The Male Gaze in Media

HOW CATERING TO MEN’S DESIRES DEFINES FEMININITY ACROSS MEDIA

Written by Madison Targum, Contributing Writer and Shannon McManus, Culture Staff Writer Illustrated by Channing Smith, Art Director

From a film where the camera lingers over the female figure to even animated children’s movies that feature curvaceous female characters, we view much of the world through the male gaze.

The male gaze theory can be understood in three ways: how women are influenced by the way men look at them, how women look at themselves and how women look at other women.1 Under the male gaze theory male created mediums and representations that depict women in a stereotypical way set the norms of how women should look and behave. Women internalize the external standards placed upon them by the heterosexual male expectations of feminine beauty and standards.

We see the effects of catering to men’s desires across media forms. For example, in the industry of video games, the male gaze prominently rules over the characters and game itself. Popular video games rarely show female characters in main player roles, and when they do, they are built for the male gaze. Lara Croft, who was championed for fighting the gender roles as one of the first female main characters, is highly sexualized with a large chest and small waist.2 In Grand Theft Auto, women are known for wearing minimal clothing and only functioning as side characters to the main male characters.

Not only are the female characters seen as lesser players, but they are also criticized by the gaming community if they possess more masculine, or rather, less sexualized traits. In one study based on feedback from World of Warcraft, “female characters in feminine roles received significantly less negative

1Sampson, Rachel. “Film Theory 101 - Laura Mulvey: The Male Gaze Theory.” Film Inquiry. May 21, 2020. 2 “Miss-Leading Characters: The Hyper-Sexualization of Females in Video Games.” GCMLP, October 25, 2019.

feedback than female characters in masculine roles.”3 Women are expected to look sexier and weaker even in online spaces of combat, and are also criticized if they appear stronger or equally strong as male characters. These stereotypes in visual representation and behavior can damage women’s self-esteem and give men a skewed understanding of how complex women are, damaging relationships with oneself and others.

Similarly, in the film industry, female characters are often used to appeal and satisfy a male audience, rather than give an accurate depiction of women’s stories. Although some newer films with strong female leads are intended to promote gender equality, women are typically cast as an object of desire or merely a side character.

Feminist film theoriet Laura Mulvey coined the term “the Male Gaze” and believe that women are “the bearer of meaning and not the maker of meaning.”4 Applying that understanding to media, Mulvey argues that women are used like props or objects that are meant to be viewed instead of being portrayed as real people. There is not a comparable issue with male representation.

There is a growing sentiment in the industry that has acknowledged that cinema does not invite women to desire men’s bodies: “rather, female viewers are positioned to identify with a heroine who is herself desired by a man.”5

One actress taking a stand against the male gaze in movies is Keira Knightley. The Pride & Prejudice star recently confirmed that she

3 Chappetta, Kelsey. 2018. “The Role of Gender in Video Games.” Order No. 10749967, The University of Alabama. 4 Sampson, Rachel. “Film Theory 101 - Laura Mulvey: The Male Gaze Theory.” Film Inquiry. May 21, 2020. 5 Loreck, Janice. “Explainer: what does the ‘male gaze’ mean, and what about a female gaze?” The Conversation. January 5, 2016. will not be working on sex scenes with male directors. According to Knightley, “those horrible sex scenes where [one is] all greased up and everybody is grunting,”6 make her uncomfortable and are simply a male fantasy about sex that don’t add anything to the plot. While she acknowledged that some sex scenes are integral parts of the story, Knightley will no longer be participating in those scenes, especially when it would call for her be naked in a room full of men directing the way she looks and moves.

Unfortunately, women have now been conditioned to self-objectify themselves and other women in accordance to the standards of the male gaze. Studies have shown repeatedly how just the anticipation of the male gaze for women leads to more selfobjectification and negativity towards themselves.7 Women may sexualize themselves to appeal to the male gaze or they may try to avoid the male gaze by dressing more modestly. This leads women to the question: Am I presenting myself externally for my own satisfaction or is it in reaction to the male gaze?

The male gaze’ prevalence in the media affects all aspects of society. Oversexualization and performative action according to male desire impede women’s self-expression and their ability to have positive relationships and friendships with men and each other. Through modern art forms like video games and movies, society has been conditioned to criticize, as well as romanticize standards of femininity through the expectations set by the male gaze. At this point in contemporary media, we need more complex representations of women as not only sexual beings, but human beings. ■

6 Ramachandran, Naman. “Keira Knightley Reveals Discomfort of Male Gaze: ‘I’d Just Rather Not Stand in Front of a Group of Men Naked’.” Variety. Variety, January 25, 2021. 7 Bothra, Shreya. “How the Male Gaze Alters the Way We See Ourselves.” Live Wire, October 8, 2020.

Women are expected to look sexier and weaker even in online spaces of combat, and are also criticized if they appear stronger or equally strong as male characters.