Laura Mulvey (Theorist) on Representation

Laura Mulvey - Representation Theorist

 



Laura Mulvey

 The 'Male Gaze' is a theory developed from a feminist view to address the lack of equality between men and women- analysing the way in which men see women, the way women look at themselves and the way in which women look at other women.

The theory portrays that the audience are forced to view the from the perspective of a heterosexual male. The camera constantly focuses on the curves of a women's body, completely objectifying female characters making them less 'important' than other male roles.

Sexism has been shown to be presented where the audience are encouraged to look at women in advertising that sexualises a women's body, even when the advertised product is completely unrelated to the women's body. 

As audiences watch films without being watched by the characters they become onlookers of their lives.
 Therefore they become voyeurs of the people on screen.
This can lead to two effects: objectification and narcissistic identification.
Voyeurism involves turning the represented figure into a fetish so it becomes increasingly beautiful but more objectified.

It has been contended filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock objectified his female subjects, positioning them to merely arouse the audience.

The camera lingers on the curves of the female body, and events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man's reaction to these events. 

This relegates women to the status of objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male.

A photo analysed showing aspects of the male gaze.