In an ideal world, the roles of women in film and TV would be hero, villain, leader, in fact no different to the roles played by men. But we don't have to look too far back in time to know that more often the roles are to be looked at that sometimes speaks, with the focus firmly on appearance. Does Laura Mulvey still have a point with her Male Gaze theory or is gender equality translated into the modern media texts we consume?
Looking at music videos shows that the Male Gaze is still very much a relevant concept in current media texts. But what about film and TV Drama? Are women still being objectified as passive characters alongside the more active male roles?
Look at these images from Suicide Squad and Transformers. They are prime examples of the Male Gaze in action and possibly because these films are targeting young male audiences, they are using it to sell the film. In fact, the Male Gaze appears most in Action films, Computer Games and Comics.
Context
1970s Holywood was a long established, male-orientated industry. Film executives produced films made by male directors about male characters for a largely male audience. This resulted in an overly sexualised representation of women in film. Laura Mulvey wrote about the Male Gaze against this backdrop. Film acts as a chance for audiences to act voyeuristically and so coupled with the male dominated industry, you have a medium which nearly always views women from a man's perspective.
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