The male gaze is a feminist theory that focuses on images of women in art. In filmmaking, it looks at how films represent women on screen as nothing more than sexual objects. You can find examples of it from early cinema to modern blockbusters.
In this article, we give a full breakdown of the male gaze in film with some examples and how it’s impacted cinema. Let’s get stuck in.
What is the Male Gaze?
In feminist theory, the male gaze refers to the visual portrayal of women. This includes the image of the female body in painting, photography, and cinema. These images objectify women through the gaze of the man by showing them as objects to own and conquer.
You can also find examples of this in traditional art, such as Renaissance paintings, in which nude women are the object of desire. Let’s look at how these ideas apply in film.
How Has It Affected Film?
Film theorist Laura Mulvey coined the term ‘male gaze’ in her paper Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, 1973. The Laura Mulvey theory states that because most screenwriters and producers in Hollywood are men, it’s men who decide how women look on screen.
In addition, this idea looks at how women in screenplays have a lack of backstory and that they are nothing more than a trophy or damsels. Because cinema has always been this way, we have all adapted to the male gaze instead of challenging the norms.
Main Elements
You can find the male gaze across cinema and in a range of genres. These films might casually touch on it, while others have it as a key plot feature. Below are some of the elements in these films according to the Laura Mulvey theory.
Storyline
In these films, the men have a more active role, and the women are more passive. For example, in a Bond film, the women are objects of desire, and their sole purpose is to help the lead man. Only recent Bond films have provided the women in them with backstories.
Visuals
You can also find the male gaze in film through the choice of camera shots. For example, having parts of a woman’s body as center stage in a shot, such as her legs or chest. In another film example, women might wear fewer clothes than their male counterparts.
Patriarchy
Lastly, the basis of patriarchy suggests that men and women are not equals. Since men have the most power in filmmaking, it’s men who decide how women look on screen. Western society shows women as being inferior to men, and you find this reflected in cinema.
Film Examples
As mentioned already the male gaze is a way of showing women on screen either visually or through the storyline. Throughout the 20th century, the sexual images of women on screen became the norm due to the patriarchy and the prevalence of men in filmmaking. Let’s look at some examples of Laura Mulvey’s theory throughout cinema history.
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Marlyn Monroe was the archetype for the male gaze in film. In The Seven Year Itch, a married man falls in love with his neighbor. The story is told solely from the male perspective who lusts after Marlyn, whose character name is simply ‘The Girl’.
In this example, the female character’s role is purely as the love interest for the lead protagonist. She also plays the stereotype of the blonde bimbo. In other words, she is a woman who lacks intelligence, which she makes up for by being attractive.
Dr No (1962)
In the Bond film franchise, bond girls are highly sexual objects of male desire. In Dr No, the first-ever bond girl, Ursula Andress, emerges from the sea in a white bikini. Her role is to assist Bond and become a love interest, portraying a very passive character.
The bond girls are always overly sexualized in revealing outfits and makeup, more so than the males. In her essay, Laura Mulvey reflects on this, ‘All too often, the female bodies are shown as objects desire to please men and conform to mainstream ideals of femininity’.
The Birds (1963)
In Alfred Hitchcock‘s horror film, The Birds, we follow Melanie, who represents the elements of the male gaze. In the scene where she is attacked by a flock of birds, we see shots of her legs, chest, and face being the main focal points.
After the attack, Melanie is helpless and relies solely on being saved by a man. She is the damsel in distress and now becomes a passive love interest for the rest of the film. These are some of the ways the film shows the Laura Mulvey theory.
Transformers (2007)
In Transformers, Michael Bay created the Megan Fox character purely for the male viewer. She is a sex symbol, has little backstory, and wears revealing clothing. In fact, on set, Michael Bay’s biggest directorial note to Megan Fox was to ‘just look hot’.
Laura Mulvey’s essay calls out the need for women to be a spectacle for the male audience. These films can show unrealistic body images and pressure women to conform. By having more well rounded female characters, films can better represent women’s diversity.
Greater Impact on Cinema
The representation of women on screen has changed since the 1950s. Today, we are more likely to see gender balanced storytelling. In addition, female characters are likely to have backstories and an active role in the plot, as opposed to passive stereotypes.
One notable example is Black Panther (2008), in which the female characters are all independent warriors. Actor Chadwick Boseman commented on the film, ‘There are no damsels in distress in this movie, that doesn’t exist in this movie’.
It’s clear that Hollywood is slowly opening up to more female lead storylines and more realistic visuals. Plus, you are more likely to find women producers, directors, and screenwriters. By doing this, the film industry allows for a better chance of equal representation in cinema.
Wrapping Up
To sum up, the male gaze looks at the portrayal of women on screen. Traditionally, films were more likely to have passive female characters whose sole purpose was to act as a love interest. These days, we are seeing a shift in storytelling and character viewpoints.
Still, progress is slow, and men continue to dominate the film business. Unless more women write and direct films, cinema won’t have enough equality. Hopefully, the industry will continue moving in the right direction so we can see these positive changes.
