How are identity groups portrayed in mass media and pop culture, and are they receiving proper recognition? The reason this research topic interests me because recent controversy has risen over the Oscars' lack of diversification and its mass media coverage. In this controversy, the majority of the Oscar nominations and awards were overwhelmingly in the Caucasian ethnic group with little to no recognition attributed to minority ethnic groups. The nominations and awards are more unsettling due to the fact that films are becoming increasingly inclusive of multiple races and also because of the outrage of the public. The public response was vastly unenthusiastic in that there was a trending belief of obvious contenders being snubbed out of what they deserved. The recent controversy and research topic causes me to question the entertainment industry and who else is not being recognized. In addition, the controversy made me question if identity groups are portrayed in a way that is apt to its respective identity group (i.e. minorities, gender portrayal, lgbt community, physically challenged). The research topic causes me to value equal representation more even though I have no ties or qualifications on this subject. Adversely, my lack of acclaim towards this subject also interests me.

The central claim of the first gender source is that there is a stereotypical view of the different sexes in media in that it is expected and almost one-dimensional. The author draws from several forms of mass media including popular television shows and notable works of literature on feminism and masculine theories. In one of the chapters, the author depicts how women, as officers, are looked upon as the "nurturer/caregiver when questioning a young male suspect as opposed to the aggressive techniques used by the male officers". This is a clear show of how society views the female gender in contrast to the male counterpart who is commonly "a textbook example of hegemonic masculinity". The author, Adrienne M. Trier-Bieniek, PhD., is a sociologist, author, editor and an online magazine writer. She has a remarkable resume with a history of academic positions and publications. With that in mind, her resume also favors feminism.

The central claim of the first race source is that there is still an under-representation of minorities in popular films. The author relies on statistics derived from reputable sources such as the U.S. Census, and organizations such as the Motion Picture Assn. of America. The article focuses on the negative portrayals of the minority ethnic groups by elaborating on the fact that the majority of all speaking characters in movies are of the Caucasian ethnic group. The minority ethnic groups on the other hand are misrepresented, "Hispanic women, the study found, are the demographic most likely to be shown nude or in sexy attire; black men are the group least likely to be portrayed in a committed relationship".  There also is a statement on how a strong correlation between the race of a film's director and the race of the cast. The author, Rebecca Keegan, is a writer for the Los Angeles Times. She also appears on KPCC as a regular commentator on Hollywood in a segment called "On the Lot With Rebecca Keegan."

The central claim of the first debility source is that "while it's promising to see more obese Americans represented on television, it's imperative that these representations be free from stereotypes and ridicule". The author unfortunately did not cite any resources. The article heavily emphasizes on how the media represents the obese in that there is a substantial bias on weight. This bias shows that the obese are often teased or single or seen indulging oneself, not to mention that the personalities of said characters are that of being pathetic and unruly. The author also argues that the media blames the victims, as in the America's weight problems are completely self-inflicted. The author is Chelsea Heuer, MPH, who is a Research Associate at the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University. She conducts research aimed at reducing stigma and discrimination for persons affected by obesity. As she is a research assistant for obesity, her research is geared against fat-shaming.

The research question is arguable in that one could argue that this topic's premise is not encompassing all identity groups, or the inverse where the topic is too vast. All of my resources suggest that there is a strong correlation between the entertainment industry and typecasting identity groups. The differences between the sources is who are being type casted. The different perspectives of the sources give me a better understanding of what is going on in popular culture. I might revise my question to include more identity groups if the resources aren't specific enough or focus my question to an aspect of the question, like discrimination.

