The British youth is one group of people who are represented in the media through many different methods. Young people around the country are portrayed by formation of their own identity in texts which give out messages of what might causes these identities.
One of the texts I will be writing about is the film ‘This Is England’ made in 2006, directed by Shane Meadows. It is about a boy named Shaun who has had a troubled upbringing and he forms a new identity when he comes across a group of skinheads who become his friends. Another short film that represents British youth is ‘About a Girl’. The girl is brought up in an industrial area and struggles to form an identity, which results in her having strong ambitions and influences. The last text that I will be discussing is the BBC TV drama ‘White Girl’ which tells the story of a girl who has been brought up in a fragmented family unit and when she moves away she takes on a new Muslim identity, which causes more problems within her family.
All of the texts which I am discussing include the theme of youth as a phase of identity formation. ‘This Is England’ represents this theme, through Shaun’s change of identity when he becomes part of a new group of friends after being bullied at school. Before, he met the skinheads he didn’t belong to any type of group or tribe. He was an example of “the unfinalised self” which relates to Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory that nobody’s identity is ever final, therefore is always changing and shifting. When he changes his identity he uses the bricolage method by trying on different clothes and brands to suit his self. Similarly, in ‘White Girl’ Leah begins to “try on” a new identity by becoming part of the Muslim religion. Her family strongly disagree because they are from a catholic background. The fact that her parents disrespect her decision drives Leah closer to her change of identity because she feels as if she doesn’t fit in or belong with her family traditions and lifestyle. In ‘About a Girl’ the idea of identity is portrayed slightly differently. The main character of the short film has no identity of her own, therefore her ambitions take over her lifestyle, and her idol ‘Britney Spears’ is her main influence, so her dream is to become exactly life her and take on her identity and lifestyle. The idea that our identity is always changing does apply to this film in a way, because the girl is still waiting to achieve her own identity formation.
Another theme that helps represent the British youth through the media is the idea of disenfranchisement. Shaun in ‘This is England’ is very alienated at the beginning of the film and many techniques are used to show how he is left out from the rest of society. The way in which he dresses is different from others at his school; therefore he is discriminated by other pupils. His alienation from the crowd forces him to form a new identity when he meets a new group of youths. The reaction he gets from his new friends makes him feel the opposite of the isolation he used to feel, so he takes on the ‘skinhead’ identity to help him start a new lifestyle. In contrast, Leah from ‘White Girl’ goes from being part of her family to part of another family when she tries on the Muslim identity. However, she feels as if she is finally part of something when she never truly felt that way within her family unit. Therefore, she is only alienated from her family when she takes on her new identity.
The family unit plays a big part in all three texts to portray the youth of Britain. They all put a negative view on families because they are torn apart or fragmented. In ‘About a Girl’ her parents are split, and she only sees her Father once a week so does not have a very good relationship with him. This is one of the reasons that the girl has a lost identity, because she has no solid family unit so she feels as if she has nothing that she belongs to. Similarly, In ‘This is England’ Shaun’s Father died in the war, so his Mother is forced to raise him as a single parent. This represents how many young people in Britain are brought up, and highlights the fact that it can cause them to lose their original identity if their family isn’t whole. In ‘White Girl’ the Mother and her three children leave the Father in the first episode, so immediately we get the idea that Leah lives in a troubled family unit which is breaking apart. This pushes her away from her normal lifestyle and forces her to form a completely different identity.
The theme of a damaged society and Britain being a broken country is portrayed in all of the three texts to act as a background lifestyle to the three youths who are represented in the media. In ‘About a Girl’ we see the girl walking through Manchester throughout the film while she is talking about her life. The industrial buildings and run down area reflects on the identity of the girl, as her identity has not yet been created so it is represented through the city itself which in some places looks as if it has not been finished or well done. The area in which Shaun lives in ‘This is England’ creates a typical British atmosphere through the use of grey skies and gritty landscapes. The town also looks quite run down, so this reflects on Shaun’s reckless behaviour when he picks up a wild new identity.
