Defining Masculinity : A Reclamation of the Female Gaze in Photography

Abstract

AI-GENERATED ABSTRACT: Abstract: This paper explores the concept of the Female Gaze as a response to the dominant Male Gaze in film and media. Drawing from Laura Mulvey's work on Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, the Female Gaze is examined as a mode of spectatorship that resists the objectification and colonization of women's gaze by men. The study aims to investigate how the subjectivity of the Female Gaze can redefine masculinity through the portrayal of masculinities by non-male photographers. While the Female Gaze is primarily discussed in the context of film, this thesis expands its scope to include photography as a medium for exploring feminist discourse on the Female Gaze. Keywords: Female Gaze, Male Gaze, spectatorship, masculinity, film, media, photography