Expectations of Males and Females in Film and Magazines

How women are presented in film

Laura Mulvey – Male Gaze Theory

In film, Mulvey concluded that male gaze appears when the audience is shown the perspective of a heterosexual male. The film will show and emphasis the woman’s body, curves and features which would typically be attractive to a male spectator. However, not all women are seen in this light. The Male Gaze theory is only achieved if a women’s body is emphasised by obvious conventions such as camera shots, slow motion and deliberate mise-en-scene. The theory suggests that the male gaze denies women of their identity and only focuses on their physical appearance rather than their personalities and that women are seen as property of a man. It also suggests the masculinisation of the viewer as women watch films from a second, male perspective. This can be blamed on the low amount of female media creators which enables men to dominate how women are presented to an audience.

However, there are criticisms of Mulvey’s Male Gaze theory. Although she believes that a woman’s body in a film can be exploited to attract the attention of men, she takes a very feminist approach. For some women, they enjoy being looked at and admired by men at clubs, work as well as beauty pageants and feel like they are wanted if they focus on their beauty. The Male Gaze theory can also been seen as incorrect as Mulvey notes that films benefit the ‘heterosexual male’. She fails to address the fact that those of the same sex may be attracted to other females instead of just men. However, not all attraction has to be sexual. Some women may aspire to look like those they have seen in films and idolise their image.

How women are presented in magazines/posters/pictures

Marjorie Ferguson – Facial expressions (1980)

Marjorie Ferguson identified four types of facial expressions that reoccurred on the cover of British women magazines.

·         The Chocolate Box – Half or full smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera. The image that ‘the chocolate box’ portrays is blandly pleasing, smoothness and a lack of originality and uniqueness.

·         Invitational – Emphasis on the facial features and head. Focuses on the eyes, mouth (shut or with a hint of a smile) and head position (to one side or looking at the camera). This suggests mischief or mystery with a hint of potential rather than sexual desire.

·         Super smiler – Face full, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back with hair that is often wind-blown. This is fuller on as it promises a more aggressive and demanding look.

·         Romantic or sexual – usually an image that includes both a female and male that are overtly sensual or sexual. An image like this projects desire and possible availability.  

How men facial features are expressed in media content

Trevor Millum - Men in advertisement

Trevor Millum studied and concluded the most common facial expressions used my men in magazine advertisements. These expressions are:

·         Carefree – Showing an active, healthy outdoor male. He is often smiling or grinning

·         Practical – A stern look with their mouth closed, often frowning. Their eyes are focused on the camera lens as they demand the audience’s attention.

·         Seductive – The eyes are less wide with shading and their expression is more reserved yet still confident. They may also include a slight smile. This is very relaxed, but holds a sexual promise.

·         Cool/level – This is similar to the seductive expression. Their look is arrogant, confident and reserved. They have wide yes, full lips (straight or slightly parted). Their eyes usually look the reader in the eye.  

·         Comic – This expression is deliberately exaggerated. The model acts more immature by pulling faces to soften up and attract a real or imaginary audience.

·         Catalogue – A natural look where the model looks artificial and wax-like. Their facial features remain simple and distant like a blank canvas. The body may be in a position which benefits the products that the model is selling. Often their personality has been removed and their look is very bland.

Key theorists beliefs - Jonathan Schroeder (1998)

“To gaze implies more than to look at – it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze.”

The expectations of males and females in media texts are very high from the audience's point of view. Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory suggests that women are portrayed in a sexual way which attracts the attention of a heterosexual male. This is deliberately done the male dominated media creators using different conventions to exaggerate women's curves in an appealing way to the male audience. This delivers high expectations of women for men and how women should look to appeal to them. Ferguson continues the appearance of women by studying magazine covers. He concludes that women are presented to either be very innocent and sweet looking or very sexual by using a variety of facial expressions whereas Millum conducts research on how men are portrayed in media. Unlike women, men can express and huge variety of expressions from 'comic' all the way to 'seductive' which allows them more freedom.

From this research, I now have a better understanding of how different genders are represented in different media texts. This information will be relevant to my task research as I can analysis different genre of  music videos and note what genre follows these expectations and apply them into my own product. Although I am not completing a magazine cover, I will be creating a promotional digipak and poster which will include images of my artists and I can consider using elements from Ferguson's and Millum's theories to attract my target audience.