Today’s society is structured such that some norms dictate what is expected of men and women. The concept of the male gaze can help us understand some of these norms and how the media is biased when it comes to the different genders. As noted by Oliver (2017) , this concept was first coined by the film theorist and feminist Laura Mulvey in her seminal essay 1975 essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” to critique how the mainstream media is male-centered and portrays women with a lot of passivity.
Accordingly, females are portrayed more as objects of male desire in visual arts through aspects such as their over-sexualization, which can happen in the cinematic language in terms of camera angles, narratives and character development. The portrayal of women as passive and ornamental characters is what the feminist Mulvey is critical of as it relegates them to mainly just furthering the male characters’ narratives. In countless films, for example, the female form is given a lot of attention by the camera movements, and it is apparent that their roles revolve around aesthetics. As for their male counterparts, it is common for them to be depicted with depth, agency and relatability, and this can shape the perception of the audience regarding the different genders.
The male gaze is still prevalent despite the existing critiques such as that of Laura Mulvey. This can be seen in blockbusters such as the Avengers through the character Natasha Romanov whose narrative is such that she cannot bear children as a consequence of becoming an agent. This begs the question as to whether the purpose of women in society extends beyond childbearing. In addition, female heroes like Natasha Romanoff and Captain Marvel are dressed in tight costumes that exaggerate their female figures paired with items like high heels and this further shows that the main focus is on their physical attributes. This implies that the Marvel movies are portrayed from the lens of the male gaze.
It is important to note that the male gaze also influences how females perceive themselves. In this case, the media can set unrealistic beauty standards due to the portrayal of females in ways that focus on their physical appearance. Due to the power of the media when it comes to influencing people, women can hence find themselves trying to conform to the beauty standards whereas men end up toxic due to the perception that dominance is desirable. Hence, the male gaze can be harmful to both genders.
To shrug off the male gaze may not be easy and can entail systemic changes in both the media industry and the consumption habits of the target audiences. The media houses need to shift their focus to narratives that challenge the male gaze. In addition, the “female gaze” is now emerging as an alternative lens through which people can observe media products. The narratives made from this gaze emphasize attributes such as empathy, and emotional depth as reflected in Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (Shepherd, 2024). Supporting such perspectives can be useful in fostering equal treatment in the media industry and avoiding the detrimental negative impacts of the male gaze.
References
Oliver, K. (2017). The male gaze is more relevant, and more dangerous than ever. New Review of Film and Television Studies, 15(4), 451–455. https://doi.org/10.1080/17400309.2017.1377937
Shepherd, B. A. (2024). “BARBIE IS AS MUCH ABOUT FASHION AS SHE IS ABOUT CULTURE AND EMPOWERMENT”: FEMINISM IN BARBIE THE MOVIE AND ITS POSTFEMINIST MARKETING.
Hello Junjie.
Reading your blog about the male gaze and its relevance in mass media is interesting. The connections to Laura Mulvey’s theory, especially in modern films such as The Avengers and Captain Marvel, narrate a good perspective. The mention of how, even in action-packed, feminist films, women are portrayed in a way where their looks take centre stage, with little to no emphasis on their personalities. These observations cast Natasha Romanoff in a completely different light, highlighting how the media upholds modern gender norms as the media continues to present women in ways that align with traditional and stereotypical gender expectations rather than challenging them.
The way the male gaze distorts beauty standards is to place impossible standards before women, therefore affecting their self-image. Much of the blog is about how such portrayals further develop toxic masculinity by replicating societal expectations of what constitutes a masculine being.
The suggestions for improving the blog are to include a few visuals or videos that could balance your powerful arguments. For example, stills from The Avengers or Captain Marvel could visually demonstrate the points on objectification. Contrasting examples, like scenes of Barbie that challenge the male gaze, further enhance the analysis and make your arguments more impactful. This approach will also break up the text with direct visual evidence of the theories discussed.
Great work!
Your blog on ‘Male Gaze’ is informative about Mulvey’s theory. There are a few concepts you have introduced within the blog which help the audience understand the theory, along with the examples you have used to make the theory clearer. Using Marvel is engaging to the audience as it is such a popular franchise and there is a lot of information about the sexualisation of women in Marvel from social media, even with some that come from the actresses in interviews, so choosing this as an example is accurate towards the theory.
For improvements to your blog, I would break the text up by including images and videos as it is a little difficult to read being in a block of writing. These images and videos of your examples could extend your explanation of the ‘Male Gaze’ theory and give the audience a visual aspect of what you’re explaining. This would lead to the audience understanding Mulvey’s theory more. For your references, try to include them throughout the blog so the audience knows where some of your points come from in your reference list. This would prevent any issues of plagiarism.
Overall, a very good blog that explains some of the concepts of the theory well, but there are just some tweaks to make just so it’s easier to read and understand.