The Gaze in the Media Writing Task

In modern media, it seems there is an ever present voyeuristic gaze. There are many theories and issues that surround this concept, and by studying key texts, we can aim to establish the reason for this male gaze through theories such as fetishism and the male desire for dominance over women.

Sigmund Freud's theories support the idea that there is a constant theme of fetishism and sexualisation that runs through the media of cinema. By being presented with snapshots of the female form, the male audience will be reminded of the absence of the penis and a juvenile fear of castration that is embedded into the male psyche. This means that perhaps the female role in cinema is to present a fetishised object for the viewer. '...she can exist only in relation to castration and cannot transcend it' (Mulvey 1975) tells us that perhaps the actress is burdened with a oppressed objectified role dominated by the male protagonist. We can also consider the concept of scopophilia, the idea of the 'pleasure in looking at another person as an object' (Mulvey 1975). The 'peeping tom' as it were,  'can always stay in control' (Coward 2000). This links back to the male desire for dominance, which is often released in cinema with the presence of the gaze. (Coward 2000) raises an interesting point about the male desire to control women's sexuality: 'So when a woman is upheld by society as beautiful, we can be sure she expresses, with her body, the values currently surrounding women's sexual behaviour. The emphasis on women's looks becomes a crucial way in which society exercises control over women's sexuality.' Again it seems there is male sexual desire to be dominant. Even marriage, is said to 'operate to secure women's labour and reproductive capacity to the advantage of men' (Coward 2000) There is likely a male need for ownership of women, which makes the objectifying of women on screen appealing, as the male viewer will feel they can truly gaze at this object of fetishism without the risk of being shunned and belittled.

We have thus far observed the possible part men play in this media gaze, so let us now consider the effect this objectifying of women effects female viewers: 'Women like looking at glamorous and highly sexualised images of other women because these images are meant to function like a mirror' (Coward 2000). Elaborating on this 'mirror' concept, it could be said that the awareness of the male gaze causes the female to try and conform to how society (particularly the male sex) perceives beauty. It almost becomes compulsory for the female to fulfil the fetishised needs that have been presented by the the male dominant media industry.

When considering the relevant media of game, this over-sexualisation of female characters carries over across platforms. I would like to consider the popular transmedia character 'Lara Croft'. It is very clear to see that the character has been over-sexualised to appeal to the predominantly male oriented game industry. However from a feminist stand point, the fact the female is the protagonist of the franchise contradicts the idea that the feminine role in narrative media is often to be seen as a sexual object rather than the progressor of the plot. So in this instance, we are presented with a strong female protagonist who fights male antagonists and emerges victorious. But could there perhaps be a more cynical undertone, that men relish in the ability to control and puppeteer this object of fetishism? This would be supported by the theory that mean demand control over women.

In conclusion, it seems that across the media,  which is seems is primarily dominated by the male sex, men are constantly presented with oppressed female objects of erotica. Simultaneously, women are almost given instruction on how they should hope to be perceived by the rest of society.

Bibliography:

Coward, R., 'The Look', in Thomas, J. (ed.) (2000), Reading Images, Basingstoke: Palgrave, pages 33-39

Mulvey, L. (1975), 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema', in Badmington, N. and Thomas, J. (eds.) (2008) The Routledge Critical and Cultural Theory Reader, London and New York: Routledge, pages 202-212 

The Gaze and the Media

Our second context of practice lecture was all about 'the male gaze'. This is where the male watches the woman, and the woman watches herself being looked at by the man. It is highly relevant in modern society as 'the look' is largely controlled by men, particularly in advertising.

To explain how the gaze works, we can take an image comparison. With the bellow image titled 'Vanity' by Hans Melmin, we see a woman examining a reflection of her face in the nude. Note that the reflection  in the small mirror is inaccurate when we consider perspective. This tells us that the painting is in some sense abstract, meaning that their is focus on the message behind the painting as oppose to photorealism. Because the perspective is skewed, the reflection begins to look like a perfect portrait, elegantly cropped with the shoulders and head in frame. perhaps this could suggest the woman's search for convention and properness, and how she would like to be received under the scrutiny of the male gaze. The viewer is almost invited to examine the females form as the image is in no way evasive, and she becomes merely an object, like a sculpture in an art gallery:

If we now take a look at this second image, we see a female applying makeup, sat on her bed. Here her form is much less elegant and conventional. Her legs are parted, yet she is still clothed. Add this to the reflection in the mirror, and we the viewer almost feels intrusive. Her reflection is correct in perspective, meaning her eyesight catches us looking at the painting. We almost feel caught in the act of peeping, their is a real sense of voyeurism with this image.

The idea of the male gaze is hugely relevant in fashion photography:

Regarding this image, theorist Rosalind Coward said 'The camera in contemporary media has been put to use as an extension of the male gaze at women on the streets.' Again there is this sense of voyeurism, catching someone in an exposed intimate act. This is taken further by including the public backdrop, adding a sense of risk and excitement to the image. Again, the woman almost becomes objectified, her sunglasses breaking eye contact so that the male viewer does not feel he is under scrutiny, as he himself scrutinises the woman in the image.

It is very rare that this gaze is reversed. Even when men are depicted in the nude, they often challenge the gaze. They are never objectified in such ways as the women in the above images.

Moving towards contextualising the ideas in the lecture, we can can see the gaze present in films, games and animation. One of the most noted transmedia characters in gaming, 'Lara Croft' is a perfect example of objectifying the female form for the pleasure of men. She is 'a visual spectacle to be consumed', she is over sexualised, and their is a sense of excitement with her destruction. We see this tradition carried on with many of the female characters in gaming. In the 'Halo' franchise, even the protagonist's computerised companion 'Cortana' is over sexualised:

This idea of digitalised sexual objects in gaming is taken further still, with the 'Miss Digital World' a competition held in Italy, where digital artists create beautiful digital women to compete. Again it is this idea of objectified women being put up for scrutiny against the male gaze. As a result, ideal definitions of beauty are manifested in society.

So why are male protagonists so versatile in age and appearance, while women are almost always depicted as young, attractive and over sexualised. Is it that men are not under the scrutiny of females and their gaze. Take Marcus Fenix from the 'Gears of War' Franchise. He is gruff, scarred and unbathed. This could however, be more fitting to the conventions of the male's traditional role in society. Marcus's rugged, masculine persona could be seen as 'sexy' under the female gaze. Perhaps this in fact reverses the gaze, as Fenix is under the scrutiny of females, whereas the male audience sees the heroic figure as an idealised reflexion of themselves. In a sense the male audience could be viewing themselves being observed and scrutinised by the female gender. Perhaps whereas as slender petite females seem to be a convention in the media, perhaps male characters also conform to certain conventions. For example, although the male protagonist varies in age and is not always portrayed as classically handsome, there is a always a trait of strength and dominance present.

We see the gaze everywhere in the media, from fashion photography, to advertising campaigns, to film and game. This comes with the general understanding that sex sells. Women become objects for marketing, playing on this sense of voyeurism that entices and excites the male market.