Representation

Representations ♡

Key themes of stereotyping and gender shown through Emmet and Wyldstyle

Emmet is the main male protagonist and both the film and the video game revolve around his transition from a normal, everyday guy to the hero that saves the world
"the story of a nobody, who saved everybody" - tagline
It supports the stereotype of men being the dominant gender, as the products focus on a man as the male character who become the hero.

Themes that subvert/challenge the stereotypical representation of men in media
countertype, because he is presented with a scared facial expression in the poster and in the trailer, he is portrayed as being unintelligent and anxious
He says in the trailer, 'I want to go home!'
Challenges the dominant stereotype that men are powerful and strong. Although Emmet is centred in the main poster, his facial expression is scared and he is running away from danger rather than facing it head on.

Wyldstyle
Does not adhere to beauty ideals. For example, she wears dark clothing, has unnatural hair colours, and has freckles, but she is still depicted as beautiful. This is important because women who challenge beauty ideals are often at times depicted as undesirable in the media.
Wyldstyle links to a post-feminist context of the entire franchise. She is represented as a strong, independent character who is equal to men and at times superior. This is supported in the main poster and character poster because she is clearly smirking, suggesting she is proud, confident and dominant, contrasting to the other characters in their main posters who seem to all look scared and anxious.

Vitruvius
His character is a noble wizard, with dark skin and a much older man.
He is represented as a wise and skilled fighter. This is important because often times in the media, people with disabilities are depicted as powerless, evil, less attractive or as overcoming a disability.

Analyse how representations of gender have been used in the Lego Movie advertising campaign to appeal to a younger audience?
The character of Wyldstyle challenges traditional gender stereotypes. In the main character poster for Wyldstyle, she has a side smirk. This suggests she is dominant and faces a challenge head on. Additionally, she has bright blue and pink streaks in her hair, connoting her independence, challenging the traditional way women are presented in media as weak and vulnerable. This appeals to a young target audience because young females can view her as a role model and believe that if she can be dominant and strong, then so can they.

The character of Emmet conforms to traditional stereotypes of the way men are presented in media. This is because he is the main protagonist who must save the world. This is highlighted by the tagline, "the story of a nobody, who saved everybody". However he subverts this stereotype because in the main movie poster for him, he has a scared facial expression and is running away from danger, instead of facing it. This is further highlighted because in the movie teaser segment of the trailer, he says "I want to go home!". This suggests that he is a regular person, meaning young audiences will relate to him and believe that they are a regular person like him and can save everyone.