To what extent do Mulvey's
theory (1975) on the male gaze and Shroeder's ideas (1998) influence
contemporary media text? Discuss Charlie's Angels and one other show
giving evidence from mise-en-scene, sound etc.
Mulvey's
theory on the male gaze focuses on the fact that female subjects in media are
often portrayed in ways which provide sexual gratification for heterosexual men. This
is often presented in various ways throughout media texts such as the way that
the camera may linger on the curves of the female form or may be presented in
clothing which is obviously unsuitable for the activity which they are
partaking in therefore showing the fact that they are dressed purely
for the pleasure of the male characters. They may also appear as
"two-dimensional characters" due to the fact that their storyline is
often anchored to that of a male characters making them dependent on their male
counterparts of giving them the status of an object displayed purely for sexual
pleasure. Shroeder's theory differs from Mulvey's in the fact that it
states that "to gaze implies more than to look at" and that "it
signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior
to the object of the gaze.
Mulvey's
theory is displayed in the trailer for Charlie's Angels: Full throttle through
various elements of mise-en-scene such as costuming. The first skimpy and
suggestive outfit appears at 0.06 and this theme of outfit continues throughout
the trailer. One of the outfits which is most obviously used for the
sexual gratification of the male audience is the white bikini which is worn at
0.11, the bikini itself is not the proper clothing used in the situation at hand as most serious surfers would wear a wetsuit even in the hot climate of California. The white colouration of the bikini symbolises purity which is in keeping with the group’s
name of "angels" however this purity is juxtaposed by the innuendo of
"riding [the waves] rough and hard" this line is designed to
have sexual connotations for the purpose of manipulating the male character
whom is on screen at the time and is therefore empowering to the female
character as it allows her to use her body as an effective weapon. The
use of the female body and sexuality as a weapon is a large underlying theme of
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and subverts both Shroeder and Mulvey’s
theories surrounding the male gaze.
Mulvey’s theory is also
displayed effectively in the trailer of James Bond: Spectre. In Spectre we see several rules of Mulvey’s
male gaze as well as Shroeder’s theory. Shroeder’s theory is displayed in the way
that Bond pushes the female character against the mirrored wall in a way which exercises his power and dominance over her. This is demonstrated by the way that in the action of pushing her against the mirror he blocks her out of the shot, we then see him begin to seductively
unzip the female subjects dress the lack of the females face in the shot serves to objectify her, the next shot we see of her is of her attempting to kiss Bond this gives the scene a voyeristic quality which is a constent theme throughout Mulvey's theory of the male gaze. This theme of seductive clothing and sexual demeanour of woman for the sexual
gratification of men is a theme which has been commonly presented in Bond
films through the years with the use of the stereotypical bond girl whom exists purely for the
pleasure of Bond the male protagonist and is often targeted by the male
antagonist. The highly sexualised
aspects of James Bond: Spectre allow it to conform to both Mulvey and Shroeder’s
theories.
In conclusion modern media
texts both subvert and conform to Mulvey and Shroeder’s theories surrounding the
male gaze. The freedom that many modern
media pieces are finding to break away from the traditional forms of gender representation
in media allows for a variety of media content to be created and for the
viewers world to be widened by new and possibly repressed representations of
gender allowing for a much more insightful and fulfilling viewing experience.
