Common Stereotypes- Age

Teenagers

There are many different varieties of the common stereotype of a teenager. The most common perhaps is that teenagers are anti-social, immature and violent. Sometimes this behaviour is portrayed through teens in TV dramas through underage sex, drugs and partying. This representation of teenagers is explored through the character Rudy in Misfits, who is immature and is intimidating to the younger, quieter teens in the programme.

However, there are other common stereotypes of teenagers that people forget as they just focus on the anti-social behaviour side of some teens. Simon is another character from Misfits who explores these other stereotypes, such as being self-conscience, quiet, insecure and being bullied.

As a group they represent the first stereotype we mentioned, as they go out and party, they cause violence, vandalise property and are generally anti-social. They have probation workers which the teens do not communicate well with, this suggests that they have little respect for adults, that they can’t be bothered to listen to them and are generally lazy.

Across the group they represent the different common stereotypes of teenagers, how they’re diverse and how they interact with others.

Middle-aged adults

There are plenty of different common stereotypes of this age group. Most commonly they are represented as wanting to be young, and going through a mid-life crisis. This stereotype is explored through characters in Eastenders such as Phil Mitchell and other adults who still like to go to the pub.

As teens they can sleep around and party, whereas now they’re adults it is stereotypical that some men still want the freedom they had when they’re young so they cheat on their partners. This can lead to another stereotype of people getting divorced due to problems such as this in their relationships. This is shown through characters in Eastenders such as Max Branning & Tanya Cross (formerly Branning) who split up after Max cheated on her with a younger woman (Stacey Slater).

These wannabe teenagers are now settled down in families and dealing with teenagers themselves. It is stereotypical that by the time you’re middle-aged your life is mainly focused on your family. This is shown through Bianca Butcher (formerly Jackson) who has 4 children, including Whitney Dean, and her life is therefore mainly focused on looking after them.

Elderly

Elderly people have many different common stereotypes. The most common perhaps being that they are grouchy, have bad hearing and can’t walk very well. They also don’t like young people as they find them immature, rowdy and intimidating. This stereotype is represented through Grantley in Waterloo Road who was quite grouchy and had little tolerance for bad behaviour from the teenagers.

Another common stereotype is that the elderly are the heart of the community, are caring and wise. This is explored through the character of Dot Branning in Eastenders who is very much at the centre of the community; many people visit her, care about her and go to her for advice (showing that she agrees with the stereotype of being wise). She cares about people in the community and tries to help them.

Sometimes the elderly are shown on TV to be the opposite of these stereotypes for comedy value as it turns what the audience expects of them upside down, and that is humorous. But overall they are portrayed in these common stereotypes mentioned before.

By Bekki Green and Sophie Marlowe