Towie

The representation of regional identity in The Only Way Is Essex

In the Clip from The Only Way Is Essex, men from Essex drive around in flashy white cars, whilst the women go to beauty salons, conversations about relationships also happen. This is a negative representation of people from Essex as they are represented as shallow, superficial and unintelligent. But this group of friends are also presented in a positive manor because they care for their family. But it is the negative representation that is exaggerated for the entertainment value of the viewers.
The use of mise-en -scene in this clip shows us the negative stereotypes of these people. The women are portrayed as shallow as they are covered in orange fake tan, have massive false eyelashes and false nails. This make us see that the all they are self absorbed and obsess over how they look. This reflects negatively on the characters as we think they only care about appearance and nothing else.
We are supposed to believe that Mark and Arg are very normal people but this is not the case. Mark and Arg drive around Brentwood in a white very flashy and expensive car. Their colour choice of the car is making a statement that the want to be noticed when they go out. This is a negative portrayal of the characters as we now think that they like to be the centre of attention and like to have everything revolving around them, thus they are very selfish.
This interpretation is supported by the use of an extreme close up on Marks muscles when he is in the gym. The extreme close up followed by a zoom out on to mark lifting weights is used to present Mark as a vain perfectionist who like is like the women and is shallow. This is presenting the idea that both men and women in Essex are equally both worried about what others think of them.
In contrast to the line of argument and the negative stereotypes of people from Essex, the uses of camera shots convey a sensitive and caring nature to the character. For