The document discusses various theories around the representation of gender in media, including Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory and Lisbeth Van Zoonen's views on representation and objectification. Mulvey argues that women are framed from a male perspective in film and are styled for visual and erotic impact. Van Zoonen believes gender is constructed through media language and these constructions reflect patriarchal societies where the objectification of women is common. The document examines how these theories can be applied when analyzing media texts and their representation of gender.

1. Deconstruct the mediation of the representation of Halle Berry on each
magazine cover
•What selections did the producer make for her outfit, body language, colours,
camera angle?
•What is being focused on?
•What is the motive of the producer?
Mediation: The process of constructing and editing material in accordance
with the motivations of the producer.

2. Representation
Lesson 2: Representation and Gender

3. Learning Questions
• How is gender represented in the media?
• What is Lisbeth Van Zoonen’s theory?
• What is objectification and patriarchy?

4. Watch the
trailer here

6. Introduction to Laura Mulvey and The
‘Male Gaze’ Theory
Mulvey, a feminist, argues
that as a result of being
consistently framed within
the perspective of men,
women also find
themselves, at times,
utilising the male gaze.
Keywords/Terms
• Male Gaze
• Patriarchal
• Passive
• Voyeurism
Can you think of
examples of the
male gaze in any
media text or
platform.
“In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in
looking has been split between active (male) and passive
(female). The determining male gaze projects phantasy on
to the female figure which is styled accordingly. In their
traditional…role women are simultaneously looked at and
displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual
and erotic impact…”
Published in 1975

7. Who is the target
audience of the
Heat advert?
How have women
been represented?
How might
audiences respond
to this?
Article about the banned
advert

8. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory
• Though the presence of a woman in
mainstream film is vital, she is only
decorative, an ornament who is not central
to the narrative. Her character is relegated
to the incidental.
• Often a female character has no real
importance herself, it is how she makes the
male feel or act that gives her relevance.
• The female therefore only exists in relation
to the male.
• She is there only as a foil to the dominant
male characters.

9. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory
• Patriarchal society = Men dictate the rules
• Mulvey argued we live in a patriarchal society
in which men set the majority of the rules,
constructing social roles, conventions and
norms to reflect their interests, thereby
ensuring the reproduction of male dominance
over women.
• The concern is that a passive audience may
be influenced by this representation of reality
and seek to copy, reproducing these images
and assumptions in reality.

10. Lisbet Van Zoonen
Media Studies: Key Theory
Media Representations

11. Lisbet Van Zoonen
•Gender is constructed through media language and
these constructions reflect cultural and historical
contexts.
•The ‘objectification ‘ of the female body is a key
construct of western culture.
•The visual and narrative codes used to represent the
male body differ, reflecting patriarchal society

12. Representation
Remember, the key points to consider in terms of representation
• What is being represented?
• How has it been constructed(Denotation)?
• How could audiences interpret the representation (Connotation)?
• Who is responsible for the representation?
You will need to consider the above when discussing representation.

13. The BECHDEL TEST
• Further issues with current media
representations of women are included
below:
• http://www.criticalmediaproject.org/cml/me
dia/the-bechdel-test-for-women-in-the-
media/

14. Applying Lizbet Van Zoonen’s
theory
Is this an example of the the
objectification of the female
body? Does this text reflect a
patriarchal society?
Plenary: Write a short response to these
questions using media language from
the advert to support your view point
Government Campaign: This Girl Can