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Laura mulvey male gaze textual analysis media
- 2. • The Male Gaze focuses on “Visual pleasure and Narrative Cinema”. • Main features of the male gaze- • The camera lingers on the curves of the female body, and events which occur to women are presented largely in the context of a man’s reaction to these events. • Relegates women to the status of objects. The female viewer must experience the narrative secondarily, by identification with the male.
- 3. Women (Marjorie Ferguson 1980) Men (Trevor Millum (1975) Chocolate box Carefree Invitational Practical Super-smiler Seductive Romantic Comic Sexual Catalogue
- 4. • The representation of women as a sexual fantasy from a heterosexual male’s point of view. • Scopophilia: the pleasure involved in looking at other peoples bodies. • The objectification of female protagonists. • Patriarchal society. • Objectification of female characters. • Active male and passive female. • Men as the controlling subjects. • Women viewed as a particular image. • Men do the looking and the women are there to be looked at. • Needs of the male ego.
- 5. • Throughout the music video S&M by Rihanna, the female protagonist is portrayed in a highly sexualised way through camera angles, mise-en scene, editing and sound.
- 6. • Provocative clothing is a key theme within Rihanna’s music videos, but it is most evident in S&M. The use of red lipstick connotes that she is trying to be seductive, which is reinforced by the dancers behind her wearing small outfits and tight fitted clothing. Rihanna herself chooses to wear a range of sheer clothing to become the stereotypical provocative female character which everyone expects to see in a music video.
- 7. • During the beginning of the video, Rihanna appears to be wearing a long white dress which simulates a wedding dress. However, when she turns a slit is up the side of her dress which connotes that she is trying to lure men towards her and get some attention. Several close ups are used on the female body (E.g. on her breasts, the exposed thigh, and flesh) which supports Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory as females are being conveyed to the consumers as nothing more than a sexual fantasy from a heterosexual dominatrix males point of view. • In addition, a large proportion of the video features the notion of looking directly at the camera which subverts Mulvey’s idea that females are always or somewhat passive and males are active.
- 8. • Scopophilia is the pleasure of looking at other people’s bodies in either a voyeuristic or non-voyeuristic way. • It is evident that Scopophilia is involved in the majority of Rihanna’s music videos whether it be in an obvious way or a discreet form. • In Rihanna’s videos, Scopophilia often degrades the female protagonist portraying her in a ‘trashy’ and insignificant way suggesting that the female body is meant for nothing but to be looked at therefore objectifying the woman. • However, in S&M, it can be argued that the female protagonist has total control over the males through her powers of seduction. • Towards the middle of the video, Rihanna is seen to be taking a man for a walk like a dog on a lead connoting that she has the authority and power in the situation. This clearly goes against Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory as it subverts ideologies that women are powerless and in fact, women can be viewed as the most powerful sex despite the derogatory way they are portrayed after watching S&M.
- 9. • In S&M, both a matriarchal and patriarchal society is present. Below is a table showing the examples of where these are shown: Matriarchal Patriarchal Woman taking a man for a walk on a lead like you would a dog. Holding the female down at the beginning. Strip tease. Sitting down intensely watching her. Woman controlling herslef, rather than doing what the male wants her to do. Telling her what to do.
- 10. • Stereotypes are both supported and subverted in this music video. • Many ideologies state that males do all of the ‘looking’ in music videos whilst the women featured in the video are just there to be ‘looked at’. • This is again shown in S&M. • A contemporary view of S&M has sparked out cry’s from people globally as it is one of the most controversial videos ever made and was banned from several countries. • However, many feminists argue that S&M is a work of art which highlights exactly what feminism is all about, proving that women are more than just an object to be looked at.