Our Girl - Representation Task

Representation

Our Girl aims to break stereotypes with its representation of women in the military, however, whilst focusing on this with its main character Georgie Lane, it manages to conform to stereotypes in its other characters and classes.

The Terrorists manage to conform to their stereotype almost entirely. One of the key reasons for this is by making almost all of them of African, Asian or Middle Eastern descent (with the only exception being one terrorist formally from London), complete with the corresponding stereotyped accents. They also conform to the modern stereotype of being a Muslim radicalised group, even complete with the almost parodied repetition of 'Allahu Akbar' as a sort of war cry. The costumes also conform to the stereotype, with their clambered-together desert-like dress, complete with a balaclavas and weaponry typical to the terrorist stereotype (AK-47s etc). The terrorists' actions also conform to the stereotypes, with threats of beheadings and video messages being sent out (a stereotype also conformed to in Iron Man).

The military characters also conform to the stereotype, despite expanding the range of races and genders in its ranks by including women as well as people of black or Asian decent. They mostly conform to the hardened, expert and loyal soldiers portrayed in the usual stereotype, even down to the inclusion of tattoos on many soldiers' bodies. It also mimics the camaraderie usually presented between soldiers with the 'no man left behind' motto and the banter occurring between the soldiers.

Despite the show trying to break society's stereotype of women by having a strong female lead, who also is a soldier (a break from society's norm), the show falls into many other stereotypical roles for women, mostly with their other female character, Kicki. Through the character of Kicki, they portray the usual stereotypes of women being weak and giving up, as she refuses to attempt to escape, whilst also following the stereotype that women moan too much, as she spends most of her screen time complaining. Even the main character Georgie is guilty of following stereotype, as she spends a segment of the episode thinking about the men in her life and being love struck. Whilst this isn't enough to fail the Bechdel Test, this still falls into a stereotyped pitfall. Georgie is also shown to be the victim in parts, especially in the opening scene.


To conclude, this show tries (and partially succeeds) to break the stereotypes of our society, however, through the portrayal of terrorists, the military and parts of its portrayal of women, it falls straight back into other stereotypes.

Textual Analysis

Camera Work: The camera work helps to present these stereotypes. It does this for the terrorists by using several shots to establish their power. When the antagonists first show up, a point of view shot is used, so that the viewer feels in on the action, making them surprised and scared, like the characters. It also uses low shots of them to make them look powerful and intimidating, along with a tracking shot of their leader to show him as a powerful onscreen presence. This presented power mimics the stereotype for terrorists even further.
It reinforces the victim stereotype using the camera work as well. It does this by using close-up hand held camera on the protagonist to show her confusion and panic with her acting as the victim. There are also close tracking shots of the protagonist as she is dragged away, to show how confusing and distressing the situation is for her, making her appear as the victim. There is also a PoV shot near the end of the opening, as she is being loaded on to the truck, showing that she has been defeated, showing her to be weak.

Sound: The diegetic sounds of shouting from the terrorists further adds to the stereotype presented, showing them to be rowdy and intimidating. When the sound focuses to the diegetic dialogue of the terrorist leader, this draws attention to him as the only one with a plan, mimicking that stereotype. The non-diegetic music used adds to the tension by building up during the terrorist's attack, adding to the fear that they create.
The diegetic sounds that Georgie makes, like screaming, panting and panicked noises, portray her as the victim of the situation, further conforming to the stereotype. The non-diegetic sound of the music gaining volume as the scene concludes creates the feeling of Georgie's fear, showing her as the victim of the situation.

Editing: The editing also adds to the stereotypes presented in the representation. Most of the editing involves quick cuts from different shots, to make the editing fast paced, so it appears tense, action-packed and stressful. This makes adds to the terrorists stereotyped fear-mongers, as well as reinforcing Georgie's woman stereotype, showing her to be the victim as she is stressed by the situation.
There is also a situation where the editing slows down to focus on the terrorist leader, reinforcing his stereotype as the only one with the plan.

Mise-en-Scene: The set shows a run-down and temporary environment, stereotypical of where the drama takes place. This reinforces Georgie's weak-willed women stereotype by showing a dangerous environment and making her the victim of the situation. It also reinforces the terrorist stereotype, by sticking in a stereotypical area.