The Female Gaze

(Please see my post on The Male Gaze before reading this.) 

The Female Gaze can be used to describe two very different but linked theories. In this post, I will look over both of the theories and try my best to describe them and how they impact the costuming community.

The Female Gaze: The Reverse of The Male Gaze

In response to Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory in film, other feminist critics have responded with the opposite of this coined The Female Gaze. In this theory, the female gaze represents the view of the stereotypical heterosexual female viewer. Like The Male Gaze, The Female Gaze places the lead male character as a sexual object for the lead female character and the audience to enjoy. The main place where I have noticed The Female Gaze is in the Marvel films.

(Chris Evans as Captain America - "Captain America: The First Avenger")

(Chris Pratt as Star-Lord - "Guardians of the Galaxy")

(Chris Hemsworth as Thor - "Thor: Ragnarock")

(Hugh Jackman as Wolverine - "The X-Men")

Here, we can see that men are being objectified for their bodies without any real need for it to happen. However, what I will comment on (for the Marvel films in particular) is that this version of The Female Gaze happens far less that its Male Gaze counterpart. Also, the way that The Female Gaze is put into these films almost "makes sense" in the way that it is done. Take the Captain America scene, for example. Have a watch of the scene and then we'll unpick it:

Transformation Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F020aNi0wS0

In this scene, the audience sees a topless Steve Rogers being experimented on as he goes from a normal bod to a muscular, enhanced solider due to scientific experiments by the doctor. Although Steve Rogers does go through this process topless, it is almost accepted as normal. Steve has things plugged into his chest, stomach and arms, and if this procedure was to happen in the real world in a real hospital, this probably would be done with the patient being topless too. Where The Female Gaze comes in is that when he emerges from the machine, the angle of the camera directs the attention to his body rather than his face. His torso and arms are also covered in an oil to mimicked "sweat", but all it serves to do is highlight the muscles he has now gained. As the scene continues, Steve stays topless for all the see, and is given clothes far later than is necessary. If this was to happen in the real world, as soon as he emerged from the machine he would have had the opportunity to cover up. 

I have to say though, it really did take me a while to find something that could be easily dissected to find The Female Gaze. This only serves to prove that it happens far less often that its Male Gaze counterpart. And although it does happen, proved above, it is for a short amount of time and not an entire movie like we saw with The Male Gaze.

So... what does this version of the The Female Gaze  mean for costume designers?

Well, really, my points that I made about this question in my Male Gaze post sum this up very well. Costumes should reflect and elevate a character, but should also empower the actor as much as possible and the actor should feel comfortable in what they have to wear and perform in.

The Female Gaze: Feminine Influence in Production

When researching to put together the first half of this post, I stumbled across the Wikipedia article for The Feminine Gaze  and decided to give it a read. I found the info I needed for the first half of this post, but what interested me was the second half of The Feminine Gaze that I hadn't really heard about. The Wikipedia article credits Zoe Dirse with looking into this section of The Feminine Gaze. So I don't mess up the explanation of it, I'm just going to copy and paste in what Wikipedia says:

"Dirse analyses the gaze at the points of production and reception. She notes that if the cinematographer is female and the subject is also female, the object of the film takes on a different role. Dirse argues that by having a female cinematographer allows women to be viewed as they really are and not the voyeuristic spectacle that the male gaze makes them out to be."

Basically, Dirse puts forward that if a woman directs the film and has the lead actor as a female, it allows women to be more accurately presented in the media without the influence of The Male Gaze.

So, what film can we look at to dissect this version of The Female Gaze? Well, in The Male Gaze post we looked at Harley Quinn in the first Suicide Squad film, but lets take a look at her in her own film Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn):

(Poster for film)

The Film:

Unlike in The Suicide Squad, Harley Quinn takes centre-stage in this feature film set after the events of The Suicide Squad. The film puts Harley into the spotlight fully, showing her side of the story as a woman and her hurt after being dumped by the love of her life, the Joker. Unlike in The Suicide Squad, Harley's role in this film is to better herself without men, and find her own validation as a single woman, at the same time as doing other things that make her a badass in her own right. It is so obvious that The Female Gaze is used in this film, as Harley is presented as a woman with unique and complex experiences that allow for character and emotional development without her needing to be a sexual object for male gratification of any kind. The Suicide Squad and The Male Gaze put Harley in a box as a sexual object for male viewing: both of the other characters around her and the male audience watching the film. In Birds of Prey however, Harley is free to truly blossom as a character and a woman and be the leading lady of her own film and the figurehead of a group of like-minded women with a single united goal. The filming of Birds of Prey really allows the audience to connect with Harley on a personal and emotional level, allowing the audience to understand her hardships in her toxic relationship with the Joker and see the emotions she goes through as she nurses herself and experiences life outside of a relationship that defined her for so long. A key point in Birds of Prey is that Harley is no longer controlled by men. Her choices are her own, without her feeling the need to do something to please the man in her life. She is an empowered woman in Birds of Prey, not just something to look at like in The Suicide Squad.

The Costuming:

I think that the costuming in Birds of Prey really establishes The Female Gaze in the film, as it completely changes how we look at Harley as a character. I don't really want to go into lots of detail here, because I think Harley's costumes in Birds of Prey really are worthy of a full review, but I will talk about a couple to get the point across about The Female Gaze

(Harley Quinn: Suicide Squad (left) Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey (right))

As you can see from this side by side picture of the two different Harley's, the costume has been completely changed for Birds of Prey. Gone are the short shorts and tight top in favour of a bright yellow overall/jumpsuit with a pink cropped vest-top underneath. The shoes have also been replaced, with her platform and heeled converse switched for a pair of roller-skates. Already it is obvious that in Birds of Prey, the costumes aren't there to communicate sex and objectify Harley's body. Whilst the costume covers her more, it also flatters her and still makes her look exceptionally beautiful, but what it doesn't do it highlight her curves and features that make her attractive and alluring to The Male Gaze. The costume here from Birds of Prey gives her a personality, it makes her seem fun and outgoing, a little crazy and wacky, whereas her costume from Suicide Squad only serves the function of making her attractive and appealing to The Male Gaze.

(Harley Quinn in fringe jacket and short shorts)

I thought that this costume was really important to highlight because it shows that women can reveal parts of their bodies without it being sexual. In this, Harley wears a pair of short shorts, the pink top from the previous costume, suspenders and a large jacket make from sparkly strips of material. This costume could be deemed a "sexy" outfit, with Harley's legs, mid-section and chest on display. But honestly, it doesn't really read like that at all. The jacket gives the costume a playful and unique edge, and the suspenders add a little quirkiness to the mix that doesn't necessarily "detract" from the sex appeal of the costume, but places more of an emphasis of other aspects of her personality too. This costume, and the one above, feel like something straight out of Harley's wardrobe, something we expect her to wear and make us smile when she does. It is obvious that she feels good in these costumes, whereas in Suicide Squad it almost feels as though she is forced to wear those clothes because the alternative was an outdated costume. 

So... what does this version of The Female Gaze mean for costume designers?

Honestly, I believe this opens a lot of doors and creates real potential in making costumes that encapsulate and empower characters whilst also empowering the actors that wear them. Instead of sex being used to sell a film and entice the stereotypical heterosexual male audience, making a female character appear sexy can work to empower that character to feel that she is comfortable in how she looks and the clothes that she wears. This way of thinking allows for more developed, diverse and elevated costuming that can serve to empower and uphold the virtues and amazing qualities of women whilst also allowing characters to be easily recognised and appreciated. this version of The Female Gaze is really important to establish and try to replicate, as it could have huge benefits on the population and the validation of women, establishing a better society for everyone to live in, as well as better entertainment for people to watch, without women having to feel uncomfortable because the movie overly sexualises women in an attempt to grab the attention of the men.