Lesson Write Up - 16th September

Representation Theory

 

Laura Mulvey - Representation of Women in the Media

 

My 3 Words to describe...

1. A Woman
- Petite
- Powerful
- Feminine
2. A Modern Day Woman
- Confident
- Smart
- Independent
3. Historical Representation of Women
- Oppressed
- Unimportant
- Property of a man
4. Women In Music Videos
- Objects
- Sexualised
- Exploited
 

Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory:

 

Her concept looks at -

 

• How the audience view women who are presented in the media. She states that women are there to be seen and that the use of the camera portrays them as sexual objects through shot types and movement.

1. How men look at women
2. How women look at themselves
3. How women look at other women

 

The Male Gaze focuses on -

 

•  Emphasises the curves of the female body
• Refers to women as objects
• Display women as how men think they should be seen
• Female viewers view the content through the eyes of a man
• Women are often sexualised and seen as objects

The Male Gaze describes how the audience or viewer is put into the perspective of a heterosexual male e.g the camera lingers over the curves of a womans body.

Laura Mulvey states that in film women are usually seen as objects, rather than possessors.

• Woman is passive to the active gaze from the man
• The camera objectifies women by focusing on the areas men find desirable.

Looking at the music videos for the top 5 songs in the Official Chart, we looked at whther Laura Mulveys theory could be proved correct.

 

Overview Paragraph of Laura Mulveys Theory:

 

laura Mulvey states that women are represented in the media as sexual objects and that viwers are made to see them through the eyes of a heterosexual male. She calls this the 'Male Gaze' theory. When watching existing music videos which were in the charts we found that Mulvey's theory was proven correct. The women were displayed in a way to please men and the cinematography and framing was used to emphasises the curves of thier bodies. Mulvey states that women are presented in this way as it reinforces the medias idea of a perfect woman. When both men and women watch the videos they are viewing them as people they want to be with or look like.