This document discusses Laura Mulvey's concept of the "Male Gaze" in film. It explains that the Male Gaze refers to how women are viewed from the perspective of a heterosexual male in films. Specifically, the camera will linger on a woman's body and events involving women are presented in the context of a man's reaction. This relegates women to the status of objects for the male gaze rather than active subjects. The document also discusses how the Male Gaze concept has been applied to areas like music videos and advertising.

1. The Male GazeThe Male Gaze
Laura MulveyLaura Mulvey
““Visual Pleasure and NarrativeVisual Pleasure and Narrative
Cinema”Cinema”

2. What is the Gaze?What is the 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 three
ways:
• How men look at women,
• How women look at themselves
• How women look at other women.

3. Gaze and feminist theoryGaze and feminist theory
• Laura Mulvey coined the term ‘Male Gaze’
in 1975.
• She believes that in film, audiences have
to ‘view’ characters from the perspective
of a heterosexual male.

4. Features of the Male GazeFeatures of the Male Gaze
The camera lingers on the curves of the
female body, and events which occur to
women are presented largely in the context of
a man's reaction to these events.
Women are relegated to the status of objects.
The female viewer must experience the
narrative secondarily, by identification with the
male.

5. Music Video TaskMusic Video Task
• Watch the following videos and consider
the following questions:
1.Are the videos empowering or degrading?
2.Are the women in control?
3.Are the videos aimed at men or women or
both?
Give detailed reasons for your responses.

6. Use of the Male Gaze inUse of the Male Gaze in
everyday lifeeveryday life
Some theorists also have noted the
sexualizing of the female body even in
situations where female sexiness has
nothing to do with the product being
advertised.
Can you think of any examples of this?

7. Criticism of Mulvey and Gaze theoryCriticism of Mulvey and Gaze theory
Some women enjoy being ‘looked’ at e.g. beauty
pageants.
The gaze can also be directed toward members
of the same gender for several reasons, not all
of which are sexual, such as in comparison of
body image or in clothing.
Are there any ‘flaws’ in these arguments?

8. Categorising facial expressionsCategorising facial expressions
Women:
Chocolate box
Invitational
Super-smiler
Romantic or sexual
Marjorie Ferguson
(1980)
Men:
Carefree
Practical
Seductive
Comic
Catalogue
Trevor Millum
(1975)

9. Key theorist
Jonathan Schroeder (1998), “to gaze
implies more than to look at – it signifies a
psychological relationship of power, in
which the gazer is superior to the object of
the gaze.”

10. Spring Breakers femaleSpring Breakers female
empowerment vsempowerment vs sexualityuality
Watch the trailer and note down
examples of female empowerment and
sexuality.
Are they mutually exclusive?
Does Shroeder’s belief apply to this
trailer?