"The Male Gaze Theory" by Laura Mulvey - 27/01/2011

This femminist theory emerged as a response to the liberation of women's rights throughout the past years.

Laura Mulvey's theory argues that cinema audiences look at films in two ways:

1. Voyeuristically
2. Fetishistically

The theory states that cinema audiences watch a film without being wanted by the characters on screen, and we usually watch them in a darkened cinema so the characters do not know that they're being watched. Therefore, we are almost like voyeurs watching the people on screen. This can lead to two effects:

1. Objectivisim - of female characters in relation to this controlling male gaze
2. Narcissistic Identification - with an ideal image on the screen (meaning that we want to be like the characters in the film)

For example, women are 'objectified' in the following magazine covers:



The women on these magazine covers are made to look attractive, in order to catch the "male gaze" and encourage men to buy it to see the women. The second magazine cover with the cast from "The Hills" isn't even related to music, which shows how Rolling Stones have lost the main purpose of their magazine by trying to relate to men more.

However, this NME magazine cover of Beth Ditto shows how women don't have to be conventionally attractive to make it onto the magazine covers. NME has stuck to its musical roots and not strayed from the purpose of its magazine like Rolling Stones has, and NME has not tried to win male buyers by objectifying women.





Voyeurism and Fetishism
Mulvey's theory argues that this voyeurism involves turning the represented figure on screen into a "fetish" ('sex' obeject) so that it becomes increasingly beautiful but more objectified. Fetishism leads to a cult of movie stars, who are celebrated for their looks rather than their acting skills. But they are considered as an object and are often treated as such (e.g. Marilyn Monroe). Because of this "male gaze", women and men now have expected roles within movies.

The Roles of Men and Women

• Conventional Hollywood films have a male protagonist (lead role) in the narrative and therefore bring in a male audience
• Male characters are active/dynamic, and are not always conventionally attractive
• However, actresses must be glamorous and attractive, but usually only have supporting roles (which support the male leads)