Through Their Eyes: The Male Gaze and the Objectification of Women in Media

There are many ways women are shown in the media, but often in a patriarchal system, women are looked down on by men. In this post, I want to talk about how women are shown in visual media, like TV and movies. As a media student, I will use the "Male Gaze Theory." This idea was introduced by feminist film expert Laura Mulvey. It says that women are shown mostly to please men’s eyes—they are objectified and sexualized, instead of being shown as full and complex people. This type of portrayal supports patriarchal ideas, where men play active and important roles in stories, while women are passive and exist mainly to be watched by men. In other words, women are put there for men’s benefit.h

The Male Gaze theory explains how media strengthens gender roles by giving men the power of looking, while women are just there to be looked at. This continues the unfair treatment of women in visual culture. The theory also shows how women in media don’t have control over their own stories and are often shown only as beautiful objects or for men’s pleasure.

A simple example of this can be seen in TV advertisements, movies, and dramas as well. I will try to post it in separate writing pieces from time to time, starting with the portrayal of women in advertisements. If you look at posters, billboards and TV advertisements, women are often portrayed as tools, used to advertise products for different companies. The same goes for men, but they are not depicted as tools. For example, in advertisements for men's shaving razors, deodorants and perfumes, there are often women present. What is the role of women in the advertisement for a men’s beard shaving razors, perfumes and deodorants? She comes and smells his face while the man stands in front of the screen with a smiling face, and the woman smells his freshly shaved face. This is how women are represented as tools in advertisements, degrading their dignity and portraying them as entities that do not have their own well-being and feelings. These are the colors of the so-called patriarchy, which is reflected not only in advertisements but in other aspects of media as well.

Thoughts / Syed Azam Ali Shah

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