Wordsmith Wonders: Where Content & Academics Converge

Men and women both opened their eyes to a society where males were given the dominant roles while the subservient roles were reserved for females. In a society with gender-specific roles, it must have been radical of someone to put forward the clear idea of the gendered disparity in society. Women, according to the male-set norms and traditions, are always considered fragile and are assigned roles that are timid and obedient. This idea of assigning roles and portraying the characters of both males and females gave birth to the notion of gaze, put forward by Michel Foucault (1980) and Jacques Lacan (1990) for the first time.

Laura Mulvey (1920), for her curiosity to denounce the visual focus on women on screen made questioned the male gaze the idea that makes her the weaker sex in the South Asia. In addition to focusing on successful women in society, my research will also challenge the conventional patriarchal structure of the culture by shifting the gaze from male to female. The second theme would be the empowerment of women as they move away from being stereotyped and seen just as lovely faces towards characters that are socially and culturally competent. Therefore, the goal is to undermine the deeply ingrained patriarchal ideas that continue to permeate society's conception of gender and sexuality.

Men act and women appear as John Berger said when he discussed the phenomenon of the male gaze. Males gaze upon females. Women observe how they are viewed. This governs most relationships between men and women as well as how women view themselves. The women are surveyed by a male himself, while the women are the ones being surveyed upon. As a result, she transforms into an object, particularly one that can be seen; a sight (Berger et al., 1972).

Zoe Dirse presented her works where she transmitted the notion in one of her works ‘Forbidden Love (1992) that the females finally get to represent themselves the exact way they are when they ultimately appear seamlessly. The cinematographer mentions the existing minorities in society and the dire need to change the gaze in order for them to reflect what they truly feel. By the same token, women, when getting a non-threatening crew and the delicate direction with camera eyes, finally get the opportunity to represent themselves not an object of male desire but of the female desire (Arauijo, Z., 2021).

According to Arauijo, Z. (2021), the gender difference even in the highest positions like that of Celine and Zoe Dirse is apparent in film production. The author observes that the presence of women in these fields with determined ideas make a significant shift in the gaze. These positive and the noticeable changes in the cinematic process are made by taking control of the art and therefore, have assisted in shattering the silent image of women in the society and consequently, is the best strategy for avoiding male gaze (Andre et al.,2000).

Glowinski, Marks and Murphy (2001) criticize that in understanding the production of subjectivity and the interactions between the gender social roles, identity, and women’s portrayal of themselves have been beneficial significantly from Jacques Lacan’s theories on the human gaze. With similar outlook, these theories have established the fundamental tenets of the ongoing critical discussions concerning the role of language, discourse, and visual representation in the performance of femininity and masculinity, and have therefore, proven to be a significant contribution to the field of contemporary feminist criticism. They find this perspective quite political in nature and argue that the film theorists have constructed viewers who exist in theory with no sign of empirical verification.

Hudson, K. (2022) views it in the way that the male gaze, which bases its choices on an understanding that power means to assert your will despite resistance, stands in stark contrast to this notion of power. Writing, directing, and cinematography interact to create the feminine gaze. In each of these categories, numerous choices are made to produce a film. Every decision is preceded by an often unseen grasp of the power that influences it. The author mentions that the female gaze brings in society the idea of exploration of the inner self and the art of expression through relationships.

Female gaze can be seen in several films that were written, produced, and directed by men, as noted by Hudson, K. (2002). A disproportionate number of women, whether biologically or socially, have a natural ability for capturing the feminine gaze. Men can use and develop their cinematic expertise and thus can tap into the female gaze, just as women have control over the male gaze. The author contends that for the film industry to thrive, there must be a platform where two separate perspectives are acknowledged, distinguished, and encouraged.

McGowan, Todd. “Looking for the Gaze: Lacanian Film Theory and Its Vicissitudes.” Cinema Journal, vol. 42, no. 3, 2003, pp. 27–47. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1225903. Accessed 12 Feb. 2023.

Berger, J., Blomberg, S., Fox, C., Dibb, M. and Hollis, R., 1972. Ways of Seeing. based on the BBC television series with John Beregr. New York, USA: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books Ltd.

Andre, Maria Claudia and Rocio Quispe-Angoli. “Introduction.” Mirrors and Mirages: Women’s Gaze in Hispanic Literature and Visual Arts, 2000, pp. 6-10. Accessed 13 Feb. 2023.

Richardson, K. and Odlind, C., 2023. Man-Made Women. Springer Nature.

Arauijo, Z. (2021) The evolution of the female gaze: From Laura Mulvey to 'portrait of a lady on fire', Medium. Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/@zmfca/the-evolution-of-the-female-gaze-from-laura-mulvey-to-potrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-dc1de86ddb1c (Accessed: February 13, 2023).

Hudson, K. (2022) What makes the female gaze different?, Raindance. Available at: https://raindance.org/what-makes-the-female-gaze-different-2/ (Accessed: February 13, 2023).