The Male Gaze: Analyzing Visual Arts

Laura Mulvey, film theorist and feminist, published “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” in 1975. In this essay, Mulvey points out the dichotomy of power present in films. She presents the theory that women in film are merely objects that cater to the male gaze, saying

“Traditionally, the woman displayed has functioned on two levels: as erotic object for the characters within the screen story, and as erotic object for the spectator within the auditorium, with a shifting tension between the looks on either side of the screen” (Mulvey, 838).

Rather than the female character being a developing aspect of the film, she is relative to the male protagonist of the story as a symbol of how she develops him as a character. Mulvey quotes Budd Boetticher stating,

“What counts is what the heroine provokes, or rather what she represents. She is the one, or rather she is the love or fear she inspires in the hero, or else the concern he feels for her, who makes him act the way he does. In herself the woman has not the slightest importance” (Mulvey, 837)

Mulvey explains that women are primarily in films as an object of viewing pleasure for the male protagonists, in which women’s bodies, style, and sexuality cater to the fantasy of men. She further theorizes that men watching films (spectators) identify with the male protagonist in the films. The spectator projects himself onto the protagonist, and therefore identifies with the erotic events that occur in the film. Through technical aspects that shape the diegesis, he is able to possess the woman in the same way as the protagonist.

There are differences between the Bechdel Test and Mulvey’s theory. The Bechdel test only requires three simple questions: 1. Does it include at least two women? 2. Do these women talk to each other...? 3. About other subjects besides men? Mulvey’s theory discusses more of how women are perceived as objects in the male perspective. The male gaze is how the visual arts and literature depict women from a masculine point of view.

Figure 1: 'The Rule' from Dykes to Watch Out For, Alison Bechdel and Liz Wallace 

Terms to know

Phallocentrism: developed by Freud as the penis as a central element to organization of the social world→ “castration” of women as a natural aspect that informs our culture

Voyeurism: The practice of gaining sexual pleasure from watching others engaged in intimate behaviors. In the extreme becomes perversion, “Peeping Tom”.

Scopophilia: Pleasure at looking at another person as an erotic object.

Diegesis: A sphere or world in which narrated events and other elements occur.

Assignment:

After reading the comic, find a movie that does not pass the Bechdel test, preferably one that was made in the past ten years. How does the movie fit into Mulvey’s theory of the male gaze and spectatorship? How might gender representation in cinema translate to reaffirmations of patriarchy in our everyday lives?

Our Example:

Figure 2: The Avengers movie poster, Walt Disney Studio Motion Pictures

One example we found of a recent movie that does not pass the Bechdel test was The Avengers (2013). This was a Marvel movie made in the past ten years with three named female characters: Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow), Pepper Potts, and Agent Maria Hill. For reference, there are double that amount of named male characters just in the film poster we found. However, none of these characters speak to each other at any point in the film, therefore failing the Bechdel test. Each female character is attached to a male protagonist: Black Widow- Hawkeye (in later films Captain America), Pepper Potts- Iron Man, Agent Maria Hill - Nick Fury. Each woman has a companion which informs their character, makes them relevant to the story line, and demonstrates their worth as they provide love, companionship, or act as the sexy sidekick. It is also interesting to note that in each pairing, the man is the leader of the relationship. We found this to be problematic, given the fact that there are so few representations of female superheroes, or women being seen as strong and capable in any capacity in cinema. In such a high profile movie and franchise, it is disappointing to know that young boys are being taught that girls function as sexy sidekicks rather than heroines in their own right, and that girls are being taught that they should look to a man to save them, and that their worth is in their roles as passive, supporting girlfriends, sidekicks, and employees.