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://www.huffpost.com/entry/obstructing-the-male-gaze_b_6322936

https://medium.com/s/story/social-media-and-the-gaze-d107327a5c90

https://www.filminquiry.com/film-theory-basics-laura-mulvey-male-gaze-theory/

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

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