The Male Gaze and Social Media
It
has always been the ambition of the media to appeal to the masses and invoke
desire, whether through films or advertising. For a long time, and even still
today, the masses that mattered were men.
In feminist theory, the concept of the ‘Male Gaze’ explores
the way viewers and consumers engage with visual media in a way that sexualises
women in order to empower men. It is specifically targeted at heterosexual men
and sees the objectification of women as a fulfillment of male desire. The term
was coined in the 1970s by British feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey. She used it to analyse
the structure, characters, plotline and overall nature of films of the time. Mulvey’s
theory challenged previously accepted ideas and social norms and questioned why
audiences and viewers of films and other media were positioned to view women
only from the perspective of a straight male.
Over
the last 40 years, the
progression of female representation in films years has increased
exponentially. Women are no longer confined to the ‘damsel in distress’ figure
and have the chance to be ‘the hero’ or lead role. Women of colour have more
representation, as well as women of different sexualities. Yet, the Male Gaze
is still used today, most commonly as a marketing and advertising technique,
more specifically in products targeted at women.
While the societal standard for what constitutes ‘beauty’
has changed since the 70s, when the Male Gaze was first given its name, the
concept of beauty and attaining beauty is still well and truly the backbone of
marketing towards women. An emphasis on the importance of looking beautiful and
desirable is rife throughout the media. And who else would women want to look
beautiful for if not men?
Products aimed at women depict models in a way that is
sensual and sexualised, or else considered traditionally desirable by straight
men. Television commercials for perfume show women dressed in expensive attire
while men stare and lust after them, the implication being they do so because
of the perfume the women are wearing (https://representationsofwomeninmedia.weebly.com/examples-in-advertising.html)
and (https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/ridiculously-sexist-misogyny-anti-feminist-adverts-posters-billboards-present-modern-day/69598).
The subtext of these advertisements is that if women buy these products, they
too will be desired by men.
This image
shows a woman with long, brown, curly hair wearing a black floor-length dress
with a split up one side to expose her leg. The dress is low cut and off the
shoulder. There are two men, one on either side of her. They are both holding one
of her arms and staring at her as she looks towards the camera with her hands
on her hips. Both men have brown hair and are wearing black tuxedos with a
black bow tie and white dress shirt. The background shows a room with wooden
slate walls, floors and roof, a burgundy couch and brown timber coffee table
slightly visible.
How does the Male Gaze affect the way women engage
with social media? It
looks at women visually pleasing men, and with this being cast as the norm by
the media, young women are looking to present themselves in a similar way on social media
outlets such as Facebook and Instagram. People view young women sharing photos
of themselves in certain poses and clothing as
the way to get attention increase followers and likes on social media. A
platform with the original purpose of sharing experiences and candid moments your
followers and friends is now fraught with self-promotional idealism.
Women who upload images of themselves without makeup
or without having carefully constructed the perfect “candid pose”, or without suggestive,
expensive or revealing clothes are the exception, not the rule. These images
play host to a mentality that women’s natural and comfortable self is not good
enough or perhaps even too unattractive to post on social media. Aa photo is no
longer just a photo but needs time and
planning. Platforms like Instagram are no longer places where you take a photo
of yourself at a party and upload it on the spot. You need to take dozens of images and
choose the best one.
It needs to be edited and have filters added and then uploaded at the right
time so more people will see it on their news feeds and like it. Before it can
be seen, it needs to be made desirable (https://medium.com/s/story/social-media-and-the-gaze-d107327a5c90).
This image
shows a shot from behind of a woman with long, dark hair. Her head turned to
the side. She is standing in a doorway and is holding a garment of clothing. She
is wearing a black singlet and black G-string underwear with nothing else. The
image is quite shadowy. The door is made of timber, and the wall beyond is a
light purple with three visible diamond-shaped shelves of the same colour.
The Male Gaze theory was identified and named almost
50 years ago, and yet it has trickled down from movies to advertisements and
now into the online lives of women worldwide. It puts an emphasis on the importance
of looks and suggests that in order to gain status or feel important, women
need to use their looks and present themselves in such a way as to enhance
these looks. We are asking men to join us in the fight for gender equality. And
yet, without realising it, many young women are demonstrating the Male Gaze
through their very own social media profiles, and continuing to unknowingly
encourage the patriarchal behaviours that have dictated the lives of women for
centuries (https://www.huffpost.com/entry/obstructing-the-male-gaze_b_6322936).
By: Georgia Stevens
Sources:
http://theconversation.com/explainer-what-does-the-male-gaze-mean-and-what-about-a-female-gaze-52486
https://representationsofwomeninmedia.weebly.com/examples-in-advertising.html) and (https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/ridiculously-sexist-misogyny-anti-feminist-adverts-posters-billboards-present-modern-day/69598
Disclaimer: The views expressed in
this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of the Sydney Feminists. Our
Blogger and Tumblr serve as platforms for a diverse array of women to put forth
their ideas and explore topics. To learn more about the philosophy behind TSF’s
Blogger/ Tumblr, please read our statement here: https://www.sydneyfeminists.org/a
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