Swag Episode

Media Representations Who is being represented?
In what way?
By whom?
Why is the subject being represented in this way?
Is the representation fair and accurate?
What opportunities exist for self-representation by the subject?

Ugly Betty: Betty is represented as a geek in every way- via her appearance as well her characteristics. She is shown to have thick spectacles, extra shiny braces and to add to this, thick frizzy hair! Betty is shown to be very hardworking as Daniel always relies on her and she is given tasks which are either difficult or jobs which are not liked and are considered to be tedious. However, despite Betty’s hard work and commitment to her job- she is not acknowledged at all, as others don’t know who she is.
Betty is also represented as a mother figure to Daniel and this role is further reinforced by Daniels father who says ‘protect him Betty’. Betty’s character is shown to be mother-like in other ways too, because in the swag episode, Betty sells her Gucci bag in order to obtain medicine for her father. This goes to show that she is very self-sacrificing as well mother-like as mothers usually are shown this way.
However, although Betty may be this geek/mother-like/ugly girl, this episode (swag) shows that she is followed by her ex-boyfriend whilst she also has feelings for Henry. By adding this, the program shows that even a geek girl has relationship troubles and that she is in fact like any other ‘normal’ person as she has feelings and troubles. Although it could be said that this is not a fair representation because ugly Betty has relationships, (which could be seen as inaccurate as people who are considered to be geeks are more likely to remain single), it can be argued that it is fair because she has relationships with geeks, and people who- like her are unattractive on the outside but have good personalities.

Willamina: she is represented as a classy sophisticated career woman who is very sly and cunning. She is shown to be the typical business woman in a ‘dog eat dog world’, as she only has her own interest at heart. Willmina is portrayed as a very duplicitous character in every way, as she pretends to be nice yet she manipulates situations to her advantage. For instance, in order to gain Daniels position, Willmina manipulates his father and tries to twist his mind against him. She is also shown to be attractive, which could also suggest her duplicity, as she looks pretty on the outside but on the inside she is not. Her character also suggests that being attractive is essential, as only attractive people are successful.
This representation is accurate as Willamina is shown to be career focused and she does represent business women who are harsh. Not only this but she has a daughter who she doesn’t spend time with due to her job. Overall, this is a fair representation and is accurate as there are females who put their career before everything else.

Amanda is represented as an attractive woman who is straightforward – as in the swag episode she makes it clear to Betty that she wants her Gucci bag and tries to trade. She also only cares about herself and makes this quite clear. She comes across as ditzy and weather this representation is fair and accurate is questionable as the audience may not view her character as realistic.