Shameless Representation -

As a class we discussed regional identity and sexuality, we started with sexuality as we decided it would be easier to define.

Stereotypical sexuality:

Gay man - camp, limp wristed, mincing walk, muscular, gay couple (one butch, one camp), loud, flamboyant, loves themselves

Straight man - insensitive, loves boobs, reads lad magazines, drinks beer, unhealthy, metrosexual (takes care of ones appearance, but is straight) - metrosexuality is becoming more and more popular among youths.

Stereotypical regional identity:

North - poorer, pubs and clubs, smaller houses (except for Cheshire etc), working class, accent - shortened words, tracksuits, uneducated, heavy drinkers, 1980's style, funny, naturally witty

South - richer, country clubs, golf clubs, big country estates/houses, upper class, proper English, suits, flat caps, sweater vests, gay, yachts, coastal lifestyles, extra money, cultured (museums, galleries)

After listing the characteristics of sexuality and regional identities we watched Shameless series 1, episode 1 as a class, this was an excellent example of a northern society living in a typical council estate area in Manchester in the present day, this episode was first aired in 2004. Sexuality runs throughout the episode showing the difference between straight and gay from the very first scene. 

In the opening of the episode, the audience are introduced to the Gallaghers, first of all with Frank, the father of the family, however his appearance and attitude towards life aren't typically fatherly. His voice then narrates about the children, firstly Fiona, the eldest, she is described as a 'massive help', secondly Lip, he is described as 'gobby' which explains why no one calls him Phillip, and he goes by the nickname, 'Lip'. Then there's Ian, who we're told is 'a lot like his Mam', followed by Carl who comes across as a crazy child, likes to do what he wants all of the time, then Debbie, who Frank describes as being 'sent from God' which insinuates that she's a goody two shoes and likes to help everybody all of the time, and finally, Liam the youngest, who looks adorably cute, but seems as though he could be a lot of trouble for a small child. The clip then goes on to show the community around a fire, which turns out to be a car that one of them has set alight, the police then stop their fun and they all run away, very suspiciously and guiltily. 

There are two brothers in the family, Lip and Ian, they are very different, Lip is straight - the normal stereotypical boy, keeps photos of naked women by his bed; Ian is gay, and Lip finds his stash of gay porn in their shared bedroom. Obviously at first Ian is embarrassed and doesn't know what to do with himself when Lip confronts him about it, for a poor family on a council estate to have a gay son wasn't the most common occurrence. 

There were many hints that Ian was gay before Lip found his folder of gay porn photos, he had a Kylie Minogue poster about his bed, he's not ashamed of crying (which most straight guys are) however he's not visually stereotypical at all, but then he wouldn't be able to afford designer clothes (typical of gay men) as they live in a council house in Manchester. Lip however gives off the stereotype of being straight immediately, he has sexual encounters more often than Ian does, he makes humour out of them and tells all his friends - he also boasts about it and exaggerates to make it sound more incredible than it was.

The other couple featured in the clip of the episode that we watched are Steve and Fiona, Fiona meets Steve at a club one night, they both expect it to be a 'one night stand' it seems, Steve goes out of his way to bump into her outside and then offers to get Fiona and her friend a drink. Instead, he goes back to Fiona's house with her and they end up having a literal, 'one night stand'.
The viewer immediately knows that these two characters are both straight, firstly as they're both attracted to each other, and you can see this through body language and speech. Steve has a low level of speech when he speaks to Fiona when they're alone, there is romantic music playing while he speaks to her; Fiona makes 'random noises' during their sexual encounter, the script writer has used intertexuality from Monty Python, as this originally happened in this previous film.

The regional identity is mainly shown within their accents, they all have northern Manchester accents to show where their from, and they live on the 'Chatsworth Estate' which at the start we see in detail. It doesn't look like the type of place that a rich person would live in, or even visit for a start; their clothing also looks like hand-me-downs or maybe jumpers Frank's had for ten or more years. Plus Frank's a single father as the mother ran off years ago, this then causes Fiona to become like a mother figure, particularly to Carl, Debbie and Liam as they're not old enough to care for themselves fully. This could be another stereotypical factor of the north, that there are more single parent families than in the south, also in the north there are more children than the south. 

The mise en scène within the episode shows simply the area where they're from, giving the advantages and disadvantages purely visually. The lighting is bright making it look like a happy atmosphere during the opening, however the sun isn't out which reflects on the weather stereotypically being more sunny and warmer in the south than the north. The houses and blocks of flats seem small and cheap as the area is catering for the poorer majority of Manchester, this shows typical council houses all over the country. The camera angles at the very beginning when Frank falls to the floor show the audience what his children can see when they're looking down on him as they all gather above him, this then switches quickly to what Frank would be seeing if he looked up at them. This is vital as it shows continuity and makes the cinematography look clean and sleek.