Representation Theory - Laura Mulvey - Visual Essay

Laura Mulvey is an active feminist who proposed the theory of ‘The Male Gaze’. The Male Gaze focuses on visual pleasure and narrative cinema, which focuses on women and how they’re seen as a sexual object and therefore denies women of human identity. The male gaze occurs when the audience is put into the viewpoint of a heterosexual man. For example, if a scene focuses on the curves of a woman’s body through slow motion, close ups, or other specific conventions then this would be classed as The Male Gaze. Mulvey believes that this theory can be broken down into three aspects: How men look at women, How women look at themselves and how women look at each other.

The video I have been analysing is She’s So Lovely by Scouting for Girls. I've found through the analysis that this theory does apply to my chosen video in many various ways. For example, in Mulvey’s ‘When men look at women’ section, she states that it’s how men focus on the physical features of a woman such as her curves and do not see them as a valid role as they are seen as a sexual object which denies them human identity. The way we see a woman is from the viewpoint of a heterosexual male, as if we are the man in the chosen media text, This is seen in my chosen video several times starting at the beginning where the lead female is shown by a close up of her legs while she’s wearing high heels and slowly walking along the screen. The fact that she is wearing high heels also emphasises the meanings  behind the theory as  high heels are seen as sexy and a typical item of clothing that females wear when they dress up for something special.

In the video we also see a close up of the woman sexually biting her lip in slow motion. This again demonstrates the focusing on a females body parts by using specific conventions, showing the viewpoint of a male and also reinforcing the fact that they're just there to be objectified, to be seen and not heard. This 'masculinises' the audience as this focuses on the physical appearance of the woman and therefore suggests that women can only watch themselves through a secondary perspective and only view themselves through the eyes of a man.

Another way this is presented is when the main female lead is shown via a close up of her bum and legs while she’s picking up a bowling ball, accompanied by the song lyrics which are:‘I love the way she shakes those hips’. This again reinforces the idea of Mulvey's theory which suggests that women are sexual objects just made to be looked at and they are just for the visual pleasure of a male.

Later on in this video, the woman is sat with her boyfriend having a drink, however she is drinking through a straw and smiling while looking up at the main lead singer while. This can be viewed as a sensual act - especially through a males perspective. And as we see her doing this through the males eyes, this idea is reinforced, mainly through the cinematography.