To understand how modern films, TV shows and social media shape our ideas about gender, it is important to look at the concept of the male gaze. This term, was coined by the film theorist Laura Mulvey in the 1970s. The theory reflects the idea of how women are presented in the media and how they are frequently objectified. Even though this theory is slightly out of date, it remains relevant in today’s society and plays a critical role in shaping gender roles today.
As stated before, the theory was coined by Laura Mulvey, who was a highly influential feminist film theorist in the 70s- mainly because of her ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’ essay which introduced the well-know theory we know today. According to Mulvey, the term is used to describe the way women are often portrayed in films, television, advertisements and even social media from a heterosexual point of view. The theory studies how women are viewed as objects and how their roles within the home are shaped. Whilst the theory is negative, it helps us as a society to understand how to become more aware of how the media shapes gender, beauty and power.
The most famous example of the male gaze would be modern film and television. It has been highly noted that in specific film genres like film noir, action and adventure, they highly sexualise their female characters by dressing them up in tight and/or skimpy clothes and revealing body parts that don’t necessarily need to be seen .e.g. overexaggerating on cleavage & ‘stereotypical’ female actions. On the other hand, men in film appear to be in more particle clothing . Additionally in film, camera angles play a vast role in contributing to the idea of the male gaze. An example of this would be a shot that slowly pans a woman’s leg or lingers on her chest. By doing this, a male perspective is created which not only affects how characters are seen, but how women in the real world should feel or act.
On social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, the male gaze is created by promoting a certain beauty standard which revolves around poses, filters and body types. An example of this would be the ‘Instagram Baddie’ aesthetic which includes full glam make-up, arched back poses and specific camera angles to help portray your visual identity in a certain way- by doing this, the male gaze is reinforced and becomes the standard of society.
However, since the rise of more female directors, the male gaze has become more challenged and the stereotypical appearance of the female character is evolving. An example of this is how Margot Robbie is presented in suicide squad (male gaze) compared to Birds of prey (female gaze). In today’s society, the male gaze is slightly declining whilst the female gaze evolves. Instead of focusing on sexualising women’s experiences and objectifying them, a new approach of own agency, emotion and interiority has been taken, which reduces the objectification view and focuses on a powerful yet vulnerable experiences women face.
References:
Mulvey, L. (1975) ‘Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema’.
Tipple, R. (2025) ‘The Rise of the ‘Female Gaze’ in Cinema, and Why it Matters’, The Oxford Blue, 4 March. Available at: https://theoxfordblue.co.uk/the-female-gaze/ (Accessed: 30 November 2025).
