The Male Gaze is a fundamental term of the modern feminism movement, which describes a device of media where women are eroticised in order to satisfy, attract or hold the attention of heterosexual male audiences.
The Male Gaze has been at the forefront of discussion in feminist circles, as feminists point to it as a contributing factor to fundamental social and cultural inequalities between men and women, and pushes the narrative of women being sexualised from a young age and groomed to see themselves as objects. The term was coined in 1973 by the filmmaker and theorist Laura Mulvey, in the seminal paper "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema".
The Male Gaze visually positions women as 'objects' according to the desire of the heterosexual male audience; hence it influences what is considered as attractive and those ideas transition into real factors of desirability. The Male Gaze sees women in media and advertising be eroticised and acts as the link between Capitalism and Female Beauty Standards, what media deems beautiful, women will spend their money to attain. Hollywood has never been shy when it came to the female form, and so it is not hard to find examples of the male gaze at play. Traditionally, women have functioned on two levels: as an erotic object for the characters within the screen story, and as an erotic object for the spectators outside the screen story (the audience). Female characters perform their functions while adhering to the heterosexual male fantasy, it is as simple as being beautiful.
Examples of the Male Gaze come in many forms, it is important to think about the females in movies. How is she dressed and what does she do as a result of that? In a sex scene, who's body do you see the most? Who's rear and breasts get zoomed in on? Is she likely to use male attraction to her as a weapon?
The portrayal of Megan Fox and other women in the Transformers series (2006-2014) is famous for the hyper sexualisation in character, costume, and film position (where the camera aims at her body and how she is positioned by the director). Transformers (2007) and its sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) are shamelessly sexist by including such as endless ass & panty-shots and notoriously skimpy costume design. Fox has come out since to talk about her rampant sexualisation both on the screen and off during the making of the Transformer films and its impact on her career. She unintentionally represented cultural sexualisation in the early 2000s and shows us how it was completely normalised for men to want to view women like that and for women to be relatively ok with it.
Even in Disney, Princess Jasmine from Aladdin (1992), is a character who is determined to stand on her own but is still used and objectified by every male who comes her way. Her father sees her as a commodity, Jafar lusts for her, and Aladdin, while he is the 'nice guy', she is his motivation. Her story ends with marrying the nice guy, as she was the protagonist's prize to be won, and so she was won; because that's how the story goes. It can be argued that everything she did was her conscious choice or an acceptable societal norm, however, she was still sexualised throughout the film. She, Megan Fox and thousands of other female characters exist to satisfy heteronormative ideals and heterosexual male desires.
So, because there is a male gaze, is there a version for females? A Female Gaze?
When thinking about a "Gaze" -- many imagine that the female version would include a scantily clad man with rippling muscles, flaunting himself for the interest of a heterosexual female audience.
This has been seen in media before, where a hunk of a heterosexual man will take on the traditional role of the female love-interest or sex-bomb. Some media even takes it in the form of a male who demonstrates unwavering puppy-love for his female object of affection or just taking initiative in domestic duties or traditionally feminine roles.
It is just an alternate reality version of the Male Gaze, herein is it inherently sexual in nature and relies on heterosexual aesthetic attraction, it is entirely surface-based and relies on visual stimulation above all else. It still satisfies the heteronormative and fetishisation of people according to stereotypical heterosexual basics, gender roles and sexuality. So ultimately, the Female Gaze does not exist in the way that one would expect it to.
The term "Female Gaze" is rhetorical, in that feminists value it not as a visual representation of male sexuality for the satisfaction of female audiences, but rather, content created for women specifically. According to the feminist argument, no men need to be fetishised in order to take part in the Female gaze.
While the male gaze is visually stimulating and sexually charged by nature, the female gaze has a more subtle method. It is subtle, it is emotional and intimate-- It sees people as people. A piece of media that is not concerned with satisfying the male gaze presents a different view of every aspect. This term is mostly used in reference to film commentary and film production, especially in feminist circles. The female gaze replaces sexuality and takes seriously the representation of women, determined to counter the male gaze and represent equal power.
"Portrait of a Lady on Fire" (2020), has been hailed as a piece that captures the concept of the female gaze perfectly. Directed by French filmmaker, Céline Sciamma, follows the lesbian relationship between a painter, and her complex subject. Sciamma has referred to the film as a "Manifesto on the female gaze", in that she subverts the traditional male gaze in favour of showing things in a more feminine way. The story is about profound female solidarity in a time and place where the patriarchy controls every aspect of a woman's life, and the romance between the female protagonists focusses on the intimacy of the relationship, rather than the taboo and provocative nature of same-sex relationships.
The Female Gaze has more emphasis on what is going on behind the camera, as well as in front of it. it explores gender narratives and the relationship between the creator and the subject of media. In relation to the female experience, there is less likely to be saucy visuals in favour of emotional intimacy and meaningful context. There is less "to be looked at"-ness.
Stories are valuable to us as a society, they not only entertain us, but they also shape us and teach us, in ways that many people may not recognise. A good film connects to people in a way that other communication cannot, and the messages of that communication stick with us and build our perceptions of the world around us, especially as we grow up.
Sources:
Smith, G. 2020, Like a natural woman: How the female gaze is finally bringing real life to the screen, The Guardian, <https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2020/feb/22/the-female-gaze-brings-a-welcome-touch-of-reality-to-art>
Syme, R. 2020, "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" is more than a "Manifesto on the Female Gaze", The New Yorker, <https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-is-more-than-a-manifesto-on-the-female-gaze>
McDougall Jones, N. 2020, Inside the Fight to Dismantle the (White) Gods of Hollywood, BitchMedia, <https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/the-wrong-kind-of-women-male-gaze-excerpt>
Maaike, A. 2020, Did the Sexualisation of Megan Fox in 'Transformers' derail her career? FilmDaily, <https://filmdaily.co/news/megan-fox-career/>
Simmons, A. 2016, Explainer: What does the 'male gaze' mean, and what about a female gaze? The Conversation, <https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486>
Leonard, K. 2020, What is the Male Gaze? Definition and Examples in Film, StudioBinder, <https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-the-male-gaze-definition/>
Dirse, Z., 2013. Gender in cinematography: Female gaze (eye) behind the camera. Journal of research in gender studies, 3(1), pp.15-29.