Laura Mulvey - Voyerism
The term 'Male Gaze' refers to the way audience perceives women in all forms of video. Laura Mulvey believes that the audience have to view the film from a heterosexual males point of view. The 'Male Gaze' theory is bought down to 3 points, how men look at women, how women look at themselves, and how women look at other women.
What is the Male Gaze?
The focus is on the way the camera moves around the body of a woman, focusing on her body. This makes the woman seem more of an 'object' or 'goal' to the man, which is why the videos have to be seen from the males point of view, in order to take the storyline in.
The term also refers to how nothing else in the shot is important apart from the women's physical appearance. The camera doesn't necessarily focus on the clothes of a woman, but more on her physical features. Sexualization of women is used everyday in all forms of media, not just videos. If a business is advertising a product towards men, the business may be inclined to produce an advert with a good looking women in order to grab the attention of the man, therefore calling it the 'Male Gaze'.
There are some arguments against Laura Mulvey's theory, as some women liked to be looked at in that way, which then defeats the object of having to look at the video from the males point of view.
Laura Mulvey's theory is true to a certain extent, however nowadays, women stereotypically preferred to be seen as good-looking, and would want the 'Male Gaze', as oppose to no male attention at all.
What is the Male Gaze?
The focus is on the way the camera moves around the body of a woman, focusing on her body. This makes the woman seem more of an 'object' or 'goal' to the man, which is why the videos have to be seen from the males point of view, in order to take the storyline in.
The term also refers to how nothing else in the shot is important apart from the women's physical appearance. The camera doesn't necessarily focus on the clothes of a woman, but more on her physical features. Sexualization of women is used everyday in all forms of media, not just videos. If a business is advertising a product towards men, the business may be inclined to produce an advert with a good looking women in order to grab the attention of the man, therefore calling it the 'Male Gaze'.
There are some arguments against Laura Mulvey's theory, as some women liked to be looked at in that way, which then defeats the object of having to look at the video from the males point of view.
Laura Mulvey's theory is true to a certain extent, however nowadays, women stereotypically preferred to be seen as good-looking, and would want the 'Male Gaze', as oppose to no male attention at all.