Laura Mulvey and the Male Gaze

The Male Gaze consists of the portrayal of Women and therefore the issue that women are seen as sexualised objects. Not only does the internalization of the gaze change a women's perception of themselves but makes them as an individual think of themselves as a object. Throughout the media, females are constantly looked at in a sexualised perspective and therefore are displayed in female nudity and a source of pleasure instead of the view behind their personality. Men on the other hand are the dominate individual and therefore take up the role of 'looker' whereby they view the women as the object.

Portrayals of Girls and Women

Magazines are based on informing their demographic profile of their interests; however they do this in a way that the magazine company works their persuasion skills through a front page and therefore ensure the magazine jumps out to a reader in comparison with other competing ones. They do this by ensuring a magazine consists of interesting story lines and tactics whereby the target market has the intentions to read it.

However a quote from ‘Goddard’ states that magazine titles such as minx and heat are all ‘little concentrated capsules of meaning’ and therefore present the basic definition and meaning of a magazine just by its name.

Statistics show however that in the last 20 years that there has been a growth in the presence and influence of women as regards female thrives over looking like those in the magazines (Celebrities). Magazines continually bring up the same issues as regards to body image and self identity.

These portrayals consist of issues like:

·        Beauty (within narrow conventions)  

People among magazines represent beautiful skin – ‘Spotless freckle less and flawless skin’. This is an issue because due to a large majority of magazines based on teen readers (victims of Acne – scaring) means that they are having an effect on young people going to deep lengths in getting rid of what they class as in perfect skin.

·        Size/physique (again, within narrow conventions)

Body – Breast implants at young ages are perused within magazines to attract the male species which all down to media. Magazines are constantly representing women with the ‘perfect’ ‘38G boobs’! However Surgery is also an issue – saving up just to get the wish of looking like those within a magazine. At a young age weight is a big issue and people still worry because of the impact. ‘It’s all about the body and not the brain’.

·        Sexuality

Magazine articles are constantly perusing normal issues such as man problems when in fact there’s a large majority out there that are in fact ‘Gay’. However we are made to feel as individuals that being ‘Straight’ will make us happy and there is never advice on life with the same sex.

·        Emotional (as opposed to intellectual)

·        Dealings and Relationships (independence/freedom) Women are constantly made to feel they can’t be dominant without the male species along they’re side when in fact women can be successful without them. It’s believed that women not taken seriously as regards to ‘how can a women take up a dominant place in society. (Mood swings etc). Magazines are repeatedly displaying ‘Dream Men’ and the ways in which we deal with being alone.

Although the media does produce negative stereotyping and both limit and make women powerful. There is no reality within magazines and women are constantly buying these magazines to get information on how they can improve themselves and be a happy individual all down to the male species.

‘Media creates consciousness, its what’s put out there, as regards to women representation that creates insecurity’