Collective identity theory

The soap opera advert that will be created is the represent ion of teenagers as a social group. In the advert there will be different stereotypes of teenagers for example geek, chav, rebellious, popular local stud and independent. Teenagers are seen in many different ways and most teenagers have labels put on them for example chav, this suggests they are expected to act and look a certain way to go with the stereotypes. The media makes teenagers look at themselves the way the media has represented them as. Many TV shows like soap operas, sitcoms and the news all build up this image of teenagers which is exaggerated and influences the audience to view teenagers in this way. For example the character Gaz (Gary) in Hollyoaks is described as the village menace, he has harassed many people, got expelled from school and attempted to assault Nancy. Overall he is not described as the nicest teenager and people make assumptions that all teenagers are like that.

In the new soap advert, there is going to be a catwalk where different stars of the new soap will walk down. All the characters will be dressed and will act a certain way to show which stereotype they belong to. Teenagers are very aware of their bodies and image, also they are image conscience so the catwalk will show the audience what teenagers are like and the characters. All teenagers can relate to each character because most teenagers are conscience about their image and want to look their best. Catwalk are a good example of how people can show their character and image to give the audience an introduction to the new soap. Each character will walk a certain way and the camera shots and the editing will represent each character to their chosen stereotype.