The Male Gaze by Mulvey

‘The Male Gaze’ is the theory first analysed by Laura Mulvey that relates to the ways in which the camera is used within the media and how it represents the people shot. The key aspect to this theory is that within film, the audience is made to view the media from the perspective of a heterosexual male. Due to this viewpoint, it is often that the camera lingers towards the female body which many feminists may argue is objectifying and sexualising. Female audiences are then forced to view the narrative secondarily as they need to first identify with being a heterosexual male in order to understand why certain shots have been used.
As A2 Media students, it is important for us to learn about ‘The Male Gaze’ because in every music video this theory is either supported or subverted. It is necessary for us to understand the conventions of professional music videos and the camerawork in order to gain ideas and inspiration for our own and to make it look as professional as possible so it could well fit in to the industry. For our own music video we will need to make the decision whether or not to confirm this theory or go against it so that we have a clear idea of who our audience is and what they want to see, in order to produce a piece that they would be excited to watch.
A current, prime example of the ‘Male Gaze’ theory being confirmed would be that of Miley Cyrus’ new video for ‘Wrecking Ball’, released September 9th. There is an abundance of sexualising and provocative shots, including a scene where the artist wears no clothes to cover her body except a pair of Dr Martens boots.

Here is ‘Wrecking Ball’ – Miley Cyrus. A prime example of the ‘Male Gaze’.

This establishing shot is exceptionally significant when analysing it in conjunction with the ‘Male Gaze’ theory. it is a simplistic yet bold opening statement with a close up of an emotional Miley Cyrus. The viewer is invited to look deep into her eyes making her appear vulnerable and possibly, from the perspective of males, weak. Miley has relatively subtle make-up, except for the bright red lips making them the main focus. Lips are a very intimate part of the body, making them appealing to the average heterosexual male, explaining their focus. the use of the colour red is also very interesting as it is known as the colour that attracts bulls. It is possible that this is not just a coincidence but that men are easily comparable, often being the strong and dominant character within a relationship.

A further still from the video I felt confirmed Laura Mulvey’s theory was of Miley Cyrus overly showing her affection for a sledgehammer. A sledgehammer is a tool often used by men allowing the male population of the audience to relate to the scene. Its sexualisation aids Miley to appear more mature than her ‘Hannah Montana days’. It appears Miley’s current aim is to market herself as the total opposite persona she had previously acquired while working on the Disney channel and to appeal to a more promiscuous male audience. During a recent interview Miley admitted that such a scene was due to a vague prompt from the videos male director to do something “sexy”. The high angle shot possibly connotes the male perspective on women within a largely patriarchal society.

This is a shot I feel partially disputes the ‘Male Gaze’ theory. This is because Miley is captured performing a very masculine task using the sledgehammer the way it was supposed to be used, for destruction. She appears empowered and in charge which is often the way that a man would be represented within a film. However, the minimal clothing and exposed stance of the artist reverts back to the classic ‘Male Gaze’ cliché making her aesthetically pleasing to the average heterosexual male.

A final, significant sequence is Miley swinging naked atop the wrecking ball. This is so obviously sexualising the artist leaving very little to the imagination. She leans backwards provocatively directly appealing to the male viewers but also intriguing the female audience also, inviting them to watch on. She has been objectified and sexualised for the pleasure of the male heterosexuals watching and in order to create a media frenzy, winning Miley Cyrus a lot of promotion. This video’s goal has been achieved as it broke the VEVO 24 hour record with 19.3 million views with a current hit count of 114,154,759.