The Male Gaze Theory

1. THE MALE GAZE Laura Mulvey is a British feminist film theorist and she developed the term ‘The Male Gaze’ in 1975 as she believed that the majority of films (if not all) are viewed from the perspective of a heterosexual male .

2. THE MALE GAZE Some of the key features of the male gaze include: When the camera lingers on the curves of the female body and events which occur to women are presented in the context of a man’s reaction to these events . When women are portrayed and relegated as objects The female body is sexualized even when it is irrelevant to what’s going on in the scene or the product being advertised.

3. THE MALE GAZE Controversial advertisements Dolce and Gabbana

4. THE MALE GAZE Controversial advertisements Burger King

5. THE MALE GAZE Controversial advertisements

6. THE MALE GAZE Controversial advertisements Durex Advert

7. THE MALE GAZE Key theorists beliefs Jonathan Schroeder (1998 ) “ to gaze implies more than to look at – it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze.”

8. THE MALE GAZE A criticism of Mulvey’s Gaze theory is that: Some women enjoy being ‘looked’ at e.g. beauty pageants. The gaze can also be directed toward members of the same gender for several reasons, not all of which are sexual, such as in comparison of body image or in clothing.