The document discusses Laura Mulvey's concept of the "male gaze" in film theory. Mulvey argues that films typically present the perspective of a heterosexual male viewer who objectifies female characters as objects to look at. This relegates women to the status of objects and requires female viewers to identify with the male perspective. The male gaze lingers on women's bodies and defines events through men's reactions rather than women's experiences or agency. While some argue that not all depictions of women are inherently objectifying, the male gaze framework suggests that visual media often presents the female form from a patriarchal perspective that reduces women's roles and empowerment.

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