An Observation of The Representation of Age

An Observation of The Representation of Age - Rhys Wallett

In the media industry, there is a definite dichotomy between the different age groups, with stereotypes of all age groups limiting the potential character availability actors of said age groups can fulfill. For example, it is very rare that you would see elderly people dancing in a club unless it's for comedic effect, or a young person reading classical literature as said examples juxtapose the stereotypes associated respectively. 

If we are to use the trailer for Season 3 of Grace and Frankie as an example of the representation of both young and old people, we can see how Netflix have both tried to reinforce and subvert stereotypes surrounding the community, with a strong subversion being in the scene when the eponymous character Grace says "We make vibrators specifically designed for the older woman." as stereotypically, elderly women are supposed to have next to no sex life, partly due to the torso deteriorating but mostly because they're supposed to have no sexual desire. Therefore, the fact that the two stars of the show are creating a company which provides satisfaction for elderly women is a kick to the system and tells the audience that women of an advanced age still think similarly to the youth, and have the same 'needs' the youth feel they require.

Yet in that very same speech, while positive, Netflix has also represented the elderly as problem swamped and delicate such as how their product must "take into account their arthritis." and "tender vaginal tissue.". This can be polysemic however as a critic could argue that this represents the elderly (woman) as fragile, broken and wound down as they need these additions to allow the purpose of their product to be more easy to use and inclusive. On the other hand, a fellow critic may interject however that this is progressive in terms of how elderly woman are represented, as it shows how the elderly need to be considered more in our society and are not the conservative, dependant burdens millennials would stereotypically view them as.  

Let's continue our representation of the elderly woman through the scene which a mise en scene shows a duo shot of eponymous character Frankie and Brianna as in the medium close up, we see Frankie's costume having pragmatics of faith, ritual and casual due to her unflattering and open t-shirt, therefore this allows the ideology that the elderly are uncaring about their appearance  to be conveyed in the show, reinforcing the stereotype with similar description. This, therefore, tells their target audience to care less about how they dress, however you can also juxtapose this representation with the representation of the eponymous character Grace Hansen especially in the mid shot of Grace on the sofa in the business incubator which the mise en scene shows Grace wearing a blue suit which has connotations of respect, wealth and success. Therefore whatever stereotypes can be formed of elderly women in Frankie can be disproved with Grace.

However, when we look at how the youth are represented in Grace and Frankie, we can pull out more unusual decisions on Netflix's behalf on the representation of the young, especially the late 20's/ early 30's category. If we are to use Briana as an example, we can see in the park bench scene that she is wearing a suit of black and white which connotes sophistication and success. therefore Netflix has decided to make Briana's character belong to social demographic Class A which is interesting as this class is typically reserved for the middle-aged doctor and lawyers, earning thousands from being experienced in their chosen field. Therefore, Briana allows the ideology that young people can be prestigious and successful to appear, creating a progressive representation of the young and subvert the stereotype that the young are foolish, idiotic and lazy.

Plus, we can use the long shot with Mallory pushing a martini glass towards Grace to calm her down as an effective representation as the action has connotations of familiarity, as if certain it would be effective to stop Grace from attacking her meat, which is true. This shows that Mallory's character has adapted to her mother and learned how to evade her, which shows how she is smart enough to play her mother. This is effective as it can be argued as it reinforces the stereotype that young people care for the elderly and are smart enough to know how to effectively, therefore creating a progressive ideology for the youth.