Questions for Media Makers

Point out that in many cases, media makers don’t use stereotypes on purpose: they use them because they think their audiences expect them, because they are a part of the genre, or because they didn’t think to question the stereotypes they’re familiar with.

Ask the class: What questions do you think someone who writes a new fairy tale should ask to avoid common stereotypes?

Some possible examples:

• Does my hero have to be a prince or princess?
• If my character is a girl or woman, does somebody else have to rescue them?
• Do they have to be young?
• Does the enemy have to be old?
• If my character’s enemy is an animal, are those animals really like that?
• Does the hero succeed or fail just because they follow the rules (or don’t follow them)?
• Does it have to end with the hero and heroine getting married?

Now have students access the student chapter Questions for Media Makers and  come up with four to six questions they would like media makers in a particular genre to ask themselves so as to avoid using stereotypes without meaning to. Students may work individually, in pairs or in groups at your discretion.