Feminist Film Theory

 

Feminist Film Theory:

Women, Gaze, and Representation

Introduction

Feminist Film Theory is a major approach in film studies that examines how cinema represents women, gender roles, and power structures. Emerging in the 1970s alongside second-wave feminism, it challenged the dominance of male-centered storytelling in classical Hollywood cinema. Scholars argued that film language itself — camera angles, narrative focus, editing, and character development — often reinforces patriarchal values. Today, feminist film theory remains central to discussions of gender representation in media, the male gaze, and women’s authorship in cinema.

Historical Background

The foundation of feminist film theory is closely linked to Laura Mulvey’s influential 1975 essay, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Mulvey used psychoanalysis to explain how mainstream films position women as objects of visual pleasure for a presumed heterosexual male viewer. This critique exposed how cinematic form — not just story content — contributes to gender inequality. Over time, feminist film scholars expanded the framework to include intersectionality, addressing race, sexuality, class, and global perspectives in film representation.

Core Concepts

• The Male Gaze :  A central idea in feminist film analysis, the male gaze describes how visual media often frame women from a masculine point of view, emphasizing appearance over agency. Women become spectacles rather than subjects.
• Voyeurism and Objectification: Classical cinema frequently places female characters in passive roles, where their primary narrative function is to be watched, desired, or controlled. Feminist theory critiques this pattern as reinforcing real-world gender hierarchies.
• Female Agency and Voice:  Feminist filmmaking seeks narratives where women are decision-makers, storytellers, and complex individuals. Representation shifts from object to subject.
• Intersectionality: Modern feminist film studies recognize that gender intersects with race, sexuality, and class, broadening analysis beyond white, Western perspectives.

Examples

• Vertigo (1958): The male obsession with controlling female identity.
• Thelma & Louise (1991): Rebellion against patriarchal norms.
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019): Female gaze and mutual subjectivity.
• Barbie (2023): Mainstream feminist satire of gendered capitalism.

Key Ideas to Remember

• Representation shapes reality — how women appear on screen affects real-world perceptions of gender.
• Feminist critics advocate for diverse, complex female characters beyond stereotypes.
• Modern filmmakers like Chloé Zhao, Greta Gerwig, and Ava DuVernay continue this redefinition.