Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory

Main features of the Male Gaze Theory 

  • The camera acts as the eyes of a heterosexual male looking at a female.
  • Most of the people at the top end of the media industry e.g. directors and producers are male and heterosexual.
  • This causes the objectification of women- females being seen as sexual objects for men to look at. They are devalued and there humanity taken away.
  • The scene focuses on the curves of the women and this is emphasised through the use of camera movements, slow motion etc. 
  • Makes it socially acceptable for men to look at women in this way.
  • Women would be looking at other women and comparing themselves. 
  • The audience are forced to look at the women and judge them due to the view they are being given.
  • There is a patriarchal society which means male dominated.
  • Use of scopophilia/voyeurism which is the pleasure people get from looking at other people's bodies when they are naked or when they are engaged in sexual activity.
  • Active male and passive female.
A key example in film would be the scene in Transformers when Mickaela is fixing the car and not only is Sam looking at her body but the camera is also focused on it.   

                        

There are several examples in music videos where this theory applies. One example is Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke where the girls don't wear many clothes especially in the uncensored version which portrays them as sexual objects with their body being the main focus and they are dancing around the men which suggests the men have a higher status which supports the idea of a patriarchal society where men are dominant and superior to women. Another example is Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus where she swings on a wrecking ball wearing no clothes in a sexual manner portraying her as an object of sexual desire. 

Criticisms of the Male Gaze Theory

  • Some women enjoyed being looked at by other people such as beauty pageants and models.
  • Some people would argue that music videos don't just focus on the male gaze theory but there is now a female gaze theory where men are sexualised for the pleasure of females. 
  • The gaze can be aimed at people of the same gender in the audience for non- sexual reasons for example for body image and for people to compare clothes. 
An example of the female gaze theory being conveyed in music videos is Want to Want Me by Jason Derulo where he is shirtless for the majority of the video and there is a scene where he is doing pull ups which may attract his female audience as he is showing off his body and flexing his muscles.

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