Male gaze definition: is a concept coined by feminist film critic Laura Mulvey. It refers to the way visual arts are structured around a masculine viewer. It describes the tendency in visual culture to depict the world and women from a masculine point of view and in terms of men's attitudes.
The male gaze consists of three different gazes:
1. The representation of women as a sexual fantasy and from a heterosexual point of view.
2. Scopophilia- the pleasure involved in looking at other peoples bodies.
3. Objectification of female characters
4. Patriarchal society
5. Active male and passive female
6. Men as controlling subjects
7. Women as an image
8. Men do the looking and the women are there to be looked at
9. Needs of the male ego
The male gaze consists of three different gazes:
- that of the person behind the camera,
- that of the characters within the representation or film itself, and
- the gaze of the spectator.
1. The representation of women as a sexual fantasy and from a heterosexual point of view.
2. Scopophilia- the pleasure involved in looking at other peoples bodies.
3. Objectification of female characters
4. Patriarchal society
5. Active male and passive female
6. Men as controlling subjects
7. Women as an image
8. Men do the looking and the women are there to be looked at
9. Needs of the male ego
Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines
The opening shot of the video is of Robin Thicke and another women's bodies intertwined, in bold letters following the screen it reads '#THICKE' this shows the dominance and ego of the star. He is showing his need and that this is to be fulfilled by women, this support point nine about the needs of the male ego.
Various shots use the theory that women are there to be looked at, the shots show the men staring at the female characters and objectifying them. The women don't appear to hold issue with this but this is might be because they feel like this is a way that they need to act in order to fulfil the needs of the man. In a lot of the film the women are dancing and following the men around showing their will to please. This could also demonstrate scopophilia which is the pleasure that men get from looking at the female form.
The shits shown below display men as controlling subjects and give them authority over women. The women are stood around before Pharel, the man in the shot, shouts "hey girl come her" this once again imposes the view that the man is in the empowering position.
The woman is being shown in a seductive manor with a close up of her red lips a colour which has sexual connotations and implications of that manor, the background is a skin colour which gives that 'naked' feel and blends in with the women in the video who are wearing similarly coloured clothes. This is to create a sexual fantasy and to seduce and fulfil the male ego.
This shot could demonstrate a patriarchal society with the lyrics "tried to domesticate you" however the woman could appear to be uninterested and go against the patriarchal society, it might display the view that even though the male figure seems to hold control he really is the one chasing his female counterpart around. The feeling of power and control is actually a fabrication and in fact the woman in the shot holds ultimate dominance.
The shot below goes against the view of active males and passive females as Robin Thicke is leant against the wall whilst the two females actively trot around him and dance toward him.
Blurred lines does follow the theory of male gaze to a certain extent but there are some aspects of the theory which aren't complied with by the video. The video does objectify women and has the two men in dominant positions throughout, but on the flip side the women could be shown to have the ultimate control. The men could be chasing the women around and seen as competing to fulfil their ego.
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