Target Audience and Representation

As they can also be referred to as 'chick flicks', the stereotypical target audience for romantic comedies is young women.  The films play up to this audience, as a stereotype of women states they are obsessed with relationships and this reinforces why they watch films about relationships and very often portraying the film from the women's perspective. The characters in the films are often young, so this makes the audience feel more connected to the characters and making them feel more realistic. However, this means an unstereotypical female is less likely to watch romantic comedies as they are not obsessed with relationships.

Other stereotypes of women are:

• Weak
• Attractive
• Kind
• Part of a group (family, friends, work)
• Passive
• Emotional
• Obsessive over relationships

Using the uses and gratification model (Blumler and Katz) states the reason why we may consume certain media:

• Information
• Personal Identity
• Social Interaction
• Entertainment

Relating this to romantic comedies, females may watch it to compare themselves to the characters or see them as role models. (personal identity) Personal identity also includes finding reinforcement for current values if they are present in the media.

• They may also use it as social interaction, as romantic comedies are social films with people in different social situations, and therefore could be a substitute of real company for some of the audience.
• They could also be watched for general information about social situations, dating and similar things as they are an accessible media that covers all these topics.
• People are less likely to watch romantic comedies for entertainment as they are realistic films and therefore do not offer much in escapism, compared to a genre like Fantasy for example.