Laura Mulvey is a British feminist film theorist who came up with the concept of the Male Gaze Theory.
The Male Gaze Theory
In this theory the camera is a man that looks at and objectifies women. The camera tends to pan from the legs up.
In this theory the camera is a man that looks at and objectifies women. The camera tends to pan from the legs up.
The main features of Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory are:
- The representation of women in a sexual fantasy and from a heterosexuals male point of view
- Scopophilia - the pleasure involved in looking at other peoples bodies
- Objectification of female characters
- Patriarchal society
- Active male and passive female
- Men - controlling subjects
- Women as an image
- Men do the looking and the women are there to be looked at
- Needs of the male ego
We watched a couple of example clips to see if we could apply the Male Gaze Theory to them.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit - Jessica Rabbit
Jessica Rabbit is a character who is dressed very provocatively. She wears a floor length strapless red dress with a high thigh split, combined with red lips. This fits in with the Red Dress Theory which states that men find women in red dresses more attractive. She has the perfect hourglass figure and most of the scenes she is in tend to have saxophone music in the background, making it more sexual.
Transformers - Mikaela Banes
In this clip the camera is representing the male character, Sam Witwicky's, perspective as he admires Mikaela. Mikaela is dressed in a crop top and shorts and the camera pans slowly from the rear upwards.
In this clip the camera is representing the male character, Sam Witwicky's, perspective as he admires Mikaela. Mikaela is dressed in a crop top and shorts and the camera pans slowly from the rear upwards.
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