Male Representation in the media

Male representation

CW's Arrow

In the first episode during his training there's split lighting in his face which shows the split in the character, which highlights his split personality almost but also his double life when he shows his face in the day until he masks it at night. This lighting also shows his darker and more ruthless side, these ideas are emphasised further by his facial expression which has no emotion that makes him appear dominant and imposing in the video that shows us how much power he has. These elements help to reinforce the traditional stereotype of power and dominance that men typically have in the media.

However in this shot it shows Oliver (Stephen Amell) is shown to be weak, his facial expression shows the weakness to his character, this could be a sign of the internal struggle of his character from the context of the episode. The receding light and the shadow engulfing Oliver further emphasises the slow loss in his humanity which is further, this challenges the typical stereotype of men in the media as it almost shows the weakness of the character, when the stereotypical form of men is showing strength and dominance in many circumstances which means that this scene contrasts to the stereotype of men that is usually presented by the media.