Media Representation Theory Pack Two: Feminist Theory: Van Zoonen

 

The silence of the lambs (1991)

At 4:05, Van Zoonen's theories about "the male gaze," objectification, and patriarchy are very clearly represented, as all the men direct their gaze at the girl, some making flirtatious and suggestive faces, and others looking at her with disdain, as if she were insignificant and small.

This extract doesn't actually reinforce the idea of ​​the female body as spectacle, since the protagonist isn't wearing suggestive clothing or anything that provokes female objectification. However, it does acknowledge it by reinforcing a narrow ideal of womanhood, such as a small face with a small nose, long hair, beautiful eyes, and a thin figure.

The aspects of Van Zoonen's concepts of masculinity that appear in the scene are that the male body is predominantly celebrated through sports imagery, since at the base most of the agents training, running alongside or on the ropes, are men. Furthermore, it also shows strength, not weakness, since in the elevator scene all mens are tall, muscular, and strong and are contrasted with the small, weak girl in their midst.

In this scene, we can also observe the construction of women as passive participants, since although we see her exercising, she is tired and appears to be doing everything slowly. She obeys immediately a man's command and cannot be in the same room waiting (minute 4:36) but rather waits alone in another office.

And also it's an active representation because even so, the girl remains the main focus of the scene and appears constantly, which invites female viewers to watch the protagonist since she doesn't get angry but simply obeys, and she doesn't have an angry expression, which can be seen as a sign of inner strength.

This extract is a subversive female representation; that is, the female protagonist defies societal norms and expectations. We see her actively exercising and alone in a forest, entering without any fear. Socially, a girl cannot be alone in a dark, solitary place. Although it can be countered by saying that she was at a camp and that the girl isn't doing anything special, since she's just obeying orders, this can be refuted since, even if she has to obey, she does so willingly; she doesn't feel offended or angry. Moreover, she continues to fulfill her responsibility of arriving on time and is encouraged to train on her own because everyone else trains at the base, but she decides to do it in the place where are signs that says "pain, hurt, agony. I love it."