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Vienna 2023

The concept of the “male gaze” is a theoretical framework that originated in feminist film theory, articulated by scholar Laura Mulvey in her groundbreaking essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” in 1975. However, the notion extends beyond cinema and has been widely applied to various aspects of culture, art, and everyday life.

At its core, the male gaze refers to the way in which visual arts and media, often created and controlled by men, depict the world from a distinctly masculine perspective. This perspective objectifies and sexualizes women, reducing them to passive objects of desire for the presumed male viewer. The male gaze perpetuates traditional gender roles and power dynamics, reinforcing societal norms that prioritize the male experience.