The document discusses Laura Mulvey's theory of the "male gaze" and how it relates to the portrayal of women in film. Mulvey proposed that women are often objectified and viewed as sexual objects in cinema because it is typically controlled by heterosexual men. The theory is divided into how men look at women, how women see themselves, and how women view other women. Examples from the films "Twilight" and "Jennifer's Body" are provided to illustrate the presence of both the male and female gaze.

2. The „male gaze‟ is a theory that was constructed by Laura
Mulvey in an influential feminist essay she wrote in 1975
called the „Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema‟. In the
essays she concluded that the way women are viewed in
cinema is “unequal”. In her essay she talks about how
women in the media are sexualised to please the male
gender.
Feminists have divided the theory up into three parts:
• How men look at women
• How women look at themselves
• How women look at other women

3. Mulvey stated that women were
objectified in film because heterosexual
men were in control of the camera, to
an extent I believe this is true because
the majority of horror films are directed
by men. Catherine Hardwicke was the
director of ‘Twilight’ (2008) and even
though I have never watched the whole
film, I would say that a female gaze
exists as there are many shots and
scenes were there is a topless
character.

4. I have selected two posters
from the horror film
„Jennifer‟s Body‟ (2009) as
they both are apparent
examples of the male gaze.
The image on the poster on
the left is a close up on the
characters bottom half of her
face which shows her very
plump red lips which her
tongues is licking. As well as
the colour red being for evil, it
also connotes seduction and
power and I feel that is what
the image conveys. On the
right hand side the same
character is shot wearing an
extremely short skirt, red
heels and a red top. Her legs
are the focus of the picture
(for a male purpose). Megan
Fox is also hugging a collection
of books close to her breasts
which can be connoted as that
is playing around with the male
fantasy that men have of a
„naughty school girl‟.

5. Voyeurism
The image is also quite voyeuristic, I feel
like I should not be watching a lady half
naked in the bathroom, which is a place
of privacy.
Underwear
The underwear this character is wearing
is very tight and reveals her bum cheek, it
appears this is meant to be the
characters night clothes but I do not
understand why she couldn’t of just worn
some shorts or trousers. But then this
image would not fit the conventions of a
sexy female in horror.