Theories and Theorists

Kaplan (1983) - She comes up with an answer that opens a door for readings. She shows that women are not necessarily portrayed as an object of gaze; it is men who act on the desiring gaze. Both men and women can adopt dominant and submissive roles. She then goes on to explain ‘understanding our socialisation in patriarchy’. Women are constructed cinematically and this reading refuses to accept the naturalising process of patriarchal socialisation.

Linda Williams (1984) - ‘when the women looks’ (when the women became dominant) she usually pays for it often with her life. The Women’s Gaze is punished by narrative a process that transforms curiosity and desire into masochistic fantasy. So this ability to switch roles is not necessarily fortunate, it is potentially dangerous.

Thelma and Louise (1991) – was seen as a feminist film. Although a more cynical analysis of the film reveals that the women are filmed quite conventionally as objects of ‘the look’.

Patriarchy – ideas that support and justify male dominance
Laura Mulvey- Mulvey claims that there are two ways in which the audience looks at films and that is:

• Voyeuristically
• Fetishistically
  

Audiences who watch people on screen are voyeurs. This can lead to two effects:
-Objectification- female characters controlling male gaze and human characteristics being taken from them.
-Narcissistic identification-having an ideal image on screen

Gauntlett- argues that the media reflects the difficulty experienced in modern society and that is that gender roles are more complex. The female’s role models today are often glamorous as well as successful. He argues that this is due to the ‘rise in girl power’The reason women are represented poorly is due to lack of females in higher positions. Media is male dominated as a result woman are represented from their point of view.Film in particular sees women in an active role however they are being shown as eye candy and objectified.

Naomie Harris
“Film is such a male dominated industry”

• Men are in every level making it harder for women to get their feet in the door
• The way of working makes it difficult for women to succeed in the business.
• The responsibly of caring for a child and working in the media could be a lot of work to handle.
• Women are better organisers (producers) and males are more creative (directors)
• The role of a director is equivalent to raising a family
• Films have expensive and advanced equipment and so males understanding how and when to use it
• Being charge of 10 to 150 large men with heavy equipment is best carried out by a male
• When women just has a child, its easy for them to go back to being a producer, however its harder if you’re a director

Gunter (1995)-In the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, only 20% to 35% of characters were female. By mid 1980’s, women were in more leading roles but still there were twice as many men that women on television.

Gunter (1970’s)-Found that marriage, parenthood and domesticity were shown on television to be more important for women.

McNeil (1975)-Women’s movement had been largely ignored by television with married housewives being the main female role.He also found men to be dominant characters and the decision makers on TV. Men were more assertive (aggressive) and women more passive.

Gaye Tuchman (1978)-He argued that women were underrepresented in media fictional life. A term he sued to describe this was symbolically annihilated.

Gillian Dyer (1987)-Television was increasingly taken women seriously and there are a number of programmes that feature women in a more central role.

Rosen (1973)-The role of women in a film almost always revolves around her physical attraction

• 89% of adverts used a male voiceover
• Men were twice more likely than women to appear in adverts for non-domestic products.
• Housewife images began to decline slowly after the 1950’s

Greer (1999)-Much more pressure was put on women to impress with make up, high heels and wonder bras.

Walter (1998)-Attractive people earn more than their plain colleagues.

As Jonathan Schroeder notes, 'Film has been called an instrument of the male gaze, producing representations of women, the good life, and sexual fantasy from a male point of view'. The concept derives from a seminal article called ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ by Laura Mulvey, a feminist film theorist.