2. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory
•Visual Pleasure and Narrative
Cinema was an essay written by
Laura Mulvey
•An essay which coined the term
“Male Gaze” which soon went on to
become a very well know and
discussed theory
•In film, the male gaze occurs when
the audience is put into the
perspective of a heterosexual man.
A scene may focus on the curves of
a woman's body, putting you the
viewer in the eyes of a male
•These curves can be highlighted
with specific conventions such as
slow motion, deliberate camera
movements and cut aways.
3. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory
•The theory suggests that
the male gaze denies
women human identity,
relegating them to the status
of objects to be admired for
physical appearance
•The theory suggests woman
have become used to
watching music videos from
a mans perspective
•The “masculinisation” of the viewer
4. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory
•However the presence of a woman
in mainstream texts is vital
•Often a female character has no
real importance herself, it is how
she makes the male feel or act that
is the importance.
•The female only exist in relation to
the male
5. Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory
•The male gaze leads to Hegemonic ideologies within our society
Hegemonic = ruling or dominant in a political or social context
6. Visual Pleasure
Mulvey states that the role of a female character in a
narrative has two functions
•As a sexual object for the characters within the
narrative to view
•As an sexual object for the audience
7. Gender roles in film
The main characters look at others
(male)
The characters that are looked at are
passive (female) They are under control
of the males gaze and only exist for
visual pleasure.
Females if in a passive role, provide
inspiration for men to act.
Males on the other hand, push the
narrative forwards and make things
happen and are seen as active
8. Female Objectification
Objectification is related to the male
gaze theory
The people gazed at are objectified,
treated as an object whose sole value
is to be enjoyed or possessed by the
voyeur
Objectified characters are devalued
and their humanity removed.
9. A patriarchal society = Men dictate the rules
Mulvey argued we live in a patriarchal society in which
men set the majority of the rules and have male
dominance over woman. This is represented the media
The worry is a passive audience will be influenced by this
representation of reality and copy it and it will actually
become reality…if it hasn’t all ready.
11. The James Bond franchise is a clear
example of film objectifying females
and forcing the audience to view
females via the male gaze.
How?
12. • 1.Define the key features of Mulvey’s theory.
2. What effect could this theory have upon woman
viewers?
• 3. What effect could this theory have on male
viewers?
• 4.Why do we believe the male gaze is present in
films/adverts, music videos and T.V today?
• 5.What effect can this have upon society?
