Laura Mulvey- The Male Gaze Theory

Laura mulvey

Laura Mulvey is a British feminist film theorist. She was educated at St Hilda's College, Oxford. She is currently professor of film and media studies at Birkbeck, University of London. Mulveys theory focuses on 'visual pleasure and narrative cinema' her studies are based on how women are viewed as sexual objects initially in Hollywood films. The male gaze occurs when the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man. A scene may focus on the curves of a women's body putting you the viewer in the eye of a male. The concept of gaze is one that deals with how an audience views the people presented. 

For feminist it can be thought of in three ways: 

1. How men look at women

Men focus on the sexual features of a women and see her as an object. Men focus on the curves and other parts of their bodies and do not alway value them as valid roles. They see women as sexual objects.

2. How women look at themselves

Women are made to feel negative about themselves when viewing other women, they pick faults with their own appearances and gives them low self-esteem. Women look at themselves as a comparison and feel inferior to the women in media products. They do not take into consideration post production and compare themselves to an unrealistic role model.

3. How women look at other women

Women look at other women to shape their own identities. They take elements of what they like from women they see to try and construct an identity they deem fit and desirable for society women look at other women and compare themselves to them to create an ideal version of themselves.