The Male Gaze

This week in class, we have been looking at 'The Male Gaze' which is a theory first thought up by a woman called Laura Mulvey in 1975. It refers to the feministic way that men perceive women; the way men look at women purely as objects which they desire and want, rather than as another person.


On Magazines: 

Facial Expressions: Marjorie Ferguson realised that there are four types of facial expression in the cover photos of British women’s magazines. She put them into four categories to make them easier to identify.

Definitions

Chocolate Box: This facial expression usually has the model with a half or full-smile, lips together or slightly parted, teeth barely visible, full or three-quarter face to camera in an attempt to create a blandly pleasing, warm bath warmth, where uniformity of features in their smooth perfection is devoid of uniqueness or of individuality.
Invitational: this facial expression puts emphasis on the eyes with the mouth shut or with only a hint of a smile along with the head to one side or looking back to camera creating a suggestion of mischief or mystery, the hint of contact potential rather than sexual promise, the cover equivalent of advertising’s soft sell.
Super Smiler: The model will have a large, toothy smile plastered on their face. Full face, wide open toothy smile, head thrust forward or chin thrown back, hair often wind-blown trying to look aggressive with a ‘look-at-me’ demanding pose going for the hard sell. Used a lot in toothpaste adverts
Romantic or Sexual: A fourth and more general classification devised to include male and female ‘two-somes’; or the dreamy, heavy-lidded, unsmiling big-heads, or the overtly sensual or sexual. Projected moods: possible ‘available’ and definitely ‘available’.

In Magazines:

Magazine Advertisements: In a study of advertisements in women’s magazines, Trevor Millum offers these categories of female expressions:
Seductive: The eyes are less wide, perhaps shaded, the expression is less reserved but still self-sufficient and confident; milder versions may include a slight smile.
Carefree: Nymphlike, active, healthy, gay, vibrant, outdoor girl; long unrestrained outward-flowing hair, more outward-going than the above, often smiling or grinning.
Practical: Concentrating, engaged on the business in hand, mouth closed, eyes object-directed, sometimes a slight frown; hair often short or tied back.
Comic: Deliberately ridiculous, exaggerated, acting the fool, pulling faces for the benefit of a real or imaginary audience, sometimes close to a sort of archness.
Catalogue: A neutral look as of a dummy, artificial, wax like; features may be in any position, but most likely to be with eyes open wide and a smile, but the look remains vacant and empty; personality has been removed. (Millum 1975, 97-8)