What is the gaze?
The idea of the‘gaze’ is one that is concerned with how an
audience views the people presented.
Laura Mulvey, a British feminist film
theorist, coined the term ‘male gaze’ in 1975. This concept was
formed through how Mulvey thought women were represented in film and
literature. Mulvey sees the representation of women in film and literature as
being dominated by a male perspective.
Features of the male gaze:
- The camera lingers on the curves of
the female body, and events which occur to women are presented largely in the
context of a man's reaction to these events
- Relegates women to the status of
objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by
identification with the male
Below are some examples which illustrate the ideas formed by Laura Mulvey.
Nicki Minaj - Anaconda
In this video, close up's of female body parts are shown in order to gain the audiences attention.This is a clear example of women being objectified in regards to the male gaze.
August Alsina - Numb
In this video, slow motion tracking and tilt shots are used in order to showcase the female body, the camera is often lingering over the curves of the female body. This is also another good example of how the male gaze is used in music videos.
Tyga ft Young Thug - Hookah
In this video, dismemberment is used to showcase different parts of the female body, therefore objectifying women and clearly showing the Laura Mulvey theory of how women are represented in film and literature.
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