Freud - "Male Gaze"

Sigmund Freud supports Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory in many ways. He is one of the most famous thinkers in psychology history. He played a major role in the development of psychology. 

• He stated that at the heart of male neurosis is the worry of "castration." He believed that many men were in love with their mothers and yet feared that they might castrate them if they sought to consummate their desire. 
• This is why many men resist the sexual act and become "voyeurs", constantly getting a thrill from viewing women sexually but never actually having sex. 
• Visual pleasure is voyeuristic and narcissistic - we identify this with either the victim or the assailant. 
• Effects like hand-held camera or perspective shots achieve this identification.

An example of the "Male Gaze" (Laura Mulvey's theory) is below:

In this scene, we can see that there are plenty of close up shots of Megan Fox's body whilst working on the car. This is also in a voyeuristic position as the camera tilts up which allows the audience to look at her body. The man in the video is also seen glancing at her body whilst she is looking at the car and this emphasises the "male gaze" theory put in use.

Until the 1990's, horror viewing it had been argued, was primarily a male pleasure based on the lines that "attacking" is an "active" process and therefore an ascribed masculine trait, whilst to be attacked is a passive experience, traditionally a feminine trait. I believe Mulvey's theory is relevant today as we see examples of the "Male Gaze" in adverts, films and even music videos.