2022 Undergraduate Research Symposium: Ma'ldah Sheikh The male gaze is a point of view in literary and digital media. It is from the viewing pleasure and perspective of heterosexual men. This form of content is predominantly characterized by the objectification and sexualization of women and other minority groups. The female gaze is meant to oppose the male gaze in cinema, but there are many controversies pertaining to this within the film discourse community. Many theorists debate that there is no such thing as the female gaze, while others argue that even with the existence of the female gaze, the male gaze can never truly be reversed.

1. The Male
and
Female
Gaze
In Film Theory

2. Research
Question
The revised research
question, its significance, as
well as the synthesis map.
Outline
Overview of the
Material
A run-through of the six
sources.
Problems &
Limitations
An overview of the issues
and limitations presented
by the material.
Conclusions
Brief rhetorical analysis.

3. Research
Question
I.

4. Is there such a thing as a
female gaze in film theory?
If so, how does this
compare to the concept of
the male gaze?

5. Significance
● The male gaze is predominantly characterized
by the objectification and sexualization of
women.
● The female gaze is meant to oppose the male
gaze in cinema, but there are many
controversies regarding this.

6. Synthesis Map

8. Overview of
the Material
II.

9. Gender in Cinematography: Female Gaze (Eye) Behind the Camera
Shift of Focus
Focus of the male gaze
versus the female gaze
Representation
Female gaze meant to
represent female spectators.
Author’s Opinion
Views female gaze as
solution to male gaze
Controversy
Combative with opinions
that female gaze does not
exist.

10. NO SUCH THING NOT YET: QUESTIONING TELEVISION’S FEMALE GAZE
Combative Theories
Many theorists consider the
female gaze to be the exact
opposite of the male gaze…
Role of Women
Women are also capable of
making sexist content.
Feminist Media
Representative of the
heterosexual cisgendered
white woman.
Bias
White Feminism in film
overshadows experiecnes of
WOC.

11. In regards to the Research Question…

12. Deconstructing the Male Gaze: Masochism, Female Spectatorship, and the
Femme Fatale in Fatal Attraction, Body of Evidence, and Basic Instinct
Masochistic Female
Spectatorship
Advocated for by the male
gaze.
Movie Tropes
Submissive female roles in film
seen through tropes such as
the ‘damsel in distress’ or the
‘femme fatale’.
Objectification
Women identify with the
sexualized and objectified
figures.
Control
Male gaze holds a control
over what is viewed and how.

13. What is the difference between the male gaze and female
objectification?
Scopophilia
‘A love of looking’- can
directly be attributed to the
male gaze.
Objectification
A primary scopophilic
pleasure is objectifying
women.

14. Yes there is such a thing as a ‘female gaze.’ But it’s not what you
think.
Overrepresentation
Primarily of men in the film
industry.
Characters
Most are male, and are usually
surrounded by elements meant
to appeal to men.
Male Gaze: Dominance
Male gaze seeks to establish
dominance through
objectification.
Female Gaze: Dominance
Does not actually seek to
ascertain dominance.

15. The Female Gaze: Simply, what is it?
A New Perspective
Not too much info yet. A
concept still being explored.
A New Point of View
Portraying women through the
eyes of women.
Male Gaze Focus
Focuses on stimulating visual
cues, desire, action, logic, sex,
ego, and objectification
Female Gaze Focus
Focuses on stimulating
emotions and feelings, focuses
on interactions and
atmosphere.

16. ● Difficult to find scholarly and
credible sources
● Female gaze is a new concept.
Not much published material on
topic.
Problems?
Limitations?
Gaps?
III.

17. Conclusions
IV.

18. There is a version of the female
gaze. But this is not the ideal
version.
Male gaze perpetuates harmful
and dangerous roles. The female
gaze has the ability to combat
this.
Does the Female Gaze
Exist?
How does this compare to the
male gaze in film media?

19. Work Cited
● Ayala, Daila. “The Female Gaze: Simply, What Is It?: By Daila Ayala.” Sociomix, 8 Dec. 2020,
https://www.sociomix.com/diaries/lifestyle/the-female-gaze-simply-what-is-it/1607449923.
● Benson-Allott, Caetlin. “NO SUCH THING NOT YET: QUESTIONING TELEVISION’S FEMALE GAZE.”
Film Quarterly, vol. 71, no. 2, University of California Press, 2017, pp. 65–71,
https://www.jstor.org/stable/26413865.
● Dirse, Zoe. "Gender in Cinematography: Female Gaze (Eye) Behind the Camera." Journal of
Research in Gender Studies 3.1 (2013): 15-29. ProQuest. Web. 1 Mar. 2022.
● Forster, Stefani. “Yes, There's Such a Thing as a 'Female Gaze.' but It's Not What You Think.”
Medium, Truly., 14 July 2021, https://medium.com/truly-social/yes-theres-such-a-thing-as-a-female-gaze-
but-it-s-not-what-you-think-d27be6fc2fed.
● Sherwin, Miranda. "Deconstructing the Male Gaze: Masochism, Female Spectatorship, and the
Femme Fatale in Fatal Attraction, Body of Evidence, and Basic Instinct." Journal of Popular Film & Television 35.4
(2008): 174-82. ProQuest. Web. 1 Mar. 2022.
● What Is the Difference between the Male Gaze and Female Objectification?: Watch: The Take. The Take, 19 June 2020,
https://the-take.com/watch/what-is-the-difference-between-the-male-gaze-and-female-objectification.