Basic Civil Engineering first year Notes- Chapter 4 Building.pptx
The Male Gaze Theory
1.
2. Male Gaze Theory – Laura Mulvey
The male gaze theory is a concept put forward by film critic Laura Mulvey. It refers
to the way visual arts are structured around a masculine viewer get horny. It
describes the tendency in visual culture to depict the world of women from a
masculine point of view and in terms of men's attitudes.
The Male Gaze consists of three different gazes:
That of the person behind the camera has a boner
That of the characters within the representation or film itself
That of the spectator
3. Features of the Male Gaze
Camera is often positioned to capture the
woman tits.
Anything that tends to happen to a woman in
a film is usually in the shadow of the male
character.
The film usually degrades the woman to a
point where she becomes an object or a
possession.
I think women are weak and defenceless.
It is often apparent that the woman plays the
role of the damsel in distress, who needs
saving by the hero (the male)
4. Scouting For Girls – She’s So Lovely
In the music video ‘She’s So Lovely’ by Scouting For Girls it very
much applies to the male gaze theory. The first shot of the
actress is of her legs, this shows that from the start it is very
much objectifying the woman for her body and therefore is
benefiting the male viewers. In the video the shots of the
woman are followed by close ups of the men staring straight in
front of them, this is to imply that they are staring at the
woman and therefore shows how the visual arts are
constructed around the male viewer. The fact the woman is
wearing high heels and showing her legs, supports the idea
that the visual is created to depict the world of women from a
masculine point of view and in terms of men’s attitudes. As the
music video gets further in, it shows men competing for the
attention a woman, as if she is their trophy and this again falls
under the concept of male’s attitudes.
5. Robin Thicke – Blurred Lines
In the music video ‘Blurred Lines’ by Robin Thicke the male gaze
theory is apparent in almost every moment.
It is a simple music video that is constructed completely around
the male gaze theory. For example it is mainly focused on the
male artists and they have naked women dancing all around
them and stroking them as if they were below them.
Also the main artists name flashed up in big capital letters every
so often, to show that it his music video and that he is the
dominant one over everyone else.
In the video the women are largely seen as objects or ‘props’ and
just accessorising the male artists.
The fact that in the original women are naked and in the remake
for television purposes they had just underwear on, shows that
they are being sexualised for the male audience. As this is
typically associated with what males want.
