Skins clip- representation of class and status through mise-en-scene (hair and makeup)

Skins clip- representation of class and status through mise-en-scene (hair and makeup)

Firstly, the main male character has long hair which for a male could represent that he cannot afford to have it cut or doesn’t take pride in his appearance as he is shown to be lower class. It could also give the audience an insight into his occupation (if he has one) as this style of hair would generally not be seen to be working in a formal type of work for instance office work or as a professional businessman.

His hair is shown to be greasy, like it has been unwashed for a long period of time. This could represent how he is unhygienic which a stereotype of people who are lower class is. It could also show that he cannot afford the basic necessities of life like shampoo and cleaning products.

Makeup on this character is not obvious however it could have been used to give the effect that the man is old or tired or even that he is drunk which is how he is represented throughout the clip because of his slurred speech. Lower class people are stereotyped to drink a lot of alcohol, so this use of makeup also links into this idea.

The first young girl we see has a baby and this representation of stress is shown through how her hair is loosely tied back because it gives the idea to the audience that she is too busy with her baby to bother with taking time to enhance her appearance.

Her makeup is fairly simple again showing that she hasn’t got the time to bother with her looks. However, the makeup that has been used enhances her age to the audience and gives the impression that she, herself, is young. Again this is a stereotype of lower class people because by making the character look young it represents her as an underage mother.

Both of the teenage boys in the clip have simple shaven hair, which is typical to be shown through young people. It could show how they are represented to be lazy as it is a hairstyle that doesn’t need lots of work to keep the style. It is also a hairstyle that is typical to be used by prisoners or antisocial youths which again stereotypes the class that they live in to cause trouble or be unruly.