Andrew Goodwin part 5

There is frequently reference to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

In 1975 Laura Mulvey came up with three elements of male gaze.

1. The camera looking at the female body (camera gaze)
2. The shots of male actors looking at the female and then a shot of the female (male actors gaze)
3. The audience looking (audience gaze)

The male gaze reduces a female to a sexual object that is to be looked at. However the theory was created in 1975 and could be classed as out of date and is purely focused on women being sexualised when there is a potential for it to be males. Also the theory was created on the base of films and may not be relevant to looking at music videos.

The music video for Candy Shop by 50 Cent proves that Mulvey's theory works showing all three of these parts but also shows;

• The female audience gaze of the main character.
• Females having control over being looked at.

Lady Ga Ga's Alejandro does not fit in with the theory by changing it and playing on it in her video.

• Lady Ga Ga has self awareness in the video.
• both men and women are sexualised.
• the video starts off with her having the most power which depletes through the video.
• men are shown to be less masculine.
• The males in the video are more sexualised than Lady Ga Ga even when she has less clothes on than them.
• there is some homoerotic/ queer gaze in the video.
• changes the way men see women, political video.