the lower quality in representation for Voltron may not be the extreme opposite of Avatar. With the investigation of fans’ views of the two shows, they would agree with this, and would probably go on to explain how the stereotypes and ‘token character’ situation in Voltron can be harmful towards an audience that can relate to these characters, despite the fact that the representation has the potential to be worse. Further research could also reveal that this representation is bad, making the audience absorb the negative characteristics placed upon this characters and continuously using them within fandom spaces and towards real life people of colour.
When actually writing and researching this essay, I feel like I might go into a more audience/representation approach to my question, as I feel like the representation of a group of people, especially when it comes to characters of colours that are present in a kids show, can make the audience follow the stereotypes and (less extreme) case of racism that could possibly be evoked after this.
Part 3: Research
Plan
- Introduction (100 ish words)
- Explaination on Voltron + Avatar, introduce the characters and give my basic opinion on the subject before writing the essay
- Explaination from sources and professional essays explaining why and how the representation on TV affects the viewers (200-300 words)
- (Use the stuff that Darren has given me)
- Brief explaination of how the characters are treated (200 words)
- With screenshots and comparisons to how the white (coded) characters are portrayed/given content
- Link it with the pre-exisiting articles/essays from part 2
- “Token character” or geniune representation
- Stereyotypes
- Audience’s responses (400-500 words)
- Use the articles I found and also the survey I’m hoping to do – go into depth and compare the professional articles to the survey, showing the difference in demographics and how the target audience is affected compared to professional reviewers
- Link it with the pre-exisitng articles/essays from part 2
- Conclusion (100 words)
- What I learnt from this essay/investigation, whether or not it followed my original thoughts on the subject.
Primary Research:
screenshots to include (avatar):
- main characters, maybe a few different ones to point out and talk about each character individually
- the different societies found in the show
- sokka and katara in the first episode
- development of their powers and their characters throughout the show
- their characters at the start and end of each season
- highlights from seasons to show important arcs and how they aren’t being stereotyped
- comparison to the passing white characters
- lists of episodes and brief explaining of how many episodes each character have where they’re the main character
screenshots to include (voltron):
- main characters, maybe a few different ones to point out and talk about each character individually
- explain about their backgrounds with screenshots from the cast and crew explaining their ethical background
- lance and hunk being stereotyped
- lover boy lance, always flirting with people
- hunk and food/weight jokes
- allura and her father as royalty
- lance’s slight look into arcs
- lance’s vlog ?
- screenshot of the shows description, brief explanation of how many episodes each character has where they’re the main character
- episodes with shiro picking keith over lance
Secondary Research
Taking these definitions in hand, Branston and Stafford (2001) argue that some representations are divided, by media producers, into either archetypes, stereotypes or countertypes, each with particular messages and meanings attached due to their use.
Archetypes are characters that are defined by what they represent, by how they appear and behave and unlike the stereotype; do not exist in the real world. Think of the villain, the hero and consider how they are used to establish the mood and meaning of the media product.
Stereotypes, however, are more sophisticated shorthand about characters and people (members of society/culture) in the real world. With this in mind, Beck et al (2005) defined stereotypes as:
A simplified and generalized image of a group of people which is created out of the values, judgments and assumptions of its creators, in most cases society itself.
Countertypes – a deliberate attempt to counter or go against the characteristics and messages and values of negative stereotyping.
This could then lead to:
Overrepresentation – where one group is repeatedly represented in a particular way – positively or negatively – distorting the way in which they are seen and understood in terms of their messages and values.
Underrepresentation – when a particular group is never represented in a positive way in its messages and values.
Other theorists have looked at this in more detail:
Dyer (1993) and Hall (1997) explains that stereotypes are established when the complexity and variety of a group is reduced to a few characteristics. An exaggerated version of these characteristics is applied to everyone in the group as if they are an essential element of all members of the social group. These characteristics are represented in the media through media language. An issue with stereotyping is that it can be seen to exaggerate difference and in doing so increase antagonisms between groups. A problem with the media’s use of stereotypes is its selectivity, as it conveys values and assumptions that may help construct the audience’s perception of the world, and consequently their behaviour. Dyer also suggested that stereotypes are always about power – those with power will stereotype those with less power.
Medhurst (1995) suggests that stereotypes can be seen as a type of media shorthand that provides an easy point of contact when the text needs to communicate quickly with the audience e.g. a music magazine front cover on a shop shelf/ a 3 minute music video
Bateman et al (2011) argue that stereotypes are constructed with some reference to some or all of the following:
- Appearance – physical (weight, height, hair colour etc), clothes, accent and pitch of voice etc
- Behaviour – the typical things that people in a group might do.
- Media codes and conventions – stereotypes are constructed in a way that is appropriate to the codes and conventions of a specific media form. For example a sitcom will use a stereotype in a different way to a news program but they will be used in both.
- Ideology – stereotypes are created within the context of what is seen as normal or abnormal in society.
In conclusion there are 6 ‘S’s that we can associate with stereotyping:
-Shortcut (quick for audience to recognize the stereotype)
-Simplistic (a ‘2D’ representation)
-Second hand (used many times before)
-Sometimes false
-Static (once established, hard to shift)
-Subvert (turn a representation on its head)
Ethnicity: Race refers to people who are believed to belong to the same genetic/ethnic stock. It is a taxonomic group that is a division of a species and it usually arises as a consequence of geographical isolation within a species. It is a means of categorizing people according to supposed biological characteristics such as skins colour or hair texture. In media texts the presentation of ethnicity and immigration ranges from the invisible to the negative prominent resulting in overall negative stereotypes of ethnic groups and immigrants as a whole.
Said (1978) argues that due to colonization (the taking over of one country culturally) there are problems with ethnic groups defining their identity and therefore this identity is normally strongly defined by the colonizer presenting the colonized (the ethnic group) as a perpetually inferior people, society and culture. Bateman et al (2011) argues that due to recent immigration this had led to a mixture of positive and negative representations. Negative examples include Eastern Europeans being presented via news reporting as problematic and disruptive. Also, Post 911, the representation of Muslims has seen powerful negative stereotypes showing a new era of xenophobia in western society. This representations of Islam link to violence and fear, show Islamic women as oppressed and victimized and overall this ethnic group as outsiders in British culture. Generally Bateman et al argue ethnic minorities in the media are seen as:
- subservient to white characters.
- problematic, disobedient or even disruptive.
- a source of racial tension.
- a threat.
- exotic.
This leads to:
- a proliferation of negative imagery.
- an acceptance of this negative imagery.
- a marginalization of ethnic communities.
- a movement of ethnic communities into an invisible status.
- unrealistic portrayals of ethnic communities.
Perkins (1979) notes: stereotypes are nearly always derogatory, they are nearly always about minority groups, they are simple, rigid and do not change, they are not structurally reinforced, they are believed to be true and therefore predictable of the whole group. She also argued that six groups are more stereotyped than others:
- Major structural groups – those defined by colour, gender, class and age
- Structurally significant groups – ethnicity, artists, scientists, mothers in law etc
- Isolated groups – those with social/geographical isolation – homosexual, American Indians, gypsies
- Pariah groups – homosexuals, black people, communists in the US (these groups will also belong to another group in 1 to 3)
- Opponent groups – upper classes, fascists etc
- Socially/Ideologically insignificant groups – milkmen, redheads
Dyer (1993) however, describes four (more positive) functions (and messages and values) of stereotypes within media texts.
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- They are an ’ordering process’ (they order reality, messages and values into an easy form).
- They are ‘short cuts’ (they are quick routes to ‘understanding’ (the messages and values of) a group/place).
- They are a ‘way of referring to our world’ (because they are attached to groups/places within our world they are a source of information – messages and values – about it).
- They are an ‘e
Marxist
Marx (1932) argued that ideology is an instrument of social and cultural reproduction and control. He proposed an economic base/superstructure model of society and culture. The base refers to the means of production (technology etc) of society and culture. The superstructure is formed on top of the base, and comprises that society’s/culture’s ideology, as well as its legal system, political system, and religions (ISA’s – Ideological State Apparatus’s – Althussuer). For Marx, the base determines the superstructure. Because the ruling class (high culture known as the bourgeoisie) controls the society’s and culture’s means of production, the superstructure of society/culture, including its ideology will be determined according to what is in the ruling class’s best interests (the concept of hegemony). Therefore the people in control of the media have their own interests protected by representing their position as natural and ‘god given’. They can do this through OPINION LEADERS. These are those in positions of power who aim to persuade an audience of their point of view (dominant ideology). Within the media world these may be actors, producers or directors but more importantly the companies and their owners. All representations not related to this class, gender etc will be presented in negative ways in comparison to those in control. Therefore, representations (and their ideologies), through media texts affect our ways of seeing the world and our values attitudes and beliefs. This dominant ideology (and subsequent representations) also brings in other ideologies within it:
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- Capitalism: is a social/economic system based on the recognition of individual rights, including property/wealth rights, in which all property/wealth and the means of producing wealth should be privately (individually and by private corporations) rather than publicly (and government) owned.
- Consumerism: is the equation of personal happiness with consumption and the purchase of material possessions and directly feeds into capitalist thinking due to the capitalists requiring a consumer culture to maintain their position.
- Political: Political ideologies are a certain ethical set of ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of political party that explains how society and culture should work, and offers some political and cultural blueprint for a certain social/cultural order.
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With Marx’s ideas in place you then begin to question whether the particular interests/views of the world are challenged, reinforced or promoted through the noted types leading to counter/alternative ideologies (ideologies that go against the dominant ideology for example here: communism/socialism – all working together for benefits for all) going against this dominant situation. However, the pluralistic model has the opposite perspective. Pluralism says that the media world is diverse and the film does not necessarily influence consensus (the majority agree with). If particular representations are dominant, it is because they are popular among the audience, not because powerful institutions are ‘pushing’ a particular ideology. This could be an example of a subordinate ideology. This is a set of ideas that agree with the dominant ideology in the main, but which argues for a limited amount of change.
- expression of values’ (they present information, messages and values – true or not – about the ideology of a group or place).
Lesson delivered by Darren Church (21 November 2017)
Image references
Lance images:
Wikia (2016) Lance (Legendary Defender)/Gallery. Available at: http://voltron.wikia.com/wiki/Lance_(Legendary_Defender)/Gallery#Official%20Images (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Hunk images:
Wikia (2016) Hunk (Legendary Defender)/Gallery. Available at: http://voltron.wikia.com/wiki/Hunk_(Legendary_Defender)/Gallery (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Allura images:
Wikia (2016) Allura (Legendary Defender)/Gallery. Available at: http://voltron.wikia.com/wiki/Allura_(Legendary_Defender)/Gallery (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016) Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery [Television Series]. Netflix.
Avatar images:
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005) Directed by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko [Streamed Video]. KissCartoon: Nickelodeon.
Research References
Voltron: Legendary Defender (2016) Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos and Lauren Montgomery [Television Series]. Netflix.
Wikipedia (2017) Voltron: Legendary Defender. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltron:_Legendary_Defender (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Wikipedia (2017) Avatar: The Last Airbender. Available at: http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Influences_on_the_Avatar_series (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Wikia (no date) List of Avatar: The Last Airbender episodes. Available at: http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_Avatar:_The_Last_Airbender_episodes (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Wikipedia (2017) List of Voltron: Legendary Defender episodes. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Voltron:_Legendary_Defender_episodes (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Inverse (2016) How Voltron’ is Defending Diversity. Available at: https://www.inverse.com/article/16497-voltron-is-defending-diversity-with-a-reimagined-princess-allura (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Racebending (2012) Study examines television, diversity and self-esteem. Available at: http://www.racebending.com/v4/blog/study-examines-television-diversity-self-esteem/ (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
The Guardian (2015) When the media misrepresents black men, the effects are felt in the real world. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/12/media-misrepresents-black-men-effects-felt-real-world (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Huffington Post (2015) Representation Matters: A Thank You Letter to Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/luis-ruuska/why-representation-matter_b_6370774.html (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Huffington Post (2015) Why On-Screen Representation Actually Matters. Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/why-on-screen-representation-matters_us_58aeae96e4b01406012fe49d (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Brown, N. M. B. (2017) Representation of Coloured Characters in Kid’s Shows. Available at: https://goo.gl/forms/W9cGl50L7ZAhw4ZD2 (Accessed: 13 December 2017).
Racebending (2010) Depictions of Gender and Ethnicity in The Last Airbender. Available at: http://www.racebending.com/v4/campaigns/airbender/depictions-of-gender-and-ethnicity-in-the-last-airbender/6/ (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Entertainment Earth (2016) Voltron: Legendary Defender Following in Avatar: The Last Airbender’s Footsteps. Available at: http://news.entertainmentearth.com/2016/05/12/voltron-legendary-defenders-trailer-following-atla-korra/ (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Wikia (no date) Influences on the Avatar series. Available at: http://avatar.wikia.com/wiki/Influences_on_the_Avatar_series (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
DreamWorksTV (2017) Voltron Vlogs: Lance | DREAMWORKS VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6D8P2E5-lk (Accessed: 13 December 2017).
DreamWorksTV (2017) Voltron Vlogs: Keith | DREAMWORKS VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YekC99bDMtU (Accessed: 14 December 2017).
Celeste, M. C. (2005) Media Portrayals of Cubans and Haitians: A Comparative Study of The New York Times. Available at: http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0010546/celeste_m.pdf (Accessed: 13 December 2017).
Wikipedia (2017) Stereotypes of Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_Hispanic_and_Latino_Americans_in_the_United_States (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
The Guardian (2016) Disney depiction of obese Polynesian god in film Moana sparks anger. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/27/disney-depiction-of-obese-polynesian-god-in-film-moana-sparks-anger (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
New York Times (2016) Breaking Stereotypes of Alaska’s Inuits. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2017/03/08/blogs/breaking-stereotypes-of-alaskas-inuits/s/09-lens-inuit-slide-L73X.html (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Wikipedia (2017) Stereotypes of African Americans. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_African_Americans (Accessed: 13 December 2017)
Nagi, A. N. (2014) How The Media Stereotypes Latinas That Need to Stop. Available at: http://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/advice/a5403/latina-media-stereotypes/ (Accessed: 14 December 2017).
Natalie Brown 