What Makes the Female Gaze Different?
Ever since the coining of the phrase male gaze by Laura Mulvey in 1975, there has been the question, what characterizes the female gaze? Or as I like to say, the feminine gaze (I’ll explain why at the end of this article). Separate from the systemic issues, what is the essential nature of the lens than is common to the way many women approach film making?
The feminine gaze is formed by the interplay of the writing, directing and cinematography. Multitudinous decisions are made in each of these areas to create a film. Before every decision is made there is an often-invisible understanding of what power is that shapes the decision. I suggest that the feminine gaze has its own understanding of power. It sees power as the ability to know yourself, be yourself, and to the extent that you can, support others in knowing and being themselves. This is the common-thread that drives movies like Frances Ha, CODA, and One Night in Miami. This notion of power is in high contrast to the masculine gaze that roots its decisions in an understanding that power means to assert your will, even against resistance.
Being Human vs Being Active
The feminine lens is mesmerized by the art of being human. The camera is working to show the unique way of being of each character. It looks into their eyes, notices their body posture, and the connections they make to their surroundings. The audience is hungry for clues as to what makes each person the way they are as they attach to the characters with empathy. The camera lingers to appreciate the moments of authenticity and vulnerability. We see thoughts settle in, naked vulnerability, selfishness, remorse, and need.
This is shown vibrantly in the tv series Never Have I Ever (Mindy Kailing, Lang Fishers creator/producers). Devi’s face is the subject of attention as our minds are fascinated by her compulsive lying and the heart-warming way that she discovers more about herself and reconnects in her relationships.
Insight into the life history, and the deeper meaning of the character choices portrayed on the screen pull us into the story. Hints of the child they were, the pain they have born, the grace they have emerged with, the hardness yet to be understood. The camera is looking for the individual. The uniquely interesting person. There may be goals and obstacles but these are decorations around the compelling portrayal of what it takes to accept all of who you are and live with a feeling of belonging.
The main theme of feminine storytelling is an exploration of our internal world, a metaphorical place where the longing for love of self, authentic connection to friends and family, and inclusion in our communities captivates us. It is the art of being, as expressed through relationships.
Reflect for a moment on the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Marielle Heller, director) to see the genius of the film’s feminine gaze that may have been unappreciated by some because it was evaluated through a masculine perspective.
The masculine counterpart to the feminine art of being human is a bullet-like focus on being active in the world. The camera defines the goal, and documents how the characters shape the factors to produce their best outcome. The main theme of the story is conquering danger and overcoming a fear of death to accomplish the clearly defined goal. It is the quest to right a wrong, stop evil before it arrives, or find that much needed treasure to ensure safety now and into the future. The camera shows the goal, tracks the progress, and appreciates decisiveness, strength, and the overcoming of any obstacles in order to get back on track.
The masculine gaze has an objective lens. The camera cares about the source of the danger, the tools and resources available to reach the goal, and the step-by-step clever way these resources are put together to overcome obstacles. Emotion is controlled in the face of danger in order to make rational decisions. We see the protagonist’s attention flash between either/or choices – which option will allow him to achieve the goal or at least live to fight another day. Did the villain go left or right? Is this guy an ally or enemy? Which door will take me to safety? The camera also shows us the line between compliance or rejection of authority. The audience is with the hero, feeling the fear, making the choices, and trying to stay ahead of the villain as he crosses the point of no return.
The Soul of Beauty vs The Image of Beauty
Through a feminine gaze, beauty is seen when a person reveals their soul through their physical form. I first read this concept in the book by Ronald Schenk entitled The Soul of Beauty: A Psychological Investigation of Appearance and it captivates me to this day. The appreciation of the stories hinted at by the lines on people’s face, what makes them sweat, and the way they dress and hold themselves are all captured by the camera to evoke this understanding of beauty. This is done so vulnerably and sometimes softly in the portrayal of Nancy, an older woman acknowledging her desire to be a more fulsome sexual being, in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Sophie Hyde director, Katy Brand writer).
The camera lingers on the beauty of everyday life. Textures, decorations that evoke memories of home, or of their heritage or sense of place. Visual exploration of nature in a film expands our hearts in a spiritual way, returns us to a feeling of connection to something bigger than ourselves. Love needs this lingering and welcoming lens. The camera teaches the viewer this. It shows the beauty that can be found in the mundane, the ugly, the unfamiliar. The camera also takes the time to encourage curiosity. It appreciates the complexity of life, sometimes playing with how the physically beautiful becomes ugly through their lack of self-connection, and the ugly or unacceptable transform through our gaze as we spend time with them and come to see their inherent inner beauty.
Beauty is also seen in the moments of connections between people. It is also seen in the space between the people in the story. I loved these moments in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, where Nancy sends a message that can be read on the face of Leo. The audience is engaged by their ability to read what that look means.
By contrast, the male gaze is interested in measurements that quantify the dangers ahead. How far is the leap to safety, how many allies do we have and how many people are on our enemy’s side? As an extension of this way of seeing, the masculine gaze holds an ideal image of beauty and measures objects of desire against it. Youth, slim bodies, and symmetrical features become common motifs that activate the love of the hero. They form a shorthand for the motivation to risk one’s life to conquer the danger.
The Tension of Discomfort vs The Challenge of Fear
Love can be uncomfortable sometimes. Watching One Night in Miami (Regina King director, Tami Reiker cinematography) I was squirming in my seat with the relationship tension. I marvelled at how they stayed together in the room. There was an unspoken bond that said their relationship was the most important thing to each of them. They stayed with the emotional discomfort as they explored what it means to be a friend, shared what is individually meaningful, and considered how change was something they all wanted but saw different ways to support it. They stayed together long enough to find reconnection. Then they each went their own way, clearer in who they are because of the discussion, and stronger because they are supported by unconditional love.
What I learned through the movie is that when you stay with the tension you are richly rewarded. As we look into James, Malcolm, Sam, and Cassius’ eyes, read the posture of their bodies, feel the textures of the items in their room, we think about the same questions that they are grappling with. The cool thing about these scenes is that they can mean different things to me than they did to you. We add ourselves to the story. There is no right or wrong answer.
Lady Bird (Greta Gerwig writer, director) is another example of holding this tension, keeping the characters together so we can see those moments of transformation through love. This state of disconnection is the precursor to reconnection. The storyline and film direction shows the audience how to stay in the room, and feel the discomfort with curiosity for where it will lead. This behaviour is often is richly rewarded by finding a place of authentic belonging, a sense of what is meaningful, and joyful experiences.
The masculine gaze is tasked with helping us face the challenge of our fears. Fear is a powerful early warning system of impending danger. The optimal response is to control the feelings and come up with a plan. The actions required involve solid judgement, membership in a group of skilled allies, and the ability to control some of the variables.
The camera holds on the villain’s face forcing the audience to look into the eyes of a person of dominance. It flashes to our hero to show how he brings his fear under control with a smile or glib comment.
Why call it the feminine gaze?
When I thought about movies that captured these qualities of the female gaze movies like Enchanted April, The Queen’s Gambit, and Blue Jay also came to mind. These films were written, directed, and filmed by men. As a result, I can’t say that only women are capable of a feminine gaze. I will say that a disproportionate number of women have a natural talent for it, be that biological or socialized.
Just as women have learned the nature of the masculine gaze and achieve expertise in that cinematic form, men can also tap into the nature of a feminine gaze. What we need is an industry that recognizes, distinguishes, and supports two distinctly different lenses: feminine and masculine gazes.
Kim Hudson returns to Raindance to present ‘The Female Gaze‘ on the evening of Tuesday December 13th, 2022.
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