Male Gaze

WHAT IS THE MALE GAZE?The ‘male gaze’ is a theory that was constructed by Laura Mulvey in an influential feminist essay she wrote in 1975 called the ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’. In the essays she concluded that the way women are viewed in cinema is “unequal”. In her essay she talks about how women in the media are sexualised to please the male gender.Feminists have divided the theory up into three parts:• How men look at women• How women look at themselves• How women look at other women

THE MALE GAZE IN HORROR

Mulvey stated that women were objectified in film because heterosexual men were in control of the camera, to an extent I believe this is true because the majority of horror films are directed by men. Catherine Hardwicke was the director of ‘Twilight’ (2008) and even though I have never watched the whole film, I would say that a female gaze exists as there are many shots and scenes were there is a topless character.

I have selected two posters from the horror film ‘Jennifer’s Body’ (2009) as they both are apparent examples of the male gaze. The image on the poster on the left is a close up on the characters bottom half of her face which shows her very plump red lips which her tongues is licking. As well as the colour red being for evil, it also connotes seduction and power and I feel that is what the image conveys. On the right hand side the same character is shot wearing an extremely short skirt, red heels and a red top. Her legs are the focus of the picture (for a male purpose). Megan Fox is also hugging a collection of books close to her breasts which can be connoted as that is playing around with the male fantasy that men have of a ‘naughty school girl’.

UnderwearThe underwear this character is wearing is very tight and reveals her bum cheek, it appears this is meant to be the characters night clothes but I do not understand why she couldn’t of just worn some shorts or trousers. But then this image would not fit the conventions of a sexy female in horror.

VoyeurismThe image is also quite voyeuristic, I feel like I should not be watching a lady half naked in the bathroom, which is a place of privacy.