In recent years, the concept of the so-called ‘female gaze’ has grown exceedingly popular, particularly with reference to visual media and pop culture. The term can be defined as the female point-of-view which focuses on portraying authentic experiences, desires, and perspectives that are central to women. It mostly refers to movies created by female filmmakers or screenwriters, who introduce a female perspective to the narrative, but it may as well refer to movies that follow a female-centric storyline, where the protagonist is a woman. As one can see, the notion of the ‘female gaze’ is quite loosely defined, remaining largely open to interpretation. Yet, to understand its essence, it’s crucial to ask ourselves – ‘Where has it emerged from?’ – and – ‘What did it respond to?’.
The idea for the “female gaze” came from Laura Mulvey’s 1975 essay, called, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” which discussed and critiqued the concept of the “male gaze” in regards to the old Hollywood cinema. In her essay, Mulvey considers such aspects of the classic narrative structure as – “the way the camera films an event,” “the way the viewer watches what has been filmed,” and “the way the characters look at each other.” The author of the essay states that classic Hollywood cinema places the viewer in a masculine position by default and that the main purpose of female characters is to serve as objects of desire on screen, who are to be looked at both by the audience and the male characters within the narrative. The essay prompted some intriguing ideas that not only gave rise to a new generation of feminists whose involvement forever changed a one-sided and sexist industry but also, bettered the understanding of male and female subjectivity and the impact they have on storytelling.
“Male gaze” revolves around deriving visual pleasure from the acts of “viewing” and “peeping.” It operates on the premise that the audience either assumes the perspective of the male protagonist, watching the world through his lens, or watching it alongside him. This involves unconsciously objectifying women, as the audience is compelled to “possess” the female character by asserting dominance over her with their gaze – by scrutinizing her from a distance, as if reducing her entire role on screen to mere beauty and physicality. A frequently refrenced example is the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock, particularly notable for the recurring theme of “peeping” or voyeurism. This theme is central to movies such as “Rear Window” or “Vertigo,” where the female characters are meant to be gazed at, to serve as a sort of aesthetic that reflects male fantasies – they’re the embodiment of desire; blonde, elegant, and mysterious. The “female gaze,” on the other hand, introduces a strikingly different perspective – that of being the object of the gaze. It shifts away from pure physicality, focusing instead on narratives that are centered around emotions rather than actions and authentic bodies rather than equipment.
A great examplary movie showcasing these features is the 2023 production called “Saltburn,” which happened to stir some controversies, mainly due to its ‘boldness of representation’. The film, directed by Emerald Fennell, follows the narrative of Ollie, a scholarship student at Oxford University, who’s struggling to fit into the upper-class-dominated environment. As he’s trying to navigate this tumultuous world of power, wealth, and glamour, he suddenly befriends Felix, a popular and ‘privileged’ student at Oxford – a friendship with whom rapidly transforms into a relationship of lie, obsession, and greed. Although the story doesn’t conventionally feature a female protagonist, it revolves around the emotional facets of the main character’s being – crafting an image that’s akin to that of being the subject of “the gaze”.
This “subject of the gaze” perspective is driven by the subtle interplay of emotionality and physicality. External beauty is used as a tool to demask the characters, treating them like layers of the onion – where each outer layer can be peeled to reveal the one beneath it. Visual beauty plays a crucial role in crafting the story, as it highlights what can be considered ’emotionally significant’ in the protagonist’s eyes. In “Saltburn” this is largely achieved by the chosen camera lens – the classic 4:3 format that’s especially known for its ‘retro vibe’ and the uniquely narrow frame that evokes the familiar feeling of nostalgia.
The story is set in Oxford highlighting, as it progresses, the vibrant and idealized reality of the upper-class life. Beauty serves as a representative element, always assisting the characters who are the epitome of the upper class – whether it’s the black-and-white of tuxedos, the glitter and gold of grand parties, or the turquoise skies of Oxford in the early mornings. Colors play an important role in shaping the main character’s perspective – they reflect the emotions that resonate from particular scenes, with vibrant colors strengthening the atmosphere, while pale and delicate shades assist in more intimate scenes, or when the protagonist slightly distances himself from the audience, masking his true intentions and feelings. That can be observed especially as the plot progresses and the setting shifts from Oxford University to Felix’s family mansion – Saltburn. Felix’s character portrayal is also largely shaped by beauty, yet it is not primarily focused on his physicality. Felix is depicted as the subject of desire – he’s being spied on by Ollie, whose obsession with him gradually strengthens, culminating in our protagonist almost crossing a boundary. For example, in the notorious bathtub scene, Ollie is depicted peering through a crack in the door, watching Felix as he lies in his bathtub, in an intimate position (his back arched, eyelids closed, lips parted). The close-ups do not reveal his naked body or highlight the masculine or, as dictated by the standard, attractive masculine features – instead, the camera zooms in on the nape of his neck or his sweaty temple, focusing on the conventionally non-sexual body parts. The use of delicate beige and white colors that persist in this scene accentuates its purity, stripping it of any vulgar or suggestive meaning. Beauty is not used to objectify Felix, and even though he’s literally the object of the gaze, he’s not being shown in a state of uttermost vulnerability as we don’t get to see the whole of him. Even as Ollie’s obsession intensifies and evolves into raw desire, Felix remains partially hidden from his gaze.
The same goes for the main character and the very last scene that portrays him dancing, naked, in the empty Saltburn mansion, right after asserting his dominance over the “envied” upper class and establishing the new “order”. Although his body is by no means covered in this scene, it doesn’t exactly fit into the common definition of sexual imagery – there are no specific close-ups and he’s moving in a slightly disfigured, almost comical manner. The bare body does not serve as the trope of sexuality or desire – it merely responds to the themes explored by the plot. Ollie is now alone, in the empty mansion all to himself, with nobody else to scrutinize or watch him – he has finally escaped the gaze.
In contemporary cinema, the concept of the female gaze does not only serve as a “response” to the decades when the male perspective dominated film and media – it has become a way of crafting a narrative that truly reveals what it’s like to be the object of scrutiny. It aims to portray beauty in a non-conventional way – one that is not meant to disarm the beautiful characters and assert dominance over them by limiting their role to being mere objects of visual pleasure. Instead of just admiring the external layers, the audience is invited to peel the onion – to unveil a more profound beauty that lies hidden beneath the surface.
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