Male Gaze

What is the male gaze?

The concept of gaze is one that deals with how an audience views the people presented.
For feminists it can be thought of in 3 ways:

• How men look at women
• How women look at themselves
• How women look at other women

the male gaze is so pervasive in advertising and the media that it is assumed or taken for granted. Females are shown offering up their femininity for the pleasure of an absent male spectator.

Gaze and feminist theory

Laura Mulvey coined the term 'Male Gaze' in 1975. She believes that in media, the audience have to 'view' the characters from the perspective of a male. The male gaze occurs when the camera puts the audience into the prospective of a heterosexual man. For instance, it may linger over the curves of a woman's body. Laura Mulvey's essay also states that the female gaze is the same as the male gaze. This means that women look at themselves through the eyes of man. For example, if a celebrity or model is shown and has a good, healthy body that they show off, women may look up to them as a role model, inspiration, or jealousy. However, alternatively, if a woman is not happy with her body it is almost cruel for her to think and to desire to be beautiful just to be satisfied or appreciated by men/a man. This is a common occurrence as it is seen in a lot of films where there is a slight camera shot or angle where it outlines the beauty of a woman or women, this sight is enjoyed by both men and women, and the same thing can occur when a man is presented and a man himself looks upon him in terms of inspiration or even jealousy.

However, male gaze or the feminist theory will not be used be used within my short film as the genre really doesn't suit it. My short film is about a realisation of how some people live their life's and what they have to go through, it is also about the desperate strive for escapism from certain feelings and thoughts through the protagonist of a young girl. Clearly, we can see that the male gaze will not be happening.