CoNTeNT aNaLYSiS oF GeNDeR aND SeXuaLiTY!

The following document is going to examine the representation of youth sexuality. I am going to be content analysing the first series of ‘Skins,’ a popular TV show about teenagers in Bristol.
Content analysis is a qualitative method of carrying out research. It intends to be precise, reliable and objective. Content analysis is methodologically overt, so throughout the process every thing done needs to be noted. There are four main processes to content analysis. First of all finding the number of images which are going to be counted. Secondly, the categories for coding need to be worked out. The coding consists of applying a set of labels that are descriptive to what they mean to the images. The coding categories need to be recorded in a table or graph which is step three, and finally the results need to be analysed, so after the images have had codes attached to them, the results need to be collected and counted. Once the results have been counted, it is important to go back and apply it to your hypothesis or question in order to find out whether it proved right or wrong.
I am going to be downloading the episodes from 40D and analysing the first series, which includes 9 episodes that will make 9 hours of viewing. There are many visual images that I will be looking for and noting, for example, the act of kissing. Here I will be looking for kissing between characters with a romantic connection but not the kissing of friends or relatives. Instigation of sex. Clothing that is sexually suggestive, for example, short skirts, low tops, high heels and fish net tights. Body Language; physically suggestive displays of body parts, for example shots of legs or cleavage but not when displayed in sport. The discussion of sex. Innuendos; valid references to sexual behaviour or organs. Sexually suggestive behaviour, sexual suggestiveness, flirtatious behaviour intended to arouse sexual interest in others and finally sexualised presentation of the body, for example a character intentionally lying on their back in a provocative way but not whilst sleeping.
My hypothesis will be that heterosexuality will be represented as the ‘norm’ and I intend to look into how sexuality is represented and explore the issues around sexuality. The existing literature on youth sexuality that I will reviewing will be S.A. Batchelor et al. This was carried out on, ‘representing, young people’s sexuality in the youth media’ which addresses the gender differences towards sexuality. Jeffrey Weeks studies sexuality and he addresses heterosexual relationships as being natural. Another issue will be heterosexuality being a dominant factor in the formation of masculinity, an area which Jeffery Weeks has already studied. Sexuality is a dominant feature in identity and the construction of identity, David Gauntlett has written existing literature on this which I will review.
I have chosen to research this as the sexuality of youth is constantly saturated in mainstream media. It is always being debated within popular culture as there is much interest in the sexuality of today’s youth and in wider issues whether it follows patriarchal hegemony, and explores whether in such a post-modern world, are all sexualities represented in popular texts.


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