Feminine Gaze & Transformative Stories

There are many thing I could not cover, many theories I could not tackle, many stories I could not include, in order to keep it concise and to the point.
I hope you enjoy it.
Music by Blue Dot Sessions.
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In Conversation With Laura Mulvey (Interview) by ANother Gaze Journal:
• In Conversation With L...
Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema by Laura Mulvey (1975):
www.asu.edu/courses/fms504/tot...
Joey* Soloway on The Female Gaze | MASTER CLASS | TIFF 2016:
• Joey Soloway on The Fe...
*Note on the above. I cannot change this in the video, but Jill Soloway renamed their self as Joey Soloway and their pronouns are they/them.

[@WitandFolly]

i really appreciate the love! i guess the algorithm decided it was time. but please, i know the music/narration levels are off - it depends on what device you are listening on. i cannot change that now. this video is a year old and the file is gone. please stop commenting this. thank you!

[@deadinsidebutstillhorny1340]

You should pin this comment to the top. Anyway great video, i have a lot to think about now.:)

[@melodymei4013]

I love how the auto-captions interpret “feminine gaze” as “feminine gays” in almost all instances

[@WitandFolly]

well that's amazing

[@fruitygarlic3601]

Now, it's not incorrect.

[@uncreativename6210]

@@fruitygarlic3601 huh?

[@mind9726]

our YT loves our fem gays too ;-;

[@jessreinhardt4408]

*turns on subtitles to feel important*

[@army4chair345]

male kpop idols have strong fanbases because the know how to cater to the female gaze in multifaceted ways

[@WitandFolly]

hell yeah 💜

[@army4chair345]

@@WitandFolly you're an ARMY?! having you in the fandom is a flex 💜

[@WitandFolly]

I want to do more videos on BTS but there's too many talented ARMY already covering the stuff I like to talk about. I have a couple, but I definitely want to explore more

[@vic3041]

@@WitandFolly oh please do, i'm sure we'll be hearing. if you don't you can always disguise it by putting litlle easter eggs on unrelated videos hahah

[@katwilliams2950]

@@WitandFolly I'd watch your videos even if others have done them already

[@NS-et5wh]

This reminds me of when I saw the anime "Free!" which is about a male swim team. The anime had a really bad reputation in the anime communities and everyone made fun of it and it's fans. So I watched it, and it was THE EXACT SAME as all popular anime shows that objectify women at any chance, that all those anime fanboys praise to the skies. The only difference was that it was the guys bodies that were ogled by the camera, and suddenly all men had a problem with it. It was the only time I had seen the camera look at men the same way the camera looks at women in basically every movie or show ever, but when it's done to men it is suddenly recognized as fucking ridiculous and over the top. It blows my mind that they don't realize that MOST movies, shows and especially games have the same stupid over the top moments like Jacob taking his shirt off every minute in twilight. It just happens to women all the time.

[@Cloverfr]

YES! I remember MEN complaining a deeming as ridiculous Jacob taking off his shirt, it was even a meme, but a few years later I see the same pages, whining at women questioning Megan Fox fixing the car scene, as they are jealous and stuff, the same with Free, I personally couldn't get into it but yes, it was one of the few animes that fanserviced girls and guys were complaining about. I'm personally not a fan of the camera ogling the character, as much as the character owning their sexuality and flirting with the camera, Yuuko Ichihara for me, it's one of the best examples of that, you don't ogle her, she let you see her, I don't know if that makes sense.

[@Cantrona]

I'm laughing because my brother is watching Sk8 Infinity right now and he doesn't see what I see in it. Same with Haikyuu too. In Free! and Yuri on Ice, it was harder to ignore because one allows for more body objectification and the other is a more 'feminine' sport. Most sports anime have such strong roots in BL and the feminine gaze it's hilarious.

[@xochiltaviles4539]

My friend and I have had convos about anime and sexism and hoe us as women who love anime are ridiculed by boys who love anime, I’m glad to find this post cuz imma look into these now. I’m curious which anime’s do you guys find that are opposite of free and cater to the male gaze. I know fairy tail does it a lot. I liked the character and storylines but some scenes of female characters were way too sexualiza and way too common in that show

[@Cantrona]

@@xochiltaviles4539 I would argue that Fairy Tail isn't as bad as others because it has equal opportunity fan service. Most Harem and Ecchi shows like To Love-Ru or Highschool DxD are very male-gaze oriented. They're a dime a dozen. Even power-fantasy stuff like SAO casually focuses on what counts as wish-fulfilment more for the masculine gaze. With casual fanservice on the side. One Piece is also pretty divisive on this, as much as I love it to bits. While Oda does a great job of giving his female characters more backstory, dimension and growth, they all fit either the fat/old/ugly mold or the same exact 'beautiful and sexy' look. Even with the same face designs for the most part. His male characters cater to the male fantasy with a diverse range of idealized male bodies but women only have the one. I would also say that stuff like Naruto, even though it doesn't have as much ecchi or over-sexualization, caters to the masculine gaze because of how the growth and emotions of all the main male cast are prioritized.

[@elyaequestus1409]

I hear you, I was about 14 when I first started to watch anime and I have seen quite a broad range of series. I enjoyed the Ghost in the Shell series, Air, One Piece and Fairy Tale. Stories where the relationships between the characters are central and how they interact with the world feels more grounded. The characters engage with the world on their own terms in their own way. Then Ghost in the Shell Arise came out when I was 25. I remember that I was massively dissapointed. Why did the major turn into a moe character. Then there was the overall story that was like. Wat. Where is this going? What was the story even trying to tell? Is this a moe version of Ghost in the Shell? Not to mention the landmine thing, what was that all about? To what kind of audience was this piece of media intended and what does that mean for me, as an audience? This is what I ask myself _a lot_ in regards to anime after finishing Arise. Needless to say, I quit watching anime. Though I am not a fan of movies and series in general (I find them overstimilating), I do enjoy my books, my fanfics and my dnd. I can only play and convay their emotions if I know where they come from and what they have been through. If anything, my DM throws more fuel on the fire to get more intense and emotional scenes.

[@marialedin3684]

“We were taught at a young age that men’s desires are the norm, but women’s desires are something to grow out of.” I love that line. I have been thinking about something like this for a while and how it relates kids cartoons that we watch growing up. The girly parts of ”girly kids shows” are seen as more childish. I though about this because “Fate: the Winx Saga” came out and most (if not all) the things that made the original cartoon fun and enjoyable was gone. Either they had disregarded or purposely removed things to make it more “grow-up,” things magic transformations, supportive and loving parents, fashion, healthy romantic relationships, a fantasy world that integrates sci-fi and magic, most of the healthy friendships, and creative interpretation of elemental magic (like having a fire fairy, nature fairy, water fairy but also a music fairy AND a technology fairy.) Edit: grammar

[@gaj30]

I watched the show and I think this first season was about them now starting to find themselves more. It's only at the end they all started truly being good friends, wore a bit brighter outfits, bloom got wings, she spoke to her parents and they were really supportive, etc. so it was more about them now finding out more about themselves and each other so maybe next season we'll see how it goes from there

[@mathijskuipers4783]

@@gaj30 it could be about that but the problem is that it is not winx club. the live action as barly an resemblence to the olf cartoon accept the school the term faries and most of the names. and it isnt feminine not bright no fashion no magic it is just cold and dark. and that isnt what the fans wanted

[@winkcloud]

@@gaj30 The point of this comment wasn’t for you to be “in defense of,” although it is truly a terrible show. It is about how the feminine gaze embraces the whimsy. The genuine. The heartfelt bond between women that do not have men at the forefront of their lives. The fashion, the color, the light-Winx Club embodied all of these very important things. It was a story in which every girl could see herself, and one that was a testament to power that women can undoubtedly hold, all while being presented in a manner that caters to the feminine gaze. The notion that you do not need to relinquish femininity in order to do important things, all the while not making comparisons to men, saying that girls can do anything boys can do-it was unabashedly feminine. THAT is what fans of the show wanted to see, but in interpreting this new series as “adult” they stripped it of everything that characterized it as the show that women still watch today. They bastardized it by making it dark; stripping it of the magic (no wings???? Who DOESNT love wings??????) and the color that defined it. This show was not made for the feminine gaze. It felt like a kind of an “f you!” to those who adored the show because what it really says is that the things that attract the feminine gaze are less than. They are unimportant and not for “mature,” adult people. THAT was the intent.

[@emmajanesinden7615]

And this is an issue that hurts both men and women! Women are shamed for wanting traditionally feminine things, and men to an even greater extent than women. “Ew she’s so girly. I’m not like other girls. I’m a cool tomboy.” + “You run like a girl. Man up.” ... Don’t you hate misogyny 😀

[@0723niki]

Yes! The attitude that women's stories are less important is all over entertainment; like Weeds being a half-hour comedy to Breaking Bad's epic drama. And Orange Is the New Black as a comedy to Oz's bloody soap. Men are so melodramatic. Of course, women creators use that as a trojan horse. Weeds and Orange started out light-hearted but became deeply dramatic and explored important issues.

[@shethewriter]

So many times when males are framed as objects of desire for women, it’s framed as a joke or a man’s idea of what they think women want. There are some exceptions but it’s so rare.

[@rainbowrotcod]

yes!

[@thomaswikstrand8397]

Regarding a "man's idea": You don't think they would have asked the Oracle at Delphi what women want if that institution was still around? Turned any stone? Used the proven 50 shades blueprint? Done anything to tap into the vast rivers of cash women are able to move? Alternative viewpoint: Women are not the same. At all. What one wants, another considers revolting, one irresistible and another criminal.

[@lavellans]

Emphasis on it just being “a joke” so that they can avoid responsibility.

[@NS-et5wh]

Yes! It is also almost never as dehumanizing and objectifying as when women are sexualized. The men are usually still shown as strong and powerful. It is a part of their sexualization. While sexualized women will often be shown as weak and vulnerable, or at least weaker than some man i the story. The camera will take a voyeristic angle or only focus on her body parts more than her face. I feel like there is usually more of a balance when showing sexual men.

[@thomaswikstrand8397]

@@NS-et5wh Yeah, almost like there are two sexes. How is it not obviously clear that different features are found attractive?

[@Ace-du7vw]

Birds of Prey was one gigantic middle finger to the creators of Suicide Squad and I LIVE for it. Male viewers who were used to Harley Quinn being a sex object to be ogled and drooled over with minimal agency were offended and it was the most satisfying part. It was received horribly and people didn't even bother trying to mask their sexism. It's interesting to note that the producers and directors of Birds of Prey were women, but the screenwriter and cinematographer were men. There was an excellent balance going on behind the scenes that made a truly unique product in the world of comic book movies.

[@Gingersnaps_the_pumpkin_kitty]

I just wish it was presented better and the characters were more flushed out. Maybe have focused more on Harley than having so many characters it had to flush out and establish in one movie.

[@hioiij]

@@Gingersnaps_the_pumpkin_kitty YES!!!! The marketing was not done correctly and also the story was much more about harley than getting to fully know the other characters (which isnt how it was advertised at all, quite the opposite)

[@BT-su1yf]

Both movies were bad

[@fartyfat6539]

It was definitely much better than what the reviews said. Although, the movie was not perfect either. The weakest part is at 3rd act , it was very underwhelming compared to the more zanny and fun 1st and 2nd act. I think it was partly because of the main antagonist lack of complexity. It seems that they have an archetype in mind, but never actually give him the proper set up to make the viewers care about (hating) him. They tried to make him this weird, flamboyant, eccentric and scary villain, but didn't push it far enough. They need to either contrast the main character (Harley) and make the villain extremely serious or match Harley energy and make him just as crazy.

[@dr_lubaba]

The story sucked

[@under3089]

“Men think women want to be like them. But women do not want to be men” is the most important sentence in this video. We do not wish to be “elevated” to the status of men, we do not wish to overly sexualize men as they do women, we want to control our own narrative and write our own stories. Most men I have meet do not realize that to be listened to and respected is the most power you can have as a woman.

[@KarlSnarks]

I agree, though there definitely are plenty of women over-sexualizing men. Also, I don't think sexualizing someone is necessarily bad, as long as you still recognize that irl they're still a real person with their own mind and emotions.

[@pennysteckhan7437]

@@KarlSnarks well, im pretty sure sexualisation is inherently nonconsensual.it doesn't allow for the recognition of people (usually women) beyond the scope of being sexual objects.

[@arhamramiz7791]

@@KarlSnarks But, sexualizing *is* bad. If you acknowledge someone as a person, you wouldn't treat them as an object. But sexualizing is treating them like objects.

[@devonmatthews6443]

@@arhamramiz7791 Sexualizing isn't treating them like an object

[@fionagallagherapologist5968]

exactly. we do not want equality, we want liberation

[@robylopezvi]

“If she thought it was bad, why continue to watch it” me, who’s been watching miraculous ladybug for 6 years: i feel that

[@WitandFolly]

no shame in that. that show is gold

[@vic3041]

me, who had her favorite female superhero on the show denied her redemption arc and her development got completely destroyed: so... when's season 4 coming out?

[@robylopezvi]

@@WitandFolly JDHSNS It’s so entertaining it hurts but there’s so many writing flaws 😭

[@robylopezvi]

@@vic3041 YEAHHH I loved the turn it was taking of slowly giving Chloe more development and then they threw it out the window and the Thomas Astruc being like “haha this 14 year old is incapable of redemption”

[@vic3041]

@@robylopezvi for real! she's just a girl with childhood trauma who can do better 😭😭 he thought he created an azula, but created a zuko instead. (well, azula was also redeemable, but you know what i mean)

[@patriciapages3839]

This video really makes me feel heard. I grew up in a house with five brothers who constantly looked down upon my likes and dislikes, and I could never quite form the correct words to explain why I liked certain things, which made them believe that I didn't have a valid reason. You explained feminine gaze perfectly and because of you I can finally form coherent thoughts, so thank you so much.

[@WitandFolly]

I hear ya! I've always had to justify my enjoyment of something but rarely are guys asked to do the same.

[@patriciapages3839]

@@WitandFolly Preach!

[@leafyishereisdumbnameakath4259]

i'm so sorry

[@korviscapetrova5269]

hey mate I hope you find healthy womxn/en relationships, spread the sister hood, if not your internet friends are here for you

[@cremetangerine82]

A guy: “Ick, ‘Twilight’ is a girl’s fantasy!” A girl: “And ‘The Fast and Furious’ isn’t a guy’s fantasy?” A guy: “...but, but it’s different!”

[@zenmaster8]

Birds of Prey was so GOOD. I do not get why other men are put off by it. I freaking love Harley in this. She is unapologetically herself in this.

[@mariafausti3128]

I loved it too! Idk why it gave me so much confidence and the colors were just amazing

[@lolabshok7543]

@@mariafausti3128 It gave me confidence too!!! I thought I was the only one 😅

[@fruitygarlic3601]

I don't know why they were complaining that it was unsexy. Maybe because the female characters dressed in clothes women like? I was flushed throughout the whole thing.

[@ZariDV]

When you flood the media with one thing for a long time, it becomes the norm. These men grew up on movies that focused so much on the masculine gaze and read so many comics where they may have viewed Harley in that same way that it's jarring to suddenly have her presented in this way. It's not their fault really. That's how media has been shoved down their throats since childhood and it's always uncomfortable at first to have the status quo broken. You have to relearn how you engage with media and recalibrate your viewing experience but that takes effort and work that many men have never had to do. Women learn from a young age how to view media through a lens that isn't our own. We have to put ourselves subconsciously in men's shoes to enjoy content and it becomes second nature to us eventually. They never learned that as children because it was all catered to their gaze, filled with characters like them, written by men, produced by men and directed by men. It's a learning curve but their gut instinct is not to learn, but to reject this jarring change and seek out the comfort of familiar works, labelling feminine gaze works as "bad" because it's not what they know, understand or have been taught was "good"/worthy of praise/receiving awards.

[@Kawinah]

men didn't like birds of prey? I'm a man and I really liked the scene when all 5 of them got together and literally made the funniest and coolest fight scene ever it also showed how men / people in power exhibit the exact answer zimbardo gave to the world in 1971, that people with authority will abuse it because no one is checking that behaviour, and I think that was really powerful

[@moomin2165]

why did i burst out laughing at "the boy is literally a nazi"

[@floranj9603]

@Ni Vortex what’s the movie called

[@saracole7623]

I did, too. 😂

[@neonlights836]

I saw your comment at the same time that I got to that part of the video

[@BellaSwan18]

@@floranj9603it’s from Knives Out

[@socialtortoise852]

Thank you for this. I'm a guy, and I'm rethinking a lot about storytelling in large part due to your videos. I also want to share these with my male friends and relatives because these ideas are so important for both media and society in general.

[@WitandFolly]

love to see this 💗💗💗 thank you

[@sparksfly6149]

Good to hear!

[@mikef1163]

Yeah I was really curious and hopeful that I can try to keep this in mind with my own film making.

[@chicka-boom7540]

This makes me so happy to read

[@aquamarinemystique9641]

She's not gonna fuck you, dude.

[@BelleFlower15]

I feel ashamed because the more I learn about the masculine/feminine gaze idea, the more I realize that I grew up with the masculine gaze and totally internalized it.

[@0oPerson]

U don’t have to hold onto that shame: most everyone who watches media has internalized the male gaze on some lvl. The fact that you’ve realized this about yourself and are working to change ur view (I assume) is something to be proud of, I think.

[@fionagallagherapologist5968]

same :) im slowly getting liberated from it but it is so incredibly difficult

[@pbrownie4]

We all did. It's inescapable in this society. Look at movie posters, book covers, commercials, magazines, etc.etc. the history runs deep. And it is going to continue to run deep for a long long time. All we can do is actively continue to learn about it and fight against it

[@theendisnearhd8045]

One really impotant thing to note , when sexuallizing a charachter , is showing their face . In most of desrespectfull scenes you only get close ups of boobs , thighs etc. and this way the charachter is turned into an object without feellings , you can almost dehumanize them if you want to . It is most in scenes where you can see their face and expression , where objectification is done in a good respectfull way , where the individual has a strong presence and allows you in a way to sexualize them ....

[@Cloverfr]

I don't know if the "objectification is done in a good respectfull way" is the best way to describe that, I totally get what you mean, but it's probably not the best words to use. I have seen few successfully done in that way, you don't ogle them or sexualize them, they are already sensual, own it up, and want the viewer to see them.

[@Charlie-xd6vq]

the sexy lamp, where a character (usually a woman) can be replaced by a sexy lamp and make no difference to the plot

[@theendisnearhd8045]

@@Charlie-xd6vq could you explain it please?

[@maryumgardner5958]

Michael Bay with his female characters are sexist

[@theendisnearhd8045]

@@maryumgardner5958 in my opinion , he destroyed Megan Fox

[@iwant2ducks39]

THANK YOU for this video! I just showed this to my misogynistic father and he said to me that he kinda understands now!! baby steps, baby steps but hey at least is something

[@WitandFolly]

well that is something!! 💗

[@iateyursandwiches]

Ehh. Idk, I wouldn't call your father misogynistic. Sexist sure but you may be over using that term here. That implies that he hates all women, including you... Sorry, I just feel that people overuse that term, often inappropriately, these days. It's a bit of a petpeeve. Sexist and chauvinist is one thing, misogyny is a completely other thing.

[@saracole7623]

Yayyyy!!!

[@saracole7623]

@@iateyursandwiches I mean, you don’t even know the guy, so you couldn’t really know what he is. 😐

[@iateyursandwiches]

@@saracole7623 i mean yeah, but I guess my question for you is: do you actually get the sense that your father hates you or even cares about you less? Otherwise, it's not accurate to call him a misogynist(hates all women). Again, i just feel like that terms gets thrown around haphazardly sometimes these days.

[@LuminousArc92]

I remember seeing a post about Harley Quinn between Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey, with two pictures side by side. Someone had commented about the differences between the two in the gaze they are presented through. SS Harley the camera was centered on her chest, she was scantily dressed, with a dog collar, and long grabbable pigtales. BoP Harley was centered on her face, her outfit was fun and fitting her personality, her hair was uneven and shorter

[@laisphinto6372]

Honestly I believe the producers of suicide squad their movie was terrible and deliberately took as many sexy shots to distract from that. Didn't work.

[@Camille-jh8qk]

yes I was thinking about that too!! here's a link to the original post btw :) helly-watermelonsmellinfellon.tumblr.com/post/187602350465/1-pigtails-arent-long-enough-to-pull-on

[@paopawika]

Thank you so much for showing more of the Little Women scene where Jo says "I'm so lonely." I feel that line (and the delivery) are as powerful as the previous line, but it's not as celebrated.

[@WitandFolly]

I love it because it's saying women are strong and independent but they also can want things and want companionship but that doesn't make them weak. it's such a complex line and yet so easy to relate to

[@paopawika]

@@WitandFolly Exactly!! I feel like it really encapsulates the core of the movie, women are complex and can't be boxed in the "strong female lead" boxes. It's one of those lines that pulls at my heartstrings every time.

[@floofmccloud]

That line made me CRY I loved it

[@yeehaw2982]

this !!! women face a dichotomy where it's like we have to pick whether we want to be strong and independent or want companionship and love, and those two things are treated as being mutually exclusive and impossible to have at the same time. it's why a lot of us may grow up adamantly against the idea of being in a relationship or getting married or having support, because that somehow invalidates the idea that we are our own fully realized individuals, and that resistance causes a deep loneliness that we then have a difficult time expressing or even admitting to

[@ES-dj9lh]

Exactly, when I heard that line in the cinema I was astonished of the feeling of being able to really relate to the female character like never before in my life. I was actually able to think about my own deep feelings and didn't get the impression that she is saying something that men think women think or want. It was so deeply honest and relatable!

[@sunsetxsong]

Great video. I have been bothered recently by realising just how women have grown up consuming stories told from the male gaze, and we have been taught to empathise with these characters in such works even though the works are not often told from our perspective.... and men have not been required to do the same, so most of them simply never learned to empathise with women and we still remain some kind of mysterious "other", both objectified and separated out. I really appreciated the thoughts you shared in this.

[@latedala07]

I feel like that's often why we (collectively and me, specifically) start to identify and empathize with feminine villains more and more - because their thoughts and desires are forced to be taken seriously in the story because they are a threat to the masculine protagonist. Or they have more agency than any of the other feminine characters.

[@BlackCat-vf7th]

As long as porn industry exists and influences all spheres of life, including culture, it will be this way regardless of ''the female gaze in cinema'' and trying to challenge gender norms and roles ''outside of pornography and sex industry''. It's like an elephant in the room nobody wants to address. Meanwhile today it encompasses everything, so this elephant people prefer to ignore in conversations like this is very influential.

[@lochofmceo]

Yeah because movies about women are wack to us.I don't wanna see movies about feelings.Where are the guns, explosions,and naked women?

[@ruranrin2197]

@@lochofmceo Is this sarcasm?

[@lochofmceo]

@@ruranrin2197 nope

[@jennyraylen8410]

She Ra and the Princesses of Power (the reboot tbc) is very fem gaze. It’s one of my favorite TV shows partly because of that.

[@amandak.5967]

I love that cartoon so much! Steven Universe and Owl House are also awesome in that respect :)

[@bpsara]

It wasn't my thing, but I get why loads of people like it

[@catalina7224a]

Your likes were 420, I changed it

[@xochiltaviles4539]

@@amandak.5967 I love Steven because even tho the main character is a boy, it is so well written that you can empathize and relate with him, regardless of your own gender. It’s also wonderful that he’s surrounded by amazing female characters. I love that show so much

[@zeta.x712]

Completely agree!!!

[@vandythevandy]

yes!!! every man i know hates birds of prey and it's so hard to explain how important that movie feels in a way that makes sense to them 😭 it's finally a movie that actually feels like it was made for women without pandering to men but is still feminine and doesn't try to be masculine!

[@greywolf7577]

The problem is this dichotomy comes with sexist suggestions that if a movie is made for men it is somehow bad but if it is made for women then it is good. We shouldn't demonize movies just because men like them.

[@vandythevandy]

@@greywolf7577 Who is “we”??? Movies made for men don’t get shit on for being made for men lmao. They win awards and are pretty much the norm if anything. James Bond for example is soon as cool and generally well loved. The only people saying they’re not good are the few of us who are beginning to recognize that a lot of movies “made for men” also objectify women and don’t treat them as whole humans as often as they should. And that’s definitely not the majority of people saying that. I don’t know what world there is where movies made for men are seen as bad but I’d like to visit it 🙃

[@hgzmatt]

@@vandythevandy There are entire industries catering to women. Yes movies as well.. they just don't make it to cinema. All the romantic comedies and romance movies are not exactly made for men. I imagine the best selling movies would cather to both.

[@AammaK]

@@greywolf7577 The problem with your statement is the profoundly sexist idea that there is something in the cinema "made for men". Man made movies with the perspective of a male are seen as neutral, the stereotypes seen as universally amusing and representative, they are expected to be entertaining for everybody because they present universal concepts. And they are judged with standards rising from that thinking, that male worldview is universal and neutral and should be seen as a model for universally good media. Masculine is the normal. Problems rise when the same standards are applied to media from the feminine perspective. Then suddenly, just because it doesn't fill the expectations of the male written standards, the movie is sexist and ultimately just bad. What is tolerable for the male gaze oriented media is justifiably shown as problematic in feminine gaze media, so misogynists make the conclusion that we're dealing with something that has an agenda. The piece of entertainment turns into a challenge, and we don't like to be challenged, right? How come rest of the media doesn't seem to have an agenda? Because it's what we've learned is the standard, the normal, the expectable. Feminine and marginally masculine (masculinity that doesn't follow the norm, the "alfa" expectation) viewers face challenges in all the rest of the media where the traditional and hegemonic male view is the perspective. What you may see as neutral and example of good cinema may alienate others and be strongly controversial. Male gaze movies expect to be likable to everybody, whereas "chick flics" and romcoms expect a specific audience, in spite of who's holding the camera. That's just not something you think about because it's not what you are used to notice. A movie simply should not be controversial or sign of a sexist agenda just because it breaks that common perspective. Let's remember the male gaze can just as well be applied by a female movie maker, like the feminine gaze could ideally be applied by a male movie maker. It's not about who made it or who it is said to be targeted for, it's not even about who likes them, but *why*, it's about which standards it conveys and are those standards fair. Birds of prey is not good because it's made by women, but because the women succeed to portray a fair image of femininity. Nor are movies that men like "demonized" for being liked be men, but because they often bypass and ignore female criticism. It's just not important, because masculine is the truth, and THAT's what's sexist.

[@AammaK]

@@hgzmatt Are romcoms made for feminist women either, though? It's a risky example, I'm not saying movies should be politically motivated (though I personally think they never aren't), I'm asking which women are they made for and what insecurities they confirm? Are they fair and who's best interest do they support? What do you think they usually suggest, if not that female happiness is dependent of male validation? It's not enough that it's "made for women", when it's made for women with patronizing expectations of female interests. Why exactly are we _catering movies for sexes_ instead of portraying fair and honest images actual people can relate to and not just hopelessly dream about while losing agency?

[@Dendaliion]

I remember crying in the cinema when the credits for the first wonder woman film rolled. I remember my boyfriend being completely caught off guard by this. WW was the first super hero movie I watched that felt like it was made for me to be the audience. The film respected Diana in a way I had never experienced in the genre. I remember thinking: this is the kind of movies I want my future daughters to see, I want them to feel invincible and understood and catered to.

[@isaniart]

Same! And I felt so powerful after it. Like I could do anything. Is that how men feel after every superhero movie?

[@TheTheoser]

It's a superhero movie. Usually men see them. There have been many great female actresses. Watch alien and the terminator franchise

[@goldi1018]

@@TheTheoser did you see tne video?

[@Darthmobian]

Catered to by who?

[@mariafausti3128]

@@TheTheoser that’s not the point

[@lovelyldragon3382]

You say everything I've been trying to say but just smarter and eloquent- thank you

[@WitandFolly]

lol 😂 I appreciate it, thank you so much 💗

[@QuiteNot]

You understood this hodgepodge of half baked ideas? It wasn't coherent in any way.

[@Ok-hb8ev]

finally someone who get the intention of the suicide virgins, beacuse everone talks about that movie like, "oh it was bad cause women was sexualized" like, IT WAS INTENTIONALLY EXAGGERETED but we are so in that culture that we don't even realize that is TO MUCH to be real, and the intention was to see how this is tragic the male gaze is sometimes and to test the viewer thanks

[@greywolf7577]

It's sad that "male gaze" is always painted in a negative way as if men should be ashamed of being attracted to hot women. If a woman is attracted to a handsome man on screen, she isn't hated for it, but if the genders are flipped, you here a lot of women angry that there are any movie scenes made for men. It's a very sexist mindset.

[@lise5303]

@@greywolf7577 you can show people being attracted to each other without one of them being objectified and hypersexualised, and that's really all that we ask

[@kingcho6969]

@@lise5303 EXACTLY!

[@milkandspice1074]

@@lise5303 and what about women who like the hypersexuality?

[@DevyaniMulik]

@@milkandspice1074 many women do, but that technique of hypersexualising people and ogling at their bodies through the camera borders on (and in many cases is) exploitative. Which is why people tend to criticize it so much.

[@Shahrezad1]

I think some of the reason Birds of Prey received negative reviews is that in the Suicide Squad movie she was shown to be an Object of the Masculine Gaze, but in Birds of Prey she became a person, with opinions and a personality. More than that, the Feminine Gaze showed her doing what girls actually WANT to do--hang out with friends and have fun, be listened to and taken seriously, outside of interacting with men. Men weren't part of the equation--it was a "girl party" and much of the offense may have come from the feeling of "how dare they not include us [men]? How dare they have motivations outside of romantic relationships and needs, especially Harley with her background relating to the Joker? Where is the Joker?" But as a woman, you CAN live outside of having male attention. I grew up in a society that encourages marrying at a young age, but didn't marry till I was in my thirties. Despite this, there has been a lot of emotional fulfillment in my life. Similarly, Harley might have been created by her interactions with the Joker, but there are comics showing her to have a personality outside of him. Where she hangs out with Ivy, the Birds of Prey, or interacts with Batman in a positive way. Also, if she was that close to becoming insane I fully believe that it was already inevitable--the Joker pushed her over the precipice but something else could have done the same thing, such as the Scarecrow's gas or Ivy's extremist beliefs. So her core personality comes from a place outside of the Joker. And that's a hard fact for the Masculine Gaze to swallow.

[@sivawright]

Suicide Squad didn't get any rave reviews either.

[@Belsabub]

Couldn’t of said it better myself 👏

[@secretlybees]

i think the feminine gaze is what draws me (and a lot of people) towards east asian media, especially kdramas, which really started a lot of the feminine gaze trend. many kdramas feature strong women who are independent and adept. they're brilliant lawyers, magically strong, incredible secretaries, and so on. they tend to be full characters with feelings and desires, and feel really fleshed out. not all dramas, because there's definitely some super misogynistic ones as well where the females feel bland and empty while the men have all the personality. But, still, a lot of them really cater towards women. the objectification tends to be more female-oriented. like, a magazine that targets towards men tends to show off full front shots, emphasizing what men look at, where magazines targeted towards women have them look more feminine, showing off soft curves. in dramas, they tend to show off the soft curves, make the woman look really beautiful instead of doing close-ups of her breasts or butt. the men are shown as glowing, caring, tending to their needs, and valuing them both as a person, and a desirable woman. i've been thinking about this for a while, but you really helped me understand it better!

[@dylanrodrigues]

Exactly! A lot of kdramas and jdramas and cdramas are written by and for women. I'm a man but I love that, you don't see this a lot in the Western media

[@secretlybees]

@@dylanrodrigues i hope it's okay to ask, but how do you feel about feminine gaze media? the one male friend i talked with about it said he felt like they definitely weren't made for him. does the slow-burn romance feel exciting, or do you find it getting boring? do you notice women getting more fleshed out personalities, and if so, does that make you like it more than a show where the man is fully-formed, but the women are more like props? (no judgement for whatever you answer)

[@dylanrodrigues]

@@secretlybees I don't really mind feminine gaze. And I've watched so many dramas so much that I actually like the romance genre now.😂 And as long as it's written well, I like slow burn romance.

[@golden_starlight_]

i love how this boils down (very down because there are other amazing points) to "ehy yeah we would want more female characters that are not lamps with object of desire that are relatable to us" and straight man took that as a personal attack... somehow

[@WitandFolly]

lol

[@user-jn1wm3tb8v]

I write slashers (think Halloween or Friday the 13th) for fun and whenever I meet other writers in the genre they say my stories are missing female nudity. It always made me feel weird because it's my story and there isn't a need for nudity in any of them. And if I ever do nudity it's usually male. This really helped me explain to people the type of stories I'm writing.

[@valemedina4473]

The thing is that normally slashers always has a female nude scene, is like a rule they have, i have never really understood why lol

[@user-jn1wm3tb8v]

@@valemedina4473 Because most slashers were made pre-internet so they were a good way for hormonal people to get their fix of naked women. And if it sells it goes into the film so it gets even the tiniest bit more edge.

[@valemedina4473]

@@user-jn1wm3tb8v ohhh thats a really logical reason haha, good explanation.

[@user-jn1wm3tb8v]

@@valemedina4473 Yeah. I don't do it because it's unnecessary imo but other people do it because I guess authenticity?

[@Lu11abi]

Yeah, there's nothing Wrong with the cheap thrill of nudity/eroticism in the old slashers, it just woulda been nice to have had a counterpart to tickle he thrills of girls at the same time.

[@geager2]

I can't think of anything more unempowering than the implication that female sexuality revolves around wanting to be desired as opposed to being an active viewer

[@Haysti2000]

OMG YES

[@Cantrona]

The transformative nature of the feminine gaze is probably why I love fanfiction so much. I'm so glad you put in a nugget for ao3 towards the end. I feel like the transformative nature as well as the fact that it's never created with monetary profit in mind makes it one of the most pure forms of storytelling in the modern age. I wouldn't have the relationship I have with media if it weren't for it.

[@natalicekravitz]

'Mona Lisa Smile' is a great example of a movie made by men but with feminine gaze

[@finpin2622]

I appreciate you using "feminine" instead of female, bc as a gay trans man I'll always have a far greater affinity for media with a feminine gaze than a masculine gaze. Not only because I appreciate a good Witcher bath scene, but also because of everything else set out in this video.

[@rileyteramura7552]

serious question, legitimately trying to be respectful and not offensive, how does a gay trans man work? were you gay pre-transition or are you gay now that you've transitioned? I'm a little confused and want to understand this so I don't step on people's toes in the future.

[@finpin2622]

@@rileyteramura7552 Well, I'm attracted to men and a trans man. In terms of transition, trans folk usually consider ourselves to be our gender regardless of whether or not we've physically transitioned yet. Despite being assigned female at birth, I've always been a man. Like being gay, you don't grow up straight and then become gay at some point, you've just always been gay regardless of if you or those around you knew. I hope that makes a bit of sense.

[@rileyteramura7552]

@@finpin2622 that makes sense, thanks.

[@isabellanorato8236]

But by using “feminine” instead of female it just undermines women’s experiences based on their sex. Gender is automatically oppression, femininity is intrinsically part of the male gaze. How men perceive, sexualize and commodify the female body is based on gender and its construction of the feminine woman.

[@finpin2622]

@@dreamyanon5151 I've been raised my entire life pre-coming out under this oppression and gaze though, and I'm still socially perceived as female? I don't understand the idea that I somehow have male priveleges or whatever as soon as I realize my internal sense of gender doesn't match what I was assigned at birth. I feel like a lot of AFAB people can still understand and relate to, and have even been subject to misogyny pre-transitioning, or never transition and their bodies are still socially perceived as female... Idk, maybe that isn't correct to say, but I mean, I've been catcalled, followed, had my body and the way I dress commented on by men who perceived me as female. Me being trans didn't change that experience, except that it will likely start happening less when I begin to visibly transition. People who were assigned female at birth and raised under the perception that they were woman are still generally affected by this stuff, which is why I felt using feminine instead of female felt nice. And other people who naturally don't fit into society's perception of gender probably also feel effected. I'm no big gender theory academia person though, I just felt included and wanted to appreciate the person who made the video. 🤷‍♂️

[@jbpeony7872]

most of the media I consumed and liked during my childhood are all the things my sister watched. Even if sometimes the storylines are a bit cheesy sometimes i couldn't look away. I'm a guy so my words don't mean much to this discussion. I loved birds of prey it was fun, colorful, bombastic i wish superhero movies look more like birds of prey. I owe a lot of my childhood, and even the media I consume today from the feminine gaze

[@AammaK]

Your words do mean something! Not because of some kind of validation but because of example and wanting to at least take part to the conversation and showing you are listening. You want to get it, unlike tons of guys only willing to argue why liking Birds of prey is sexist against them. Somehow these guys end up in comment sections of videos like this, yet can't receive a word said on the actual video. So keep it up!

[@excessivelyfangirlingbookw3339]

@@AammaK couldn’t have said it better :D knowing that there are men who understand is always a relief and brightens the day

[@simeonwashington9995]

I can honestly say the same growing up watching shows with my older sister and enjoying Birds of Prey. It's honestly a really fun movie.

[@KarlSnarks]

Me watching TV with my younger sister: Here we gooo here we gooooooo Totally Spies so get on with the show!!

[@pls-shanice]

kdramas typically appeal to the feminine gaze, where western dramas often snub it as a 'chick-flick' or a 'second rate film' because 'romance cannot be taken seriously' because the default of what is taken seriously is sex, violence etc. and the overall 'male gaze.'

[@sarroumarbeu6810]

As flawed as they are they're indeed made in more of a feminine gaze because of the market... It only recently that they became good at it tho

[@jennywhat6108]

Kdramas have their problematic tropes as well

[@Lu11abi]

oh, "guy flicks" are to No human regarded as the apex or even the standard of "serious" film or media. Everybody knows 007 is trashy and Night Rider was ridiculous. NO one thinks society should be more like in those worlds.

[@acsaudiodramas]

This is an important video. There's a tiny thing I want to add: I'm tired of the omnipresence of the male gaze in media since I'm a little girl. But also I don't like if writers just create an exact mirror the male gaze for women. That means stupid movie where the guy realizes "Ooooh, the nerdy woman has actually huge boobs. Now I think, I'm in love!" And stupid movie or novel where the heroine realizes: "Ooooh, that boring neighbore actually got killer abs. Now I think I'm in love." We all have our desires and sometimes we eat up a person with our eyes, we just spot on the bus. That's fine. We're sexual beings. (Well... except for the asexual ones. They deserve their own essays and media) But some stuff is just lazy writing.

[@alexjkane]

Phenomenal. I'm a fan of both the novel and the film American Psycho, with a strong preference for the movie, but I've never really understood why the adaptation works so differently till now. Loved this.

[@kilianalexander2736]

First movie that comes to mind when I hear the words 'the feminine gaze' is George of The Jungle

[@birjisafroz8886]

Yeah, that one was 👍👌

[@suwaidajalal]

Heck yeah!

[@SadieSavestheDay]

I’m not saying this as a critique of your video or demanding anything, but I notice how all the examples are full only of white women. The feminine gaze described here feels so foreign and exclusive of Black femininity.

[@WitandFolly]

I know. and it's something I've been trying to fix with the media I consume. I'm just one person making these so my examples I have are limited to what I've watched.

[@whatwhale5888]

True, but black femininity is mostly excluded from media in general (at least in america, afaik) so its hard to find examples of it in the first place

[@SadieSavestheDay]

@@whatwhale5888 that’s exactly what I’m taking about. Just as feminism without Black women is not feminism but white feminism, you cannot theorize on a feminine gaze that does not include Black women. Then what is described is the white feminine gaze. The argument that it is hard to find examples would not hold up academically and would cause failure of a literature review.

[@SadieSavestheDay]

@@WitandFolly as I tried to say, this is not a personal attack on you. It is important to acknowledge bias and the point of research is to expose you to viewpoints you’re not aware of. If we are to talk about women and exclude Black women, that has to be mentioned.

[@WitandFolly]

that is certainly not what I'm saying. I made this video a year ago. I know how much I've grown since and I know I still have a lot to do.

[@TheCheshireChloe]

I like this because it describes well why, even if you didn't like Birds of Prey as a movie or a story or a plotline, you have to like it because it is just LIKE THAT. I don't like superhero movies, I found the characters a little annoying, I didn't love the movie for the plotline, BUT coming out of the cinema you have this feeling of "oh, that was different. I can't put my finger on it but that was different and I wanna see more of that." For me the thing that snapped it into perspective was actually watching The Queen's Gambit a while ago, and watching the scene where she has her "breakdown" or whatever, and she sits around in her underwear and smokes and drinks, and I honestly didn't even realise that that was meant to be an emotional break or whatever because it was just a weird scene where she drank alone. I didn't recognise it as a meltdown. But then I saw a meme comparing that breakdown to Harley's breakdown when she leaves the joker and cries and eats spray cheese as "female meltdown written by men vs female meltdown written by women" and I was like OOOOOHHHHHHHHH That's what it is. That's why the movie is so good. It's the fact that the women are acting mostly like actual women and not what men imagine women to be like... Anyway that was long but yeah. Good video, you're better at explaining things than me

[@sksksk2940]

"it's the fact that the women are acting mostly like actual women and not what men imagine women to be like." That's just spot on.

[@glocar243]

Great video. I don’t know why, but for me feminine gaze is mainly about portraying vulnerability. Thank you for this 😊

[@hellendutra9086]

To me the most feminine gaze ever is k-on. I bet any girl who watches it can feel kinship to the way these girls relate, in a way I personally just can't feel with the Stranger Things boys (they are likeable, entertaining, but they don't feel as right, familiar or utopical as the k-on girls) or any other boy group that doesn't interest me. Another very important work for me is Age of Youth, which also covers female friendships in a very worthwhile way.

[@dylanrodrigues]

East Asian dramas are usually written by women, and some are geared toward female demographics, which is what I like about them.

[@basura8355]

i love k-on for that reason, you can really see pieces of yourself or your friends reflected realistically in their stories. interestingly, it seems to have a sizable male fanbase.

[@manganime1893]

@@basura8355 because it was made for men lol cute girls doing cute things it's a genre cattered to men who like very simple woman characters mixed with cuteness

[@aminaa9797]

I'm pretty sure the director is a woman ! A rarity in the anime industry

[@sogochii]

@@manganime1893 it's made for everyone lmao

[@wednes3day]

An interesting thing for me as an ace is also the whole thing of .. am I more (aesthetically?) attracted to the feminine, or have I just been shown more what to look at. I don't get turned on by people, but I can come up with at least 3-4 views sexualising a female body. And recognize when someone fits that mould. I have no idea for more masculine (outside of what the more female catered things like the anime FREE! or K-pop present). To sum it up: idk what I'm into and media/straight male gaze might not be helping since it seems to usually make way more clear what parts of a female body are considered attractive/worth focusing on, than for guys.

[@andyonionade581]

I feel like the Labyrinth movie is kinda for the feminine gaze too

[@Lu11abi]

Very deliberately so. Look into the difference between the original (director's? writer's? sry I forget exactly) vision of the story, and what we got. They just didn't really have the notion of 'Fmale/Male Gaze' to contextualize the intentions behind the re-direction. There's some sort of Labyrinth documentary that goes into it, but I couldn't recall it's title to save the world...

[@galahcockatoo]

Loved, loved, loved this video! It's a "new" tabu when there is no tabu themes left. What I mean by that is that I never hear about this in the media. When it comes to entertainment, namely movies and shows, it's either a "chick flick " or an action movie, or some other genre. That title always annoyed me. This is the first time I've put a name on the genre that I do like and sometimes identifie with- female gaze. Please make more videos about things we don't hear about. Growing up in the 80is, this wasn't even a thing ,and I always hated that. Always felt the divide between the sexes in the entertainment world. Also, how come we know what's entertaining from the male perspective and find it amusing and they get (generally) almost aggravated and uncomfortable with something from a female perspective.

[@kimberlethlippington3711]

Taboo, not tabu

[@janecme]

Typical, just writing an essay on this to discover you've done it already. I couldn't have done better myself and won't either :D

[@WitandFolly]

oh please do! I'm still exploring the topic. there are so many perspectives 💗

[@eyebyte]

qtbpoc feminine gaze directors, writers, and actors need to be appreciated and promoted more

[@xyzzx2454]

So THIS is the reason why the crush I had on Edward Cullen as a teenager never went away? This video made me realise that Edward was literally made for the feminine gaze

[@WitandFolly]

hell yeah

[@51stcenturygirl]

While there are many problems with Twilight (for me the biggest was bad writing which became apparent when I tried to re-read it) I appreciated so much the female gaze. It's a first time I've read a male character described that way. I don't read romance novels tho:p

[@IshtarNike]

Having just started playing the first game I can say it contrasts strongly with the show. The game is HEAVILY based on the male gaze.

[@WitandFolly]

English Captions have been added and a Spanish translation is being worked on 💗

[@AlmaPetula]

Yes spanish please ❤

[@marlemsepulveda7592]

It would be great to have it in Spanish, thank you! 💕

[@tamarleahh.2150]

Birds of prey would have probably done better if it had been available to teen girls, unfortunately they made it r rated

[@aaishahahmed3613]

I just watched 'the beguiled' and was really struck by how different I felt watching it compared to 'Star Trek' (which I watched the night before and also love). But I've been seeing a lot om Tik Tok the discussion bought up of what is the female gaze, and I think this video answers it perfectly. I think there's a lot deeper and more complex emotion involved with the female gaze, and in the past few years, the more I see it and resonate with it, the more I question how much of the male gaze I have swallowed. This video really explores and explains what it is, or at least what we can interpret of it so far, and I'm so grateful that you made it, because these discussions aren't happening enough, and when they are, they're not getting the exposure they need. So just a thank you- this has really changed cinema and film for me.

[@WitandFolly]

I really appreciate it! I'm so glad I can contribute to this conversation.

[@tatianaassumpcao6015]

The fact that you put RoS/JJ Abrams onscreen the moment you said "when [producer and audience] don't listen to each other is when things get messy" speaks to my soul

[@WitandFolly]

I always thought that was lost on people. I'm so glad it wasn't 😂

[@JJM-uf9eh]

14:05 I loved this movie, I’m not sure why so many of my friends didn’t like it, there have been plenty of hero/“group gets together” films where it was men, Birds of prey was silly, cheesy at times, but in a good way, as a man, I’m not sure how other men were offended by it

[@ShellsGhost1]

Yet again another gold standard production. Also, I never thought I'd want to see Magic Mike! Much like your videos on The Heroine's Journey I never had it vocalized the type of content I've always craved. Stories that just don't end unfilled but protagonist and plots which explore a transformational story that takes all participants along to the end. Like Avatar the Last Airbender. I think these are the stories everyone years for. And these types of stories being told with steven universe and She Ra reflects most positively with the generation coming of age now. This essay also reminded me of the 2017 French film Revenge. Initially i rolled my eyes at some of the typical male gaze types of body shots. But by the end of the film I was thrown at how it handled the rest of the movie after the inciting event. Seeing it Corlie Fargeat's name at the end made me understand what eventually won me over. I'm really looking forward to what she chooses to do next. Thank you for another small masterpiece!

[@knivves0ut]

I think a good example of feminine gaze in a movie directed and written by men is Moonlight

[@luiza3289]

Great video! Something that popped in my mind when you mentioned adaptations (of books written by men) to the screen was Killing Eve. I strongly identify with how Phoebe Waller-Bridge portrays women (and everyone, really), it's so... real. Just real. Real people, with flaws and weird thoughts, freaky manners, all so different from one another, like any human being. That kind of connection is what creates loyal admirers/followers of her work.

[@alinaedwards5685]

This video made me want to rewatch so many good movies with these ideas in mind - specifically Mad Max Fury Road and American Psycho. Amazing video!

[@Gaburierairuze]

What's frustrating to me is that the people in my life that i feel like should see this don't speak English. I'm praying to the translation gods rn

[@MissCaraMint]

I feel like people just aren't used to the feminine gaze in media. For example it's often relegated to cheesy rom coms. That's fine as far as it goes, but it associates the view with something perceived as less than. It's a genre that is just as much mindless entertainment as say action movies. Meaning though there are good, very good Action movies (and Romantic comedies), both genres are flooded with less than stellar examples. It doesn't matter because sometimes we just want the mindless entertainment. However, unlike in Action movies, Rom coms is one of the only genres to utilize feminine gaze. That means that this all too unusual view is associated almost exlucively with movies of a certain quality. Meanwhile Action movies don't have a similarly detrimental effect on the male gaze view because it's just not unique there. Those bad action movies get to be bad not because of the fact that they utilize the male gaze, but because they are bad movies. Rom coms don’t get that luxury. It must be the genre and by extention the feminine gaze that's the problem. Sigh*

[@9000ck]

Ha ha. I don't need psycho-analysis to find Henry Cavill hot, however it does help me understand why.

[@darthxandrum2986]

Hey I loved this video. Loved how you structured the whole script and put your thoughts and concerns so clearly yet you made it sound hopeful. Thanks for challenging the way I think as man. Also, you have a sweet voice.

[@WitandFolly]

thank you! 😁

[@annaliesesmith2995]

"Objectified because she wants to be"? Desired maybe, but what woman wants to be objectified?

[@QueenBee-pb6bt]

Thank you

[@nia4307]

I think when I'm consuming a piece of media that qualifies as feminine, I just know that it is feminine. But I never really understood how I know. This video really communicates the reasoning behind it eloquently! Thank you so much for that!

[@ode4126]

I love this so much because it articulates something I've felt for a while without being able to put words to it. I watch a lot of movies with my stepdad, and some movies he loves annoy or bore me a lot even when there's tons of action. I knew it had something to do with masculinity but I could never really put my finger on it. Now I realize that a lot of that disconnect and lack of emotional response is probably due to the male gaze

[@AwSamWeston]

This is FREAKING AMAZING! I don't know how you don't have more subscribers, but you won me over with just this video -- which is pretty rare. Super well done! Definitely watching more of what you've made.

[@WitandFolly]

Thank you so much!

[@AlyssaReynolds]

This was a masterpiece of a video essay! I love all your work but this has got to be one of my favourites. It needs to be said and spoken of so much more!

[@WitandFolly]

thank you! 💗

[@aishas4818]

Hi, just wanted to say how much I love this video. It's like you saw the messy inside of my head the past few months and managed to explain it all (TROS really messed me up). I hope to see more videos like this, as it's so important for all genders to realise the importance of the feminine gaze in modern media. Keep up the great work 💜

[@rabnerd28]

14:13 The Charlie's Angels visual reminds me of the recent controversy surrounding the reboot film. Men hated it because it wasn't sexy enough, that the girls didn't commodify to the male gaze. The film came out and it wasn't the greatest thing ever made, but it was still pretty good. But every man decided that it was the worst and deserved to get the worst reatings ever. The film really appealed to me, not just as a woman, but as a lesbian. The women in the movie were attractive, but they weren't sexualized. But it also used the GAYze for wlw since pretty much all of use were in love with Kristen Stewart. I have other thoughts, but really, Men just hated the movie because it wasn't for them.

[@Lu11abi]

Way to presume you know "men's" Intentions, why "they" didn't care for that flick. You hear the talk about hpw when we pretend to know what another person "is _Really_ thinking" that we are just projecting our Own ideas or feelings?

[@sophiawilliams4810]

I detested the movie cause it wasn’t a movie for gods sake. The original Charlie’s Angel had CHARACTERS. The reboot didn’t.

[@WhatTheForce]

You are amazing, this really makes me hopeful for the future because we know the code. We can spot it instantly.

[@suwaidajalal]

The overwhelming lack of appeal to my feminine gaze after the period drama surge of the late 90s and early 2000s in Western film/TV is why I've become more attached to k-dramas and even c-dramas. Most of the stories are ridiculous, particularly in the Chinese romance categories, but there's no denying that they were conceptualised and produced for the feminine gaze. Asian audiences and critics DO NOT have a problem with it and that's why there's so much of it out there unapologetically.

[@dreamer12222]

This is a great and thought provoking video. It reminded me of something kinda cool that happened today. I went to my local library, which has always had mostly female employees. Well, there’s a new, older guy behind the front desk. I wanted to rent the movie The Holiday to show to my mom. I go up to the counter to check it out. He was very nice, and he goes, “Have you seen this movie?” I go, “Yeah.” “It’s a really good one.” And he was happy I was gonna show it to my mom. I walked away smiling to myself that a large, older man enjoyed a romantic comedy that, in my opinion, portrays the female/feminine gaze pretty well. He just seemed like such a sweet person.

[@dianas7429]

This should be shown in writing classes at universities

[@leonorapaust6369]

You know, for a big part of the video I thought "Well, I'm not confident I could write a story from the feminine perspective, even if I was a woman. I would be to used to the male gaze. And I'm not a saint, I objectify as well, whether that's a concious decision or not." and then you talked about What Women Want

[@NorthMountainFairy]

The subtitles substituting the words “feminine gaze” with the words “feminine gays” changes the meaning of this content considerably. (≧∀≦)

[@moeezS]

Fantastic essay! As a man, this was enlightening to see how movies/TV shows I've liked were appreciated for their feminine gaze, and what that means beyond just women desiring men.

[@valaur3]

Do you think that the general lens of romantic comedies is for the feminine gaze? When I think about sleepless in seattle it felt palpable who the gaze was because the movie kept making references to the characters as an audience of romance and movies, and let us see ourselves as reflections in those characters.

[@WitandFolly]

generally, yes. but also our state of romantic comedies in the West tends to defer to the masculine POV

[@grainnekeogh7625]

I’m going to imagine your going to like the following anime- yuri on ice and demon slayer, silver spoon and full metal alchemist. There’s, a good set of anime there now

[@shirendjorgee9320]

Even the scene where Winry accidentally takes off her shirt in front of Ed didn’t feel like male gaze even with the camera angle, because it was played for comedy and didn’t focus on Ed being aroused at all.

[@manyakulshreshtha8355]

without any doubt tanjiro is made for the feminine gaze and i am all for it

[@aliminator1310]

As a boy, I'll be the first to admit that I actually HATED Harley's outfit in "Suicide Squad", It just didn't work for me. I'd have loved it if we had gotten a unique variation of her iconic jester outfit, instead if the HOT TOPIC portrayal we got in the movies.

[@hang1iderswing]

Oooh interesting. I sort of thought going into this that the "Female gaze" would just be the male gaze but turned on men? Discussed at about 6:30. Which I just don't think... is appealing... to most women? Like I don't want to just stair at a non-character man's giggling pecks. I honestly think men only like it because they've been taught to dehumanize women and reduce them to things, in real life as on screen. I also love fitting the Witcher into this female gaze idea... I struggled with the gender roles in this show. I felt when it was done that I had watched somethign progressive or feminist, and then when I sat with it for a while, I realized that the story beats: man "forced" to kill female rape victim, sex under the influence of magic is fun and not rape, mother has to die for getting in between girl and her much older lover, any female villain's redemption is also wanting to have babies/being infertile, the whole... tearing out the womb to become beautiful/powerful... thing; all the powerful women are evil. Like the show is very fun and sexy, but still quite regressive. But the telling of the story, the way these old sexist tropes are presented, is so emotionally based and centers the perspectives of the women in these dynamics to such an extent that... it feel different.

[@maeybee4354]

Exactly! I felt confused when she mentioned that show as a decent example of female gaze. I wouldn't say it's more female gazed than male gazed, maybe 50/50 instead

[@bibi-we4lg]

This!!!

[@jessleighton3795]

Yennifer is a villain?

[@jessleighton3795]

None of the women in the Witcher show or books are evil, they all have well defined motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. Yennifer doesn't need redemption for anything. By a "girl and her much older lover" I think you mean Ciri and Geralt? They are not lovers and Calanthe is actually Ciri's grandmother. Why do you think the powerful women are evil? They are great. FYI almost all magic users in the books lose their fertility - the show only showed the womb for visual storytelling - Geralt cannot have children either and he certainly didn't trade fertility to be beautiful or powerful (his magic is rather simple).

[@hang1iderswing]

@@jessleighton3795 By a girl and her much older lover, I meant Pavetta and Duny, Ciri's parents. Pavetta being granted as a reward to Duny prior to her birth, when Duny is already an adult man. Yennifer is a dark character. You're probably right, she's not exactly a villain, but she's probably closer to anti-hero territory. For example, she gleefully allows the less powerful witches at her school to be turned into mindless eels to be exploited, and rapes an entire town by placing them under a lust spell on a whim (this is presented in the show as a joke...). It's interesting to know Geralt also lost his fertility, but I think that actually strengthens my point-- why is Yennifer's entire season 1 story arc, like so many other women's, defined then by her loss of fertility and desire to have children, but Geralt's doesn't significantly come up at all? This is a common trope for women who are dark characters, to humanize them, like several of the female villains in Vampire Diaries or Avenger's Black Widow. It's even been discussed on this channel before as a recurring trope.

[@ZombieLand355]

Loved all of your videos about femininity and the feminine divine, please keep it up! This is rare to see🌟

[@allistair61]

I've been studying the male gaze thanks to being on the television production course at uni, it's nice to get access to a resource for the female gaze. I really do appreciate the video

[@JTm0nsteR]

Great video! I would be interested in you reviewing some movies from this perspective you think fit the bill of fem gaze, so that I could watch them later with as close to this perspective as I can get. As a guy, the closest I have really gotten to these kinds of movies and "knowing" it's fem gaze is watching lifetime real women with my mom as a kid, and honestly so many of these big blockbusters make me tired and feel samey and I have been kind of longing for something new without being able to put my finger on what that would look like. I'd be curious to have a list of films I could watch and a new way of enjoying them.

[@izzysatypicalshow4229]

I really appreciate this. I really want to make sure the characters in my book are being written for the feminine gaze and not for the male gaze and this video really helped me in figuring some stuff out.

[@meowimg]

you don't know how heard this video made me feel. thank you!

[@aldenheterodyne2833]

Quick question: even if men don't want to put themselves in a woman's shoes and see themselves in a feminine-gaze oriented piece of media and are only ever attracted to women... Why don't they still go apeshit when a woman gets what she wants and expresses herself? I'm a straight(ish) guy and I adore seeing women getting what they want, especially if I'm attracted to them. Like... Why wouldn't I want to see the person I have a massive crush on express herself and get what she wants and experience growth? That's some good quality seretonin right there! There's almost nothing I want more than to see my hypothetical S.O. happy, and I would like to help create that happiness for her. When Tiana gets her restaurant, when Mulan saves her country, when Harley Quinn is having the time of her life kicking ass... How do straight guys not want to scream "go get em! I love you so damn much! Go do! Wear that pretty dress if it makes you feel good! Kick ass if it makes you feel good! I'll sing your praises!" Context: I'm a trans guy so I'm not sure how cishet men think.

[@hgzmatt]

Yes we do. I liked the first Mulan! The second one turned into brainwashing. She ends up talking the princesses of ancient china into feminism. Talk about immersion breaking. It wasn't.. here let me show you to think for yourself. She was just lecturing in the movie. All the comic stuff I just despise. Harley Quinn is not a healthy person. She is literally insane. I like strong females that are based on reality.. not some over the top removed from reality fiction.

[@vp3841]

Because men feel that the moment a woman is getting something she'd been fighting for, there's less for a man to "take"? Also, the more women achieve the stronger and more confident they get, get harder to control and are not willing to take shit from men anymore. "What if women watch this and start getting...ideas?" Usually these are dudes who grew up listening to society's narrative of how only men should be seen as strong and how women should always be portrayed as submissive, even when they're far from it, so when they see something that doesn't fit into this primitive narrative they often go batshit and try to bully women back into submission outing themselves as complete morons along the way.🤷 Since you mentioned you're trans, you very likely escaped this brainwashing growing up and probably were on the receiving end of the hate speech against women and trans people more than once, which only contributed to the desire of seeing them succeed. But I'm making assumptions here ofc since I don't know you personally :)

[@hgzmatt]

@@vp3841 Jesus. The one thing you don't seem to be aware of is that you are just as far down the rabbit hole as these men. Thankfully it's not the majority. In an ideal world if somebody does well it would lift everyone up. I wish that was always the case.

[@vp3841]

@@hgzmatt well, what a good thing that you're completely immune to any type of brainwashing and, like a decent man, lose your marbles only on the subject of feminism. We should all aspire to be like you.👍

[@hgzmatt]

@@vp3841 Never claimed that. Why do you feel the need to attack me. I know I have my issues to work through but I know it's not always society and it's not all men or women. I can tell when I am triggered and yes feminism does it. Because it seeks to interpret the world in ways that will pit us against each other. Just as some of the male movements do.

[@jujulaboo]

I don't comment on yt vids very much but the editing, music, script,- everything about this video is fucking superb. KZbin recommended did me good this time. Subscribed. So excited to binge!

[@Sydney-gy3fw]

This is incredible! Watching this really opened my eyes to a topic I’ve been trying to understand more recently. I’ve always wondered what felt different and why it felt different to watch shows centered around the feminine gaze.

[@crazytidy2426]

I think this is another reason i love sharp objects by gillian flynn. The main character is a woman but her point of view is influenced heavily by the male gaze. It's like looking at yourself from a vr head set from above you, you're still you and you can still move, but it's warped in a way that isn't 100% your actions. Hell, so much of the story is about how women were unable to place their anger and frustration on anywhere else but other women due to the highly patriarchal society they lived in. It's a really interesting book and show, and is dreadfully relatable

[@petalchild]

Yesss so good. I also lived the series adaptation with Amy Adams!

[@John.Pullen]

Loved this, and just grew my ‘to watch’ list by three 😄 thanks!

[@NeedsContent]

That was an excellent vid, thoughtful, eye-opening, and very well produced. Your channel deserves more exposure!

[@mandydanidoes]

so thoughtful and empowering just to hear you unpack this, thank you!!!

[@vernonmullen]

This was awesome. Well done and also challenging.

[@bodhisattvaFM]

When I was younger I really enjoyed 'My So-called Life' and 'Stealing Beauty' two coming of age stories, a TV show and a film I think qualify as possessing a feminine gaze. They both had very attractive female leads - Claire Danes and Liv Tyler. I think I appreciated them because even though they had attractive female leads the film or show wasn't pounding me over the head every 20 seconds demanding I desire them, or even judge them. This was the age of body count action movies so it was a pretty welcome departure.

[@alejandramoyano9393]

this is one of the best video essays I have ever seen! keep it up! congrats!!!!

[@lapalomamusic]

This is impeccably put together and well researched 🥰❤️

[@marabelacqua2674]

Oh my gosh, you just blew my mind. Thank you so much for this video!!

[@WitandFolly]

thank you so much for watching

[@sofipicone3086]

Another show that i think might also have some aspects of the feminine gaze is The Queens Gambit, which is honestly my favorite show from this year maybe ever. I also loved the way Beth Harmon was written she's a genius, smart, talented, yet confident, she has her demons and her issues. She's complex, she still enjoys fashion even though the men and women would expect her not to because she's so smart and so good at a subject dominated by men. And i've noticed that so much i mean look at scooby doo, i grew up on that shit, and honestly still love it but its interesting how they obviously code Velma as the nerd and because she is the nerd and smart she cant express her femininity the way Daphne does. Lmaoo i have no idea if what i just wrote made any sense, Also i loved The Witcher.

[@alexajackson3655]

Yes! The queens gambit is phenomenal, and doesn’t cater to the male gaze. She is never objectified by the camera, she is a person. Whenever she’s dressed scarcely, it’s for comfort and her own desires. The show wasn’t made for men to see a hot lady, it was made for people to watch a story about a person. (:

[@illchangemyusernamewhenith9130]

@@alexajackson3655 nah she was definately objectified in her "rock bottom" clips. When a lady is really at rock bottom, shes not going to have perfect hair and makeup, dancing around in her lingerie

[@alexajackson3655]

@@illchangemyusernamewhenith9130 as a woman whenever im in a bad place I dress up nicely and do my makeup, at some parts yes, but at others it was simply her being dressed scarcely. You don’t have to be dressed like a nun to not be sexualized...

[@illchangemyusernamewhenith9130]

@@alexajackson3655 idk how she could have been any more needlessly sexualized in that scene but ok

[@sonaz4512]

I love the background music! Really compliments your speech :)

[@onewomanarmy6451]

I am so glad this video popped up in my recommendations! Now I'm going to check out the other videos on this channel.

[@Kerosecstacy]

I've met so many people who say they love the Witcher in a jokey, it's a guilty pleasure, way. I didn't get why though cuz I love that show. Full stop. Love it. Have watched it twice. Will probably watch it again at some point. Will def watch it again once more before the new season comes out.