‘Male gaze’ is a theory developed by Laura Mulvey in her essay, ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ (1975). In this essay, she develops the feminist theory by suggesting that sexualising men means empowering them while when the media sexualises women it’s in a way that objectifies them. Women don’t always add to the narrative of the piece of media as women are there for a frame of male desire. Mulvey’s ideas are highlighted in the James Bond movies with this idea of ‘Bond girls’ as the women don’t add anything to the narrative apart from being the love interest. In this blog, we will focus on the 2012 movie, Skyfall, as women being objectified is prominent within this movie.
In Skyfall (2012), mise-en-scene is heavily used to sexualise the women in the movie. An example of this is an over-the-shoulder shot where the ‘Bond girl’ is first seen (Skyfall, 2012), but it seems like she is naked which highly sexualises the character. This brings in Mulvey’s idea of scopophilic which means there is pleasure in looking at someone as an ‘erotic object’ (Durham, M.G. and Kellner, D 2006, pg 351) as the audience is forced into being attracted to the character due to the choice of low-cut clothing. Another example is when the camera is pointing at another female character’s chest area as Bond tries to undress her, (Skyfall, 2012), so the focus is her body which brings back this idea of women being objects for sexual desire in the media.
The ‘Bond girl’ in this movie highlights the way women are represented as objects in the scene, with the character captured by the villain (Skyfall, 2012). When she is shot dead, there is no reaction from Bond, with the character just saying ‘It’s a waste of good Scotch’ (Skyfall, 2012). This enhances the idea that ‘Bond girls’ are only there for sexual desire and then thrown away which connects to Mulvey’s theory of women just being thrown to the side and women being damsels in distress for the man to look like the hero.
In the trailer above for Skyfall (2012), mise en scene is used through costume design as the ‘Bond girl’ is in a tight black dress with some of it being see-through to show off her body. Another shot of the same character with Bond is when they’re in the shower which sexualises the ‘Bond girl’ more as it adds to Mulvey’s theory with this idea of voyeurism being connected to the male gaze as it further objectifies women to just be something to look at (Durham, M.G. and Kellner, D 2006, pg 351).
Overall, Mulvey’s idea of the male gaze in the media is still applicable to modern movies such as Skyfall (2012). The idea of ‘Bond girls’ fits into the theory with the characters only being for sexual desire, (Durham, M.G. and Kellner, D 2006, pg 351), for Bond’s character and for the audience. The women are overly sexualised within the Bond franchise and have very outdated ideas of women which has rarely changed in the genre of action. James Bond injects ideas into society that men are still the heroes and that women are just there for the main male character’s sexual pleasure.
References:
Durham, M.G. and Kellner, D. (2006) Media and cultural studies: keyworks. Rev. ed. Malden, Mass: Blackwell.
Loreck, J. (2016) Explainer: what does the ‘male gaze’ mean, and what about a female gaze?. Available at: https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486 (Accessed: 27 November 2024).
Media Studies (no date) The Male Gaze. Available at: https://media-studies.com/male-gaze/ (Accessed: 30 November 2024).
Mokhefi-Ashton, M. (2015) James Bond is still a sexist dinosaur – but audiences love it. Available at: https://theconversation.com/james-bond-is-still-a-sexist-dinosaur-but-audiences-love-it-50092 (Accessed: 27 November 2024).
Skyfall (2012) Directed by S.Mendes. [Feature film]. UK: Sony Pictures Releasing.
007 (2020) Skyfall. Available at: https://www.007.com/the-films/skyfall/ (Accessed: 30 November 2024).
This blog is a really interesting take on the male gaze exemplified in the media. Your blog gives really detailed examples of the male gaze in Bond movies and paints a picture in the reader’s minds.
In the Bond movies, there is always a Bond girl present – even the general of name ‘Bond girl’ means that we often forget their names; we tend to just group the young, female characters in the same category. This is another way in which women are overlooked as humans, especially in such a popular franchise, where woman are portrayed in a way that just uses them as objects rather than important assets to the story. I really liked your use of the trailer in your blog as an example, and the use of movie quotes in your blog highlights further examples of where women are objectively disrespected in the movies. Bond girls are a perfect example of the male gaze being used in the media in general too!
Great blog!! 🙂
This blog is fascinating take on the male gaze theory in the current medium. Using the James Bond movie ‘Skyfall’ is an interesting idea to discover about using the sense of objectification and sexualisation to portrait women in movies. As in the previous bond movies where women was portrayed as a damsel in distress and seen as a reward for the main character aka James Bond and using the scene of camera angles and mise en scene by costume design to over-sexualised the female characters. Overall, love the analysis of the blog post and a great example to look as the bond characters are a great example to study the medium of the art and culture behind it. 👍🏻 Great blog
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I loved your post- great job! I certainly agree that bond movies uses the male gaze in problematic ways to develop the bond girl trope, including in the movie Skyfall. I do wonder if you think the bond films can ever escape this trope? Or rather, do you think they ever will? The bond girl seems ingrained into the marketing and narratives of the bond franchise at a fundamental level- you take it out and the movie losses apart of the plot that consumers look for watching bond movies. This losses the production company money. In other words, the profit incentive for the filmmaker as it current stands is to keep having bond girls in the bond franchise. This is a pessessmatatic view of the world pheraphs, but I do see a world where that production company chooses to make less money simply because it’s the morally right thing to do. And I do think that is one of the major reasons the male gaze theory continues to exist today despite the fact that most people would say its a bad thing. Do you?
Hi Millie,I’m very interested in your blog. In crime films, where male heroism is extremely prominent, female characters are often depicted as mere accessories to the male hero. This is because, in the public’s eyes and in stereotypes, a successful man is often associated with labels like “wealthy, powerful, and surrounded by women.” In these films, female characters are often the most objectified, as this serves to highlight the male protagonist’s heroism. This might also be why I don’t enjoy crime films that deliberately downplay female power, though I can’t completely dismiss that some crime films are quite excellent. Many male directors use the tactic of exploiting women’s bodies, appearances, and other aspects to enhance the visual stimulation of the film. However, in today’s more progressive era, this method of portraying female characters has become outdated. People have grown tired of, or even disgusted by, this offensive perspective.
Hi, Millie, your blog provides a detailed and compelling exploration of the male gaze within Skyfall. Your use of Mulvey’s theory to dissect specific scenes, such as the over-the-shoulder shot and the shower sequence, effectively illustrates how mise-en-scène perpetuates objectification. The analysis of Bond’s dismissive reaction to the ‘Bond girl’s’ death adds depth, emphasising how women are framed as disposable within the narrative.
The discussion of voyeurism and scopophilia is particularly strong, connecting audience engagement to broader cultural dynamics. It might be interesting to expand on whether modern audiences are becoming more critical of such portrayals or continue to accept them as part of the Bond formula. Overall, your arguments are well-supported and it offering a special perspective on a longstanding issue in cinema.
You present a fascinating perspective. As one of the greatest franchises in cinematic history, the James Bond series has undoubtedly benefitted from the presence and allure of its Bond girls, who contribute significantly to its appeal and audience engagement. From the very first film, directors have strategically cast glamorous actresses to capture viewers’ attention, and the tradition of introducing a new Bond girl in every installment has become a hallmark of the series. This practice effectively illustrates Laura Mulvey’s concept of the objectification of women.
However, it is unfortunate that Bond seems inseparably tied to the Bond girl archetype. Abandoning this feature would risk losing much of the franchise’s financial allure, making it a double-edged sword. While an increasing number of people criticize such portrayals today, mainstream society seems reluctant to confront or condemn this phenomenon openly. Perhaps you could delve deeper into the societal discourse surrounding Bond girls and explore how public opinion has evolved over time.