Compare how the unseen advertisement and the advertisement for Super.Human represents disability [30]
In your answer you must:
• consider the similarities and differences in how social groups are represented
• consider how stereotypes can be used positively and negatively
• make judgements and draw conclusions about how far the representations reflect social and cultural contexts.
Both adverts construct a representation where disability is presented as a strength rather than a weakness, however towards the beginning of both advertisements still follow hegemonic representations of stereotypes in order to create a powerful binary opposition. In this essay I shall argue that a complex and confusing mode of address is used to represent disability through the use of media language and hegemonic representations used throughout the advert.
Super. Human. Is an advert created by 4Creative and distributed Channel 4 for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics which were actually held in 2021. In the advert, a complex representation of disability is constructed through the several binary oppositions constructed throughout the advert. One example of a binary opposition constructed within the advert is the background song of ‘So You Wanna Be A Boxer’ from Bugsy Malone, which repeats the lyrics “you might as well quit”. A binary opposition is where a producer puts two opposing things in contrast with each other to emphasise the difference, and this was argued and theorised by Levi-Strauss. Throughout the advert, the producer has portrayed their ideology that these Paralympians are strong and able and this is shown through the use of close up shots which show the sweat and determination on these athletes faces, as well as being reinforced through the use of a tracking shot when a Paralympian is lifting weights, and almost seems to the audience as if he is lifting us. The negative connotations of the lyrics ‘you might as well quit’ makes the audience interpret the athletes as being weak and incapable, however the producers have undermined this representation by showing the determination of the athletes as mentioned earlier. Disability has been presented in Super. Human. As empowering and presents the athletes as capable, regardless of the hegemonic norms in society.
The 'Assume That I Can' advertisement was created for World Down Syndrome Day in 2024 to create a positive representation of people with down syndrome. Throughout the advert, a binary opposition is created between the hegemonic representation of disability and the way the advert constructs these representations in order to change the audiences perception of disability. One example of a way that a binary opposition is constructed is through difference in lexis and language spoken by the model. Towards the beginning of the advertisement, the model uses basic and restricted language to represent the lack of education people with down syndrome are given which reinforces the ideologies of the producers dislike of the way people with down syndrome are presented. However, as the advert progresses to about half way through, the language begins to expand and even features some swearing, which is designed to startle the audience to make the message more memorable. Another binary opposition is created through the change in lighting within the advert to symbolise the change in representation as the advert progresses. Towards the beginning of the advert, where the actress is brushing her teeth, a softer and brighter lighting is used and this has connotations of being more childlike and basic, and this is further anchored through the actress wearing pyjamas which presents her as juvenile. As the advert progresses, the actress is shown in places with low-key lighting which presents her as more rebellious, and the contrast between the brightly-lit bathroom and the dimly-lit nightclub presents her as more exciting and contradicts the hegemonic negative representation of people with down syndrome in society.
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