Rashi Choudhary
A camera shot panning up a woman’s body lingering on her figure while following her curves. You don’t need to imagine much of this, plenty of scenes in movies & TV series serve as examples already. This portrayal of women’s visual representation of women is termed as male gaze.
The concept of gaze male has been studied and discussed within the realms of film studies, cultural studies & media studies. The term was coined in 1975 by Laura Mulvey, a feminist film theorist.
What the term Male gaze is about?
It is the way women are presented in the media as sex symbols and objects of male desire. The basis of this portrayal is ‘scopophilia’, the obtaining of sexual pleasure by looking at women’s bodies. It perpetuates the idea that women exist solely for the pleasure of men.
The male gaze is characterized by certain key features, including:
Objectification: Women are often presented as objects to be looked at, rather than as fully realized human beings with their own desires, goals, and agency.
Sexualisation: Women are often presented in a sexualized manner, with an emphasis on their physical attributes and their desirability to men.
Power imbalance: The male gaze is often characterized by a power imbalance between men and women, with men in positions of power and control and women in more subordinate roles.
Male perspective: The male gaze is often presented from a male perspective, with men serving as the primary audience for media and women serving as objects to be looked at.
The concept of male gaze is often analysed, in terms of power dynamics. This can be explained as an act of exerting control or influence over the object of one’s gaze, women in simpler terms.
Female gaze- A feminist alternative
Female gaze, on the other hand, sees the world through a woman’s perspective. By presenting women subjects of their own desires and agency rather than being perceived as mere sexual objects, it offers a different perspective on sexuality and desire without objectifying males, unlike male gaze.
Female gaze is important because it challenges traditional representation of women in the media. By presenting women as active subjects rather than passive objects, it offers a more complex and nuanced perspective on female sexuality and desire in a culture where women have historically been reduced to their bodies.
Notable characteristics representing female gaze are:
Empathy: The female gaze often prioritizes empathy, with a focus on understanding and relating to the experiences of others, particularly other women.
Authenticity: The female gaze often values authenticity over superficiality, with a focus on the real experiences and emotions of women, rather than on unrealistic or idealized depictions.
Diversity: The female gaze often prioritizes diversity and representation, with a focus on showcasing the experiences of women from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
Portrayals in Cinema throughout ages and continents
Cinema, both Bollywood & Hollywood, has a history of glorifying its heroes. Be it the angry young man trope or hero being the saviour heroine storyline. Women are depicted as the romantic love interest or through the concept of item songs despite their irrelevance to serve the plot. Women in old hindi films were often categorised into two- The vamps & the Damsel in Distresses. Damsel in distress characters were often the heroines who needed to be saved by the hero, without having any relevance to the actual plot. Just to serve the purpose of showcasing the hero as the saviour. Their husbands were Gods to these women. Seductive characters, on the other hand, were well known as vamps. They were often used as distractions to move the plot further. Item songs were also performed by them only. However, one positive aspect of this disrespectful portrayal was the dissemination of Western thoughts on ‘how a woman is supposed to be’, in Indian society. From movies like ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’ to item songs with ‘choli ke peechhe kya hai?’ (what’s behind the blouse?) lyrics, women have long been sexualized in Indian cinema. In recent years, things haven’t changed much. Kartik Aaryan’s dialogue in ‘Pati, Patni aur Woh’ says it all about the condition of marital rape and consent. Stalking has been the plot of cinema more than once. While in ‘Darr’, the staller was in a negative role played by Shah Rukh Khan, ‘Raanjhanaa’ glorified the stalker.
Bollywood and Indian cinema have various instances filmed through the lens of a man. Hollywood also, at large has its contribution in this. The first thing that should be mentioned is the concept of Sex Symbols.(explanations) Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell are the two actresses who were considered sex symbols in the 50s. Apart from being sexualized both their characters in ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ were portrayed as gold-diggers. Fragile femininity and women as home-makers were often served through cinema. Doris day was the housewife stereotype, which was served through her films like ‘That Touch of Mink’ and ‘Pillow Talk’. Recent Hollywood movies such as ‘Suicide Squad’ are no different.
Co-existence of both, male gaze and female gaze in one visual media
As Mulvey wrote, women are characterised by their ‘to be looked at ness’, Lipstick under my Burkha, Raazi, English Vinglish, Nil Batte Sannata, Dear Zindagi, Fleabag, Portrait of Lady on fire, Charulata are some of the few movies and shows which are shot through a female gaze. However, not every old film is criticized by feminists. ‘Casablanca’, ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ in Hollywood, and ‘Mother India’, ‘Guide’ among Hindi cinema are a few of balanced films. Although, male gaze and female gaze aren’t mutually exclusive as both can co-exist within the same piece of art. The debate of male gaze and female gaze matters because it has a real impact on the way women are perceived and treated in society. They are subjected to unrealistic beauty standards that are difficult and almost impossible to achieve, leading to feelings of inadequacy and low self- esteem. Meanwhile, by adopting a female perspective various positive outcomes can be seen. Women will be perceived as human beings with their own identity, desires and ambitions. Representation will be authentic and diverse with emphasis on real emotions & experiences.
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