For a long time, mainstream cinema primarily filmed women through a lens centered on male desire. The "female gaze" emerged to give voice to this feeling... and to offer another way of telling stories. More intimate, more nuanced, more embodied.<\/p>\n
To grasp the concept, we must go back to 1975. That year, the British theorist Laura Mulvey published a seminal essay in which she described the "male gaze": a cinematic gaze that often places the viewer in a voyeuristic position in relation to the female body.<\/p>\n
In practice, women frequently appear as objects to be contemplated rather than as fully experienced characters. For decades, this way of filming became so widespread that it seemed almost invisible.<\/p>\n
The "female gaze" isn't simply about reversing roles. It's not about filming men the way women have sometimes been filmed. The idea is more subtle: adopting the point of view of a female character and allowing the audience to experience her perspective. Critic Iris Brey<\/a> , who popularized the concept in France, explains that it's "a gaze that embraces a woman's inner world: her emotions, her desires, her doubts, her perception of the world."<\/em><\/p>\n Good news: this perspective isn't reserved for female directors. Male filmmakers can also achieve it, provided that the directing truly places the viewer in the lived experience of the female character.<\/p>\n American playwright Joey Soloway<\/a> summarized the "female gaze" around three dimensions.<\/p>\n In summary, we are no longer simply filming a body: we are filming a person in all their complexity.<\/p>\n Several clues can help identify the "female gaze" on screen:<\/p>\n Therefore, it is not a fixed formula, but a framework for interpretation.<\/p>\n Among the frequently cited works, C\u00e9line Sciamma's "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" regularly emerges as a reference. The film portrays desire, mutual gaze, and intimacy with great subtlety. Another striking example is Jane Campion's "The Piano," often praised for its depiction of female desire and the inner strength of its heroine.<\/p>\n On the television front, "The Handmaid's Tale" also fueled discussions, as did certain more contemporary productions that give more space to female perspectives. Even among blockbusters, films like "Wonder Woman" have been noted for presenting a powerful heroine without reducing her body to a mere visual object.<\/p>\n While the concept is progressing, the industry remains unequal<\/a> . Women are still less represented in directing and often have smaller budgets than their male counterparts. In other words: perspectives are changing on screen, but progress behind the scenes is even slower.<\/p>\n The "female gaze" also sparks debate. Some researchers point out that speaking of a single "female gaze" can erase the diversity of lived experiences: social origins, cultures, sexual orientations, and multiple identities. This is why some now prefer to speak of feminist gazes, which are more open and inclusive.<\/p>\n In short, the "female gaze" is neither a passing fad nor a mere counterpoint. It's a way of restoring to women their depth, their desires, their emotional intelligence, and their place as subjects. And with each film that chooses this path, our way of looking at the world expands a little more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For a long time, mainstream cinema primarily filmed women through a lens centered on male desire. The "female...","protected":false},"author":8395,"featured_media":440311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_msn":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1062],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-440310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-culture"],"image":{"medium":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu-screen-film-200x113.jpg",200,113,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu-screen-film-500x281.jpg",500,281,true]},"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu-screen-film.jpg","author":{"name":"Clelia Campardon","avatar":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/clelia-96x96.jpg"},"categories":[{"term_id":1062,"name":"Culture","slug":"culture","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1156,"taxonomy":"category","description":" The Culture section of The Body Optimist picks and analyzes movies, TV shows, books, music and exhibitions through the lens of representation: which bodies, which women and which identities do we see on screen, on the shelves or on stage? Its recommendations, analysis and behind-the-scenes stories are for anyone who loves entertainment but doesn\u2019t check their critical eye at the door.<\/p>\n An inclusive work doesn\u2019t just add a \u201cdifferent\u201d character: it gives that character a story, desires and a point of view. A few questions help you size up a movie, a series or a novel:<\/p>\n The concept of the \u201cfemale gaze\u201d<\/a> also offers a useful framework for analyzing how the camera looks at women.<\/p>\n We love pop culture without ignoring its blind spots. Our picks make room for women writers, directors and artists whose bodies or backgrounds are rarely seen, and our analysis questions how works portray women, fat people and LGBTQIA+ people. A series can be pure fun and still deserve a critical look: the two aren\u2019t mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n The \u201cfemale gaze\u201d is a way of filming or telling stories that invites the audience to share the experience of female characters instead of presenting them as objects of desire. The idea responds to the \u201cmale gaze,\u201d a concept developed by British film theorist Laura Mulvey to describe cinema built around a male point of view.<\/p>\n Movies, TV shows and books help define what we see as beautiful, normal or desirable. Seeing fat, older, disabled or LGBTQIA+ people in fully developed roles, not just as sidekicks, broadens those reference points. Recognizing yourself in a heroine helps you feel legitimate, and diversity on screen helps push back against stereotypes.<\/p>\n Look for stories where a diverse range of heroines and heroes take action and make decisions, without roles reserved for one gender. Themed lists on consent, difference or disability make the choice easier. Watching or reading together then opens the conversation: what your child understood, what surprised them, what they would have done in the character\u2019s place.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Our Society<\/a> section extends these reflections on norms and discrimination, and our Celebrities<\/a> section follows the artists who speak out about their bodies and mental health.<\/p>","parent":0,"count":715,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1062,"category_count":715,"category_description":" The Culture section of The Body Optimist picks and analyzes movies, TV shows, books, music and exhibitions through the lens of representation: which bodies, which women and which identities do we see on screen, on the shelves or on stage? Its recommendations, analysis and behind-the-scenes stories are for anyone who loves entertainment but doesn\u2019t check their critical eye at the door.<\/p>\n An inclusive work doesn\u2019t just add a \u201cdifferent\u201d character: it gives that character a story, desires and a point of view. A few questions help you size up a movie, a series or a novel:<\/p>\n The concept of the \u201cfemale gaze\u201d<\/a> also offers a useful framework for analyzing how the camera looks at women.<\/p>\n We love pop culture without ignoring its blind spots. Our picks make room for women writers, directors and artists whose bodies or backgrounds are rarely seen, and our analysis questions how works portray women, fat people and LGBTQIA+ people. A series can be pure fun and still deserve a critical look: the two aren\u2019t mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n The \u201cfemale gaze\u201d is a way of filming or telling stories that invites the audience to share the experience of female characters instead of presenting them as objects of desire. The idea responds to the \u201cmale gaze,\u201d a concept developed by British film theorist Laura Mulvey to describe cinema built around a male point of view.<\/p>\n Movies, TV shows and books help define what we see as beautiful, normal or desirable. Seeing fat, older, disabled or LGBTQIA+ people in fully developed roles, not just as sidekicks, broadens those reference points. Recognizing yourself in a heroine helps you feel legitimate, and diversity on screen helps push back against stereotypes.<\/p>\n Look for stories where a diverse range of heroines and heroes take action and make decisions, without roles reserved for one gender. Themed lists on consent, difference or disability make the choice easier. Watching or reading together then opens the conversation: what your child understood, what surprised them, what they would have done in the character\u2019s place.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Our Society<\/a> section extends these reflections on norms and discrimination, and our Celebrities<\/a> section follows the artists who speak out about their bodies and mental health.<\/p>","cat_name":"Culture","category_nicename":"culture","category_parent":0}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440310"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":440501,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440310\/revisions\/440501"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440310"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440310"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Another way of filming<\/h2>\n
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How to recognize it?<\/h2>\n
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Films and series that have left their mark<\/h2>\n
Why the topic remains relevant<\/h2>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Culture section<\/h2>\n
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How can you tell if a movie, show or book is truly inclusive?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: enjoying culture with eyes wide open<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What is the \u201cfemale gaze\u201d?<\/h3>\n
Why does body representation in movies, TV and books matter?<\/h3>\n
How do you choose inclusive movies and books for kids?<\/h3>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Culture section<\/h2>\n
\n
How can you tell if a movie, show or book is truly inclusive?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: enjoying culture with eyes wide open<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What is the \u201cfemale gaze\u201d?<\/h3>\n
Why does body representation in movies, TV and books matter?<\/h3>\n
How do you choose inclusive movies and books for kids?<\/h3>\n