Research Methodology The Representation of white upper class female.

The interesting issue of this movie that the two major women characters, Ava and Tanzie, those two major characters were considered have same characteristic as modern white people. Ava and Tanzie had some characteristics to represent white people in general. In America, the white people identically with night life and glamour, in America we know certain people who have glamour life is called as jet set society, jet set society is recognized as special society, because they only don’t have much money and power but usually they also have influence to their country. Based on this consideration the writer is interested to raise the issue about the glamour society in America who is represented by Ava and Tanzie. Using the theory of representation the writer would like to analyze whether the characters of Ava and Tanzie represent the glamour white people especially in America, finally through those considerations the writer decides to entitle this thesis “An Analysis of the Character of Ava and Tanzie on Materials Girls Movie”.

B. Research Methodology

The writer uses qualitative method with a descriptive analysis. The writer watches the movie of Material Girls captures of the scene and analyze of Ava and Tanzie’s character in Material Girls movie. Data analysis in this research is using the representation theory. The writer would analyze the data by analyzing the main character in Material Girls movie. The instrument of the research is the writer itself as a subject by reading, collecting data from any references of books, browsing internet. The writer technically takes the media that considered important for the research. The unit of analysis in this research is source of film entitled Materials Girls movie directed by Martha Coolidge and released in America in 2006.

C. Theoretical Framework

In this research the writer uses the theory of Representation to understand the person who represents a group in this sense may also serve a symbolic function. The theory of Representation which is used in this research is the theory of Stuart Hall, which is related to re-present the event which has already occurred, it presents the occasion again. The writer chooses Representation theory of Stuart Hall as references to analyze the character of Ava and Tanzie.

1. Character and Characterization

A story cannot be called as a story without any characters in it. In narrative or dramatic and film works. It usually uses the term characters and characterizations. In the theory of characters and characterization, usually many authors will take two ways or methods to provide and consider the character in their film. Character is presumably an imagined that inhabits a story. Most stories feature a central character, usually we recognize, in the main character of the story, human personalities that become familiar to us. If the story seems true of life we generally find that its character act in a reasonably consistent manner and the author has provided them with motivation. A character on the stage who can present no convincing argument or information as to his past experience, his present behavior or his aspirations, nor give a comprehensive analysis of his motives is as legitimate and as worthy of attention as one who, alarmingly, can do all these things. The more acute the experience the less articulate is its expression. 1 It can be seen from the role and story the importance of character in a story, there is important pertained of character and presented to be continuous so that felt predominates some of stories and conversely. So character is people or human whosoever what does certain the actual of story either that is human or non-human. Typically, character actors lack some of the stereotypical physical attributes associated with stars. A character actor may be very short or very tall, heavy or thin, balding, or simply unconventional-looking... A character actor is usually playing a character that does not go through a major change in the course of the movie. They tend to help the leading character aspire the major change that always occurs to himher. 2 Characters in fiction are customarily divided into several types. Round and dynamic character are more lifelike. They exhibit greater subtlety in terms of behavior and motivation. They have dimension hence round. Round characters, however, present us with more facets-that is, their authors portray them in greater depth and in more generous detail. Strictly speaking, a dynamic character is on who undergoes some significant change during the course of the event related. He or she is generally rounded. However, not every rounded character is dynamic. Major character are likely to be round, while minor characters are apt to be flat. Thought the play’s language and the actions of the characters, readers learn 1 Ronald Hayman, Techniques of Acting: United State, 1971. p. 71 2 ttp:www.experiencefestival.comaCharacter_actor_-_Definitionid4911272 whether the players are multi-dimensional characters, skimpily developed characters, characters whose main purpose is to shed light on more important character. Characterization is the means by which writers present and reveal character. 3 Character creation is the art of characterization what the author does to bring a character to life, to provide the reader with a sense of that character’s personality, to make that character unique. Authors can characterize or develop a character directly or indirectly. In direct characterization, the narrator or a character summarizes or tells the reader what another character looks like or what kind of person he or she is. In indirect characterization, narrators and characters describe, with out comment, a character’s appearance or dress. In this way they suggest something about the character’s personality. A character’s repeated gesture or a facial tic, for example, may imply a character’s arrogance or nervousness. 4

2. The Representation

Stuart Hall, one of the founders of culture studies in Britain and a leading contributor to many of debates in cultural studies since the 1970s. Stuart Hall is a modern British communications researcher, his most famous study being his work on the Model of Communication. Hall believed that all texts any piece of media or art including aspects of video, audio or written information are embedded with meaning by the creator of such a text. The meaning is what the creator wants people to understand from the information- what the point of the piece is. The creator is titled the encoder. 5 3 Ibid. pp.54-55 4 Ibid. p. 95 5 Stuart Halls communication modelEverything2_com.htmWed Nov 15 2008 at 14:04:52 Stuart Hall has given many contributors in cultural studies. One of his theories is the representation. The representation is one of the key practices by which meaning are produced. There are three possible senses to the word ‘represent’. • To ‘represent’ meaning to stand in for, as in the case of the country’s flag, which when flown at a sporting event, for example. Signals that country’s presence at the event. The flag stands for symbolizes a nation, distinguishing France from China or Ireland from the USA. In Britain, the Royal Standard represents symbolizes the royal family and the institution of monarchy. • To ‘represent’ meaning to speak or act on behalf of, as in the sentence ‘A spokesperson on behalf lesbian mothers voiced the concerns of the group on television. ‘Members of parliament represents represent the concerns of their constituents. A person represents a group in this sense may also serve a symbolic function. • To ‘represent’ meaning to re-present. In this sense, a biography or historical writing re-represent the events of the past. Equally, a photograph re-represents a moment or event which has already occurred-it presents the occasion again. A photograph or painting can also, of course, represent someone or something in the sense of standing in for. Posters of rock stars, religious paintings and public statues all fulfill this function. 6 6 Giles, Judy and Tim, Middleton. Studying Culture. A Practical Introduction. Oxford Blackwell Publisher Ltd 1999.P.56-57.

3. The stereotype of white upper class female

A stereotype the upper class female is leveled at a socio-economic and ethnic class of American women who exhibit particular traits thought common to their group. The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This is in contrast to the term lower middle class who is used for the group at the opposite end of the middle class stratum and the regular middle class. The American upper middle class is defined similarly using income, education and occupation as the predominant indicators. In the United States, the upper middle class is defined as consisting mostly of white collar professionals who not only have above-average personal incomes and advanced educational degrees but also a high degree of autonomy in their work, leading to higher job satisfaction. 7 It originally referred to the ever decreasing number of semi affluent and affluent middle-class and upper-middle class girls living in the bedroom community neighborhoods of San Fernando Valley; however, popular media often portrayed the stereotype as lower-middle class white girls in families climbing the socioeconomic ladder into white-collar jobs, and their trials to fit in with more educated, upper- class offspring. Due to changing demographics, it is an increasingly relevant as the age, ethnic, and economic class it referenced is becoming increasingly insular in its native territory, which no longer considers itself part of LA County. 8 7 http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiWhite-collar_worker 8 http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiAmerican_middle_classThe_professional.2Fmanagerial_middle_class

D. Research Finding

In this chapter, the writer analyzed the main characters, Ava and Tanzie in the film of The Material Girls. The writer would like to show the stereotype, the social live, the individual and the characteristic of white skin that showed in Material Girls movie.

1. Appearance

Actually, two main characters in Material Girls movie have a characteristic which is not different from white people but white people have physical matter that they have different than other people, we can see from the hair, eye and skin complexion. In this topic the writer wants to explain step by step about the hair, eye and the skin. Generally, white girls have flaxen haired. In the Material Girls movie that director wants to show or describe the physical of the white girl in his movie especially in America, because in the play of the main characters are girls. They want their hair look good and different each others because live style is important for making their life more comfortable. Every people in this world have different skin, hair and eye. Asian have brown eyes but the writer do not do research for Asian people. In the movie of Material Girls the writer sees also that the two major characters have fair complexion skin color is a quantitative trait that varies continuously on a gradient from dark to light, white people are archetypically distinguished by light skin 9 . White people in American English also Caucasian, see White American a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, 9 http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiWhitepeople accessed on 20-06-2009 at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin. Rather than a straightforward description of skin color, the term white also functions as a color terminology for race, often referring narrowly to people claiming ancestry exclusively from Europe. 10

2. Social Life

The writer wants to show how the social life in America especially white girl’s social life. In the movie of Material Girls showed the white girls social life is in Ava and Tanzie’s life such as living in jet-set society, glamour style in dressing up and being indifferent to other.

a. Jet-Set society

The interesting issue of this movie is the two major women characters, Ava and Tanzie, those two major characters are considered have same characteristic as modern white people. Ava and Tanzie have some characteristics that show as white people in general. In America, the white people identically with night life and glamour, in America we know certain people who have glamour life is called as jet set society, jet set society is recognized as special society, because they only don’t have much money and power but usually they also have influence to their country. White people in high class or in jet-set society have different with others low levels because in this movie they always showed their simple and practical activity. This is described by two characters in the film of Material Girls when they wish rent a room in one hotel. Almost many jet sets people they make transaction without pay every thing with cash, one both of them 10 http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiWhite_people accessed on 30-09-2009 give their credit card to the receptionist of the hotel for paying a room that they wish to rent.

b. Glamorous

Commonly, the major female characters in this movie have same characteristic, they like going to night club and wearing luxurious jewelry. It makes them seen so glamour. In general, white people like wearing luxurious jewelry and going the party at midnight. When both of them arrived in place of the event, they are greeted hilariously by the journalists who wish to expose them. The door of limousine opened by a Valet and directly greeted by a woman which beginning of women towards place of event which they will attend. From quotation above, they have a rose colored luxurious car when they go to an opening event. It is describing as glamour people.

b. Hard worker

White people are recognized as a hard worker. Mostly many people in America work to maintain their life. The writer tries to describe that it is true that white people are hard worker. Two major characters in Material Girls Ava and Tanzie describe white people that are recognized as hard worker. They character which are a hard-worker also can be saw through their effort to look for evidence required to save their company, They plunge direct to field to look for evidence without surrendering, they do impersonation to be able to take file in Tommy’s room and even Tenzie go through risk to look for evidence required, until Tanzie enter to prison by security because Tanzie carving a way though of the office.

c. Emotional

Beside that Ava is emotional person. The white people have an emotional character overly than the black people. We can get that information from the dialog below. Policeman : Tanzania Marchetta. Trespassing and attempted theft, that’s 20,000 bail. Ava : 20,000 What kind of criminal has 20,000? What is wrong with the justice system? Policeman : it ought to be peanuts for you, missy. Material Girls, 01:13:44,820 -- 01:13:49,223 From the quotation above between ava and police, we can see that ava was emotion, when she knows that she must pay the tax her sister about 20,000. The characteristic that was showed by Ava in Material Girls movie described the white people character generally. And Ava has represented the white people generally in Material Girls movie.

d. Materialists

The character of Ava is beside emotional Ava also the person who has a materialistic character. Materialistic person is the person who really happy with a luxurious things. The writer describes that Ava is a materialistic person, this is because she got a ring from Mic, she was really happy. It can be seen from this quotation below: Ava : it is huge. How romantic is he? Look at that He has such great taste. Tanzie : Ava, you picked that out Ava : well, yeah, but he likes it. Tanzie : do you like it. Ava : oh, yes. Material Girls 00:23:44, 67-- 024:48 From the quotation above we can conclude that Ava was very happy when she knows that Mic sends the diamonds ring, so that she adores Mic. What Ava did is described the character of materialistic person. Basically white people are sleazy about luxurious things. It can be seen from Ava’s character which represents the character of white people.

e. Careless

The character of Ava and Tanzie in Material Girls movie categorized as a careless person. This is because they can easily give their car to the person that they claimed a Valet, whereas they really don’t know the person before, it can be seen that Ava and Tanzie are careless person. This is because, when they wanted to sleep in Inez house, they give the car easily to the person whom they didn’t know. Their act can be called as doing careless.

f. Romantic

In this film the character of Ava described as a character which always makes surprised to another people, it makes Ava considered has a special in herself. She always gives praise to interlocutor, and she is welcome with the praise which is given by other people. Ava shows white people who have sense of romantic. It can be seen in this dialog below: Henry : hey sexy. Ava : hey counselor. Did I ever tell you? You look so great in men’s warehouse? Henry : come on, it’s Nordstrom’s, sales rack. Material Girls 01:30:37,331 -- 01:30:39,993 From the dialog between Ava and Hendry we can see that how Ava adore, Ava tries to say that clothes that he worn is very suitable. Here, we can see that the Ava’s romantic sense makes Henry feels happy. In this movie, she knows how to make another person happy with her words and her acts. It indicates that the character of Ava has a romantic sense. So, the character of Ava can be called as a representative of white people who have romantic sense.

g. Friendly

Generally friendly is one of the characters of white people, it can be seen when they have a higher function, they respect to say thank you with other people. In Material Girls movie, Tanzie has it. She is friendly with other people. although she has a higher function in her company, she respect to say thank you to other people who work there, and gives smile to valet in the office friendly. When Tenzie is being in the middle of prison and does conversation making friends with people who to stay one cell with her, though scene is scene where they just met for the first time for her. Tanzie : You know, cause if I could just get myself more organized... Women : You got some soft skin. Tanzie : Yeah. Women : Its Iike a babys. How you do that? Tanzie : Okay, the key to soft skin like mines exfoliation. Women : exfoliation. Tanzie : Yes. Now, laporscha, all of that makeup is really hard on your skin. You need to be kinder to your pores. . Material Girls: 01:13:00 We can see from conference they friendly though that is meeting they which are first. That Tanzie can do friendly with the criminal as well as Tanzie assists them by giving correct face cures. So it can conclude that white people are easy to make friends with they are new recognized.

B. The Representation of white upper class female.

The interesting issue of this movie is the two major women characters, Ava and Tanzie, those two major characters are considered have the same characteristic as modern white female upper class. Ava and Tanzie have some characteristics which they can be categorized as white people in upper class in general. From the descriptions that have explained before the writer sees in The Material Girls movie that many of white people in upper class can be seen from the hair, eye and skin complexion. In The Material Girls also manifests into several actions represent white people such as physical, they care and maintenance about their hair, eye and skin. Their daily treatments to be more special to other people in general, these actions are classified as physical treatment because these actions represented as white girls in America. Their lives are full of heritage and wealth because they live in upper class female. In this research the writer concludes that it was the symbol that being represented for symbolizes a white people style, distinguishing white people in upper class from middle class as the representation of white people. Commonly, the white people in upper class were almost dominated by the capitalist people, who have big company. The white people in the United States were forged primarily by White people, many of them have company and they were wealthy land-owners. As in The Material Girls movie on the main character Ava and Tanzie that they have company, they were rich girl, and they always in different style, have many relation to other people. Their wealthy which they had represents as the white people in upper class. These are the material that is used to represent the white people in America, distinguishing white people in upper class from middle class as the representation of white people. As whites are the dominant racial and cultural group, and white people culture constitutes the general cultural mainstream, causing non-White culture to be seen as deviant, in either a positive or negative manner. In The Material Girls movie the white people in upper class in America tend to be disproportionately represented in powerful positions, controlling almost all, economic, company and cultural institutions. Whites are most commonly unaware of their privilege and the manner in which their culture has always been dominant in the US. The American white people of life are individualistic, dynamic, and pragmatic. It affirms the supreme value and dignity of the individual. As in The Material Girls movie only the certain people who have glamour life is called as jet set society, jet set society is recognized as special society, because they only don’t have much money and power but usually they also have influence to their country. Therefore white people in high class have different to others levels because they are the privileged people and the upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the social group constituted by higher-status members of the middle class. This represents the main characters Ava and Tanzie in the Material Girls movie as white people high class such as living in jet-set society, glamorous. From these two main characters Ava and Tanzie in The Material Girls movie are symbolize the culture of white people style and the American Way of life. The writer concludes that it was the symbol of a person represents a group in this sense may also serve a symbolic function that being represented for symbolizes a white people style, distinguishing white people in upper class from middle class as the representation of white people.

E. Suggestion