Notes on Jill Soloway's Lecture on the Female Gaze

Introduction

Jill Soloway (creator of Transparent) discusses the concept of the female gaze.
Topics include the male gaze, intersectionality, and female representations in film and literature.

Coined by Laura Mulvey in 1975 in her essay "Narrative Cinema and Visual Pleasure".
Defined as the depiction of women from a masculine perspective, presenting them as objects of male pleasure.
Three components of the male gaze:
- The person behind the camera (director).
- Characters in the film.
- The audience (spectator).
Critique of mainstream media: The male gaze permeates much of film, TV, including genres like horror, romance, and action.

Soloway claims no one has yet defined the female gaze, so she is taking it on herself.
Challenges the notion that the female gaze is simply the opposite of the male gaze.
Misconceptions:
- People expect the female gaze to merely reverse roles (e.g., women in traditionally male roles).
- Examples: Magic Mike versus objectification through visuals.
Importance of understanding intersectionality when discussing feminism and media representation.

Refers to interconnected social categorizations such as race, gender, and class, which overlap and create unique experiences of discrimination.
Acknowledgement that women of color and other marginalized individuals might not be represented within traditional feminist narratives or discussions about the female gaze.

C.I.S. (Cisgender): Identifying with the gender assigned at birth.
Calls for recognition of the C.I.S. male perspective in storytelling and creation.
Soloway stresses the importance of understanding the implications of C.I.S. male narratives and how they shape media.

Soloway emphasizes a need for female filmmakers to reclaim the camera and create narratives that foster empathy and subjectivity.
The female gaze:
- Part One: Feeling Seeing - Using subjective camera work to prioritize emotional experiences of the characters.
- Part Two: Gaze Gaze - Showing how it feels to be the object of the gaze and exploring character depth.
- Part Three: Returning the Gaze - Women asserting subjectivity and agency, encouraging a shared narrative experience that includes everyone.

Discusses how films serve to establish power dynamics, primarily benefitting C.I.S. men and perpetuating stereotypes.
How narratives can objectify women and separate them into binary roles:
- The divided feminine – where women are depicted either as good (marriageable) or bad (sexualized, objectifiable).

Advocates for the female gaze as a tool for social justice and empathy in storytelling.
Importance of recognizing diverse experiences and representations in media.
Examples of films that exemplify the female gaze include Fish Tank (Andrea Arnold) and It Felt Like Love (Eliza Hittman).

Soloway calls for filmmakers to embrace empathy in their storytelling and challenge existing narratives dictated by the male gaze.
Emphasizes collaboration among women and intersectional allies to build a more equitable industry.
Encouragement to challenge privilege and shift perspectives in storytelling.