The Gaze & The Media

The Gaze is something that has been used a lot in advertising, art, film and games and the theories behind it can be used to explain certain aspects. The 'Birth of Venus' by Cabanel can be looked into further using theories of 'The Gaze'. The pose that the woman is in is used a lot in advertising, other paintings and photography. With her hand/arm covering her face and eyes there is more of a concentration on the body than anywhere else.

John Berger identifies The Male Gaze through paintings and compares them those that hold similar attributes or subject matters, such as Titan's 'Venus of Urbino' and Manet's 'Olympia'. Both paintings have a similar pose produced by the woman, however there are small subtle things that really distinguish one from another and in turn creates a different view. 'Venus of Urbino' is more inviting, a more traditional nude painting, the woman's face acknowledging the presence of a viewer but not phased by it. Manet's 'Olympia' on the other hand is more stern, there is a harsher look to the painting than Titan's. The woman seems to hold more power and her own gaze is quite harsh.

Rosalind Coward, another theorist to The Gaze says that there is somewhat of a normalisation towards nudity/semi-nudity in the street, on billboards etc, it never seems to be noticed fully or it is but in our subconscious. The Male Gaze is prominent in our society however switching men for women in advertisements or art is not a way to challenge it. The quantity of male orientated ads is far less than women. There was an advertisement by Dolce & Gabbana where, instead of women they used men as a celebration of bodies. It was a challenge to the gaze, something you don't get with women advertisements.

When it comes to the media, The Gaze can be a powerful thing. The media holds power over people, the can portray people in a specific way and the viewers will accept this. Paparazzi for example take pictures of celebrities and high status people, not just because it's their job but more so that there is a demand, almost an obsessive perception. With reality television it gives the viewer an all-seeing eye, the power of the gaze.

When it comes to games The Male Gaze seems to be quite prominent, most female characters tend to be overly sexualised. Lara Croft for example was a turning point as she was the main character of the game, an active character. Men normally would drive the story during the 50's and 60's so having a female lead was something different, however even though she drove it and was powerful she was still overly sexualised. You could say it was almost a fantasy for some people, the fantasy of her destruction. There needs to be a shift within games as there is a trend with more girl gamers and not all of us want to be playing as a character in skimpy clothing. There should be customisable characters, you should get a choice.