Representation of social class in tv dramas

1. REPRESENTATION
OF SOCIAL CLASS
IN TV DRAMAS
HANNAH HALLIDAY

2. STEREOTYPES OF
THE UPPER CLASS
• Rich
• Posh
• Snobby
• Superior
• Well dressed
• Intellectual
• Well spoken
• Own lots of properties

3. STEREOTYPES OF
THE MIDDLE CLASS
• Owns their own home- medium sized
• Plays golf
• White collar workers- managerial roles
• Or may have a successful small business
• Well educated
• They wear suits
• Financially stable
• They have a car
• Church-goers

4. STEREOTYPES OF
THE LOWER CLASS
• Selfish and rude
• Alcoholics
• Criminals
• Dependent on benefits
• School dropouts
• Scruffy/ rough
• Live in high crime areas
• They do what they want and don’t care for others
• Blue collar workers- work in factories etc.

5. HOW IS SOCIAL CLASS
REPRESENTED IN TV
DRAMA?
Upper Class
Downton Abbey- The upper class are rarely portrayed in a
negative light.
They dress smartly and they are well groomed. The men
wear suits while the women wear expensive dresses that
look of a good quality.
Their body language is very pleasant: they walk gracefully
and quite slowly making them seem more important than
the rest. Also, they sit up right rather than slouching which
looks unprofessional.
Angles used in this programme when portraying the upper
class usually include many high angled shots. This is
because it is trying to show the upper class looking down
on other people because they have a higher hierarchy.

6. HOW IS SOCIAL CLASS
REPRESENTED IN TV
DRAMA?
Middle Class
Modern Family- we tend to see the middle class as keeping
themselves to the themselves.
They dress smartly with normal casual clothing. They seem
to have a well off lifestyle. They are not as rich and wealthy
as the upper class but they are financially stable.
They live up to the stereotypes that are made towards the
middle class- they own their own homes, they are well
educated and they usually own their own car.
This is shown in this TV drama of Modern Family.

7. HOW IS SOCIAL CLASS
REPRESENTED IN TV
DRAMA?
Lower Class
Eastenders- We tend to see the lower class being
portrayed in a negative light.
They don’t dress very well, they look quite scruffy and
unpresentable. It is very rare that we see them smartly
dressed.
We see them badly behave most of the time and they
always seem to have a drama going on in their lives.
Their body language isn’t like those of the upper class
as they have a slouched body posture most of the time
and they tend to make very little eye contact with one
another.