We live in a heteronormative society that maintains the ideals of heteronormative sexuality that promotes the ideals of hyper-sexuality among young girls and boys. Women are usually considered the object of sexual desire and the focus of the male gaze while men are the directors of that gaze. What is problematic is how this may create confusion for the masculine identity especially when the male gaze becomes an erotic male gaze directed towards other males. This critical analyses will consider the paradox that lies within a heteronormative society where, on the one hand, men are instructed to repress any notion of erotic desire while on the other, they are often discreetly encouraged to look at men through the lens of the voyeuristic and fetishistic gaze within cinema.
Society has its own fetish about gender performance and maintains a divide between who is included and accepted within this performance structure and who should be excluded. A heteronormative society encourages men to repress expressing their sexuality if it does not align with the expectations of their gender while women are encouraged to flaunt their femininity and have their sexuality objectified because it is the accepted norm. Katz states that, “adults alternately lament the loss of youthful innocence and then facilitate, if not openly encourage, our children’s exposure to exploitative sex and violence”.[1] Katz’s statement refers to the tension that exists between children’s costumes at Halloween and the state of American culture. He explains that American culture tends to legitimize and justify the wearing of a hyper-sexualized outfit for young girls or violent suggestive costumes worn by young boys because it has become an accepted and normalized perception of gender roles. The heteronormative hyper-sexualization of women is a pervasive and common topic not only at Halloween but also in society and most definitely within media and film studies. What is less common is the discussion about how heteronormativity affects the male population, specifically within media studies and in relation to the male film audience. Neale suggests that there is a problem with heteronormative expectations because men must repress anything that expresses a male as an object of the erotic gaze and must be motivated in some other way.[2] Although male identity tends to steer towards the omnipotent and powerful character, Green suggests that there are a lot of movies that involve male bonding and emotionality, violence and/or “male sartorial beauty” (47).[3] Although these tensions need to be repressed and denied, Green explains that, “audiences can and do ‘identify’ with characters in films in ‘multiple and fractured ways’ (38)[4] and these fractured ways can transform into male fantasies directed towards other men. Neale suggests that men are often the subject and object of the erotic gaze and employs two types of ‘looking’ to support his argument. The first is the voyeuristic gaze in whom the main character in a film is seen from a distance that separates the viewer and the subject that is being viewed.[5] This separation allows for a sense of identification by viewing the character as a subject within the narrative. Men find a connection to the character through his actions, dress, speech or male bonding. In the fetishistic gaze the viewer is captivated by what they see and acknowledges and participates in the viewing as the subject moves from subject to object and spectacle.[6] An example of this is seen in the film 300, where throughout the film the lead characters stand gazing toward the camera giving the audience the chance to observe the sculpted, tanned, muscled male hero clothed in nothing but a toga. In both the voyeuristic and fetishistic look, male viewers experience both identification and spectacle as the character on screen is both the subject and object of the male gaze. It is because of the expectations of a heteronormative society that this dichotomy of subject/object creates a tension, or confusion, for men regarding their own identities and desires.
The male erotic gaze defies the accepted omnipotent and powerful masculine role. In turn, it gives men the ability to identify and react freely. Within a heteronormative society men are constantly encouraged to conform to their roles of power and narrative subject just as women are expected to conform to their roles of sexual object through hyper-sexualization and narrative object. Therefore, the erotic male gaze seen in cinema today presents a challenge to this type of gender performance by employing both voyeuristic and fetishistic looking and spectacle.
[1] Katz, Jackson. “Porn Chic, Gender Performance and Halloween Fashion”. The Blog, Accessed 20 October, 2017. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackson-katz/porn-chic-gender-performance-and-halloween-fashion_b_4159679.html.
[2] Steve Neale, “Masculinity as Spectacle.” Screen, 24, no. 6 (2017): 2-16.
[3] Ian Green, “Malefunction.” Screen, 25, no. 4-6. (2017). 36-48.
[4] Green, “Malefunction,” 38.
[5] Neale, “Masculinity,” 11.
[6] Neale, “Masculinity as Spectacle,” 14.