The ‘male gaze’ explained

The ‘male gaze’ is a term coined by feminist theorist, Laura Mulvey, in 1973. It describes the act of viewing the world and women through a male, heterosexual perspective in popular culture.  Men are the do-ers in the world, whilst women take a passive and supporting role. For example, in Disney films, female characters usually serve the purpose of meeting the male characters' needs, showing how these ideologies become internalised from a young age.

In traditional works of art, women are depicted differently from men because the ‘ideal’ surveyor is assumed to be male; thus, it is created to appeal to the male gaze. Women are dismissed and are submissive in their representation. 

Because contemporary society has been raised in this traditional format, stereotypes have been formed and these perceptions have also distorted a woman’s view of herself. Women often choose to wear makeup to be deemed acceptable from an outsider’s perspective because she is aware she is being surveyed. We rarely question why we need makeup to cover ‘imperfections’. The feeling of panoptic surveillance for women has become ingrained as society has evolved to commodify the female body and capitalise off of insecurities. The feeling of being looked at creates restricted and regulated behaviour, as the impact of the male gaze has triggered women to monitor and objectify themselves.

As long as stereotypes persist in our literature, films and art, the male gaze will continue to shape our cultural landscape and promote the ideologies that subconsciously rule a women’s mind.