The idea of representation is considered an experience or an alter reality. For instance, in this chapter, Stuart Hall compares media to water, in which "Like the media, the water cannot be a simple 'window' onto the real." In other words, Stuart Hall emphasizes the fact that in media— movies, television shows, etc., there is never a true representation of people or events. Furthermore, the media provides us with stereotypes, a way of perceiving a certain group of people. However, this image you are viewing is not always true or authentic. Stuart Hall dives deeper in the actuality that everything you see on screen is scripted and deliberate. As a result, the stereotypes or categorizations in these medias set boundaries. We conclude that the representations seen within a media is entirely accurate when in reality, it is more of an experience. For example, in the movie "Mean Girls" the various stereotypes produce a false representation of how certain people will behave and act. In the movie, Karen Smith portrays a "dumb blonde", a typical perception that blondes are only attractive human beings incapable of being smart. Ultimately, this representation can be damaging to the viewer as it restricts their understanding of the real world. According to the chapter, "These shared expectations are 'performed' with hugely different degrees of commitment, or subversion, by us, the 'actors'. They involve important images of how life may be lived, how to behave with others in particular situations, and so on. The highly conventionalized ways in which romantic encounters are often portrayed may make you feel you will know when ‘true love’ ‘hits’ you because you’ve seen its stages ‘scripted’ so many times."
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