The male gaze has been around for centuries, and women have had enough of it. Every woman has experienced the Male gaze, whether through a movie that was clearly directed by a man or personally. If you are wondering ‘what even is the male gaze’, simply put, it is a way of seeing and representing women in media that reflects a heterosexual male perspective (Mulvey, L., Rose, R. and Lewis, M. 2016).
In the past, men have dominated in most fields, especially film, which I am happy to say is no longer the case in contemporary society. Currently, many women are starting to fill director positions in the media film industry. This leads to the opposite of the male gaze, the female gaze (Niles Goins, M., Alexander, B.K. and Faber McAlister, J. (2021). Originally, there was only one, the male gaze, but as more theories were developed, people noticed that it could also apply to the opposite gender. The female gaze means viewing women as fully expressed, complicated, and autonomous people (Lutes, A. 2024).
A great example of this is ‘Little Women’ by Greta Gerwig. This movie is about feminism, creativity, independence and individuality (James, C. 2022). And many women who have watched this movie agree that this is what the female gaze is, as Little Women’s portrayal of female characters touches many viewers.
This shows how women reclaim the male gaze by making their own movies that show what the female gaze is. Greta Gerwig is an incredible director who also directed ‘Lady Bird’; this movie received five Oscar nominations, including best director (Berman, E. 2019). This shows the recognition she is getting for her movies that include women as protagonists who are not put in a movie to appeal to the male gaze.
Greta Gerwig is one of the female directors who understands the importance of having female characters have their own agency and shows this in her films. Even her most recent film, Barbie, has themes of feminism and deeper meanings as you watch. This shows the way she gives messages is well done and well received.
However, there is still work to be done as the percentage of female protagonists is less than males in top-grossing films of 2023 (Lutes, A. 2024), even with the progress of including more female-focused films.
Overall, it feels as if the media is becoming more aware of the importance of having a variety of films from different perspectives, such as the female gaze. The focus on the male gaze could be harmful due to the unrealistic expectations it sets on women, such as having to be desirable constantly. While the female gaze focuses on all aspects of someone, not just one, reclaiming the way women are viewed in media.
References:
Berman, E. (2019) Greta Gerwig on little women and women behind the camera, Time. Available at: https://time.com/5743438/greta-gerwig-little-women-interview/ (Accessed: 01 December 2024).
James, C. (2022) Why little women is a triumph, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20191216-why-little-women-is-a-triumph (Accessed: 01 December 2024).
Lutes, A. (2024) The female gaze: Definition + examples from movies and TV | backstage, The Female Gaze in Film and TV: An Explainer. Available at: https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/female-gaze-definition-examples-77823/ (Accessed: 01 December 2024).
Mulvey, L., Rose, R. and Lewis, M. (2016) Visual pleasure and narrative cinema (1975). London: Afterall Books.
Niles Goins, M., Alexander, B.K. and Faber McAlister, J. (2021) The Routledge Handbook of Gender and Communication. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
I loved how you used Little Women as an example of the female gaze. You described perfectly how the movie represents “feminism, creativity, independence, and individuality.” A scene that comes to mind is when Amy (Florence Pugh) has her dialogue with Teddy (Timothee Chalamet), where she is so aware of the patriarchal system and the few rights and opportunities women had at that time. Greta Gerwig used this film as an opportunity to show the female gaze in juxtaposition to a patriarchal society.
I think you give great examples of the male and female gaze in film and media. I love how you highlighted Greta Gerwig’s work; I was hoping someone would. She is a powerful example of reclaiming the female gaze. It would be interesting to see the opposing view of how some do not agree with Gerwig’s work. I have found engaging conversations with those who do not like Gerwig as a director and it’s interesting as to why some might hold those views. I also like how you mention it also opens up a broader discussion on how the male gaze impacts women. I think taking it a step further would be to introduce the realms of gender inequality, especially in the film workplace where both men and women are directing.