Gender Representation

Male Gaze Theory - Laura Mulvey


This is an example of The Male Gaze theory. The character of
Lara Croft is portrayed as a woman who seems to be very independent shown with some of the visual codes. Some of her features are defined to appeal to a certain audience which is a clear example of how the media presents women.

Laura Mulvey: She was a theorist and a feminist. Mulvey, came up with the concept on male gaze in 1975. This Era was the height of female discrimination and objectification. 

Here Mulvey wrote a very influential essay ‘Visual pleasure and Narrative Cinema’. Stating that women are used for visual pleasure- women are made to seem like sexual objects through voyeurism. She argued that women took the passive part of a film and that all men played an active part, in her eye the women were objects.

The Male Gaze Theory suggests that a female only exists through the existence of males. It's suggesting that males make women what they are. Furthermore, the female apparently doesn't have any real meaning without a male. 

For feminists it can be thought of in 3 ways:

–How men look at women,

–How women look at themselves

–How women look at other women

This theory doesn't only portray how males think of women, but also how women feel about other women and themselves. Many women may see these 'Perfect' women within the media and start to feel bad about themselves as they don't look that way. Similarly, women who are these 'Perfect' girls may look at women who aren't and judge them for their appearance or mannerisms as they're different to the some the media portrays. 

This entire theory links to ideas of Hegemonic ideas within both women and men. Men more dominantly however.

Hegemonic - Ruling or Dominance in Political or Social Contexts. 

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines

The music video of Blurred Lines is incredibly objectifying towards women. The women presented in this video are all minimally dressed to not dressed at all. The men however are dressed fully, this links to the Male Gaze Theory as the video is suggesting that women must be naked to be found attractive and the men can be found attractive whilst fully dressed. It's almost derogatory towards women. 

Many of the scenes in the video are shown with the male holding the female, almost 'Protecting' her. With this in mind, we can connote that this music video is portraying women as weak and venerable and that they need a man to protect them. In reality, this isn't the case. The entire media is portraying women in this manor. 

Similarly, in this next shot, Robin Thicke is again presented as a man of power. He is shown almost controlling a woman with her physical features (her hair) Again, the male is controlling the woman with the woman giving into him. There is no response from the woman towards the males actions. This is how many women may feel that they have to act towards males because of their presentation within media. 

Moreover, all of the women are seen wearing extremely revealing and constricting clothing.  

(Continue for Homework)

Visual pleasure and Narrative cinema:

•Women are presented as sexual spectacle (show) objects of pleasure for the characters and audience. She believed that in films audiences have to view characters from the perspective of a heterosexual male.

•Stating that the way women are viewed in cinema is ‘unequal’.

•The camera necessarily present women as ‘sexualised for the pleasure of men.

•Men fetishies women which she referred to as ‘fetishistic scopophilia.

•Men have this gaze to avoid being ‘castrated’.

Megan Fox Transformers Scene - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6L3Ef1JCC8

This is another prime example of the Male Gaze Theory being used

within the media. In this video clip, there are many shots of 

Megan Fox's body and not her face. The scene seems to focus on her

physical features like her breasts and body rather than her face. 

The entire scene is demoralising Megan Fox and women in general. 

Not only are the visual codes of the scene demoralising and

objectifying, the aural codes are too. A lot of the speech is referring to

sexual acts by using innuendos and not focusing on what the actual scene

should be about. The whole scene, I believe, is used to pleasure men in a sense of their needs within

the media. 

The male presented in this scene is stereotyping an average male through his body language, facial

expressions and also speech. Many of the things he says are hints towards sexual acts. The male is

looking at the females physical features and not her face.

Stereotype - A widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Counter Stereotype - A counter stereotype is the opposite of the Stereotype. A person who doesn't follow the common ideologies of a stereotype. 

Sex - Either of the two main categories (male and female) into which humans and most other living things are divided on the basis of their reproductive functions.

Gender - Based on the socially constructed roles, behaviours, activities and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women.

This magazine cover represented the media's representation of young boys and men in general. The

cover has a lot of colours that would be stereotypically seen as a male colour. Things such as

monsters are seen on the cover which may connote how males are presented within the media. This

cover is extremely stereotypical and is basically saying that to be a boy you must be interested in

these 'aggressive' things.  The females magazine cover is also stereotypical. There are a lot of

feminine colours such as pink and yellow and all that is on the over is mainly girls and girly things.

Many girls, just like the boys, may not be interested in these subjects. The title of the magazine itself

is 'Girl Talk' relating to the stereotypical gossip that is associated with young females.

I believe that the media has the ability to change the gender representations towards both males and

females. However I think that the views that are current will remain current. There are many people

and politicians around that will make it difficult to change the representations presented.

"Masculine" 

- Physically Strong

- Deep Voice

- Brave

- Sexually Attractive

"Feminine"

- Vulnerable

- Higher Toned Voice

- Care about Appearance

Earp and Katz (1999) studies male representations in the media and found “a widespread and

disturbing equation of masculinity and pathological control and violence.”

Metrosexual - Often confused with the Homosexual Male however he is Hetrosexual.

Fool/Buffon - Usually a father. Tries but never succeeds. EX. Homer Simpson.

Women are usually represented as a mother or housewife. They are also seen as sexual objects for the

males pleasure. 

The music video of  Pitbull Ft. TJR - Don't Stop The Party Suggests to have a good time and not to

take life too seriously; for the men anyway. I believe that the women's role in this music video is to

perform for the men. They're being objectified as sexual tools. 

The male characters are represented as quite relaxed and carefree. They're fully clothed unlike the

women. The women are dressed minimally and are therefore being used as sexual objects. 

Homework

This first image shows a coloured black woman holding her fist in the air. Her stance may represent one of two things: one being a protest or another being a violence act of aggression. This may be a stereotype and also a counter stereotype. It may be a stereotype of the coloured people fighting for rights in the 20th century. However it may also be a counter stereotype to the young coloured stereotypes of the 'London streets.'

The second image is of a group of 4 adult males in a pub, 'cheersing' their drinks. This may connote many things. One may be a celebration or another may be a toast for a passing. Judging by their facial expressions it may be a celebratory action. This is a stereotype of the classic male figure within society. The stereotype consists of a male spending a lot of his time in a pub with his friends.

The third image is of a group of people dressed in smart attire. There is a range of races. The connotations to this image are as follows: The people presented are business men and women due to their attitudes, shown through facial expressions, and through their attire. This image is a stereotype of the classic everyday business man.

The final image is on a young teenage male holding a adult woman's arms. This could mean a multitude of things depending on the audience and their interpretations. This could be interpreted as an attack on the woman from the teenager. This shows a stereotypical view on the teenager being represented as a violent thug through both the body language of the teenager himself and the emotions being portrayed by the woman. The woman in the image is also a stereotype as she is defenseless and emotional: the main stereotype of women in the media.

Male Gaze / Female Representation from SoraAmaryllis