Laura Mulvey male gaze theory visual essay

Laura Mulvey Male Gaze theory

The video I chose to deconstruct and analyse for my visual essay was ‘Uprising’ by English rock band Muse as it really represents and gives out many messages in the video and the lyrics that can be portrayed and interpreted in various different ways. It really has powerful and meaningful connotations and ideologies behind them, which is shown predominantly through the mise-en-scene and the lyrics of the song. Matt Bellamy, the lead singer explained this: “The lead single, ‘Uprising’, was kind of inspired by the G20 protests which took place last year”. If this is true, it is consistent with my interpretation of the lyrics, namely that "they" represents large corporations. Unfortunately we live in a business run society; they control the media along with more and more aspects of people's lives all the time. The term for this culture is called neoliberalism. That is the basic background of this song.

One of the main features that both conform and contradict to Mulvey’s theory is the use of the figurines. They are two types of women both seen in the video one with next to nothing on and one who is dressed more classy and casual. In the first picture she could represent a prostitute as she has been placed on a street corner with a very skimpy, short dress on. She is also seen is very low in the frame of the shot to show that she is seen as a lower class citizen in society and thought as worthless and a misfit. This conforms to the theory of Laura Mulvey’s male gaze as she is a plastic figure; she can only be seen and not heard. However a point that contradicts her theory is that she could be there to simply earn as a last resort to provide for her child and nevertheless it’s not a good way to get it, but it is the only way. In the lyrics it says “they will try push drugs” which is a stereotype of prostitutes to take drugs as if they are being forced by a ‘Puppet master’ to take these ‘drugs’ so  that they can do what they want and when they want. Mulvey’s theory does not focus on perspectives of others, only the gratification and stimulation that men get from women in media texts. However on this second picture there is a woman in a more classier and casual dress which is shown in the middle of the frame. The fact she is stood in the middle shows that she is kind of neutral and doesn’t really know her place in society. But it could also connote because she is on her own that she is a strong, independent woman and doesn’t need the satisfaction, attention and attraction given to them by men. This shows that Mulvey’s theory is incorrect when she doesn’t need a man to keep her stable and to figure out her place in society. Another point which also contradicts this theory is that howevever the first doll is in a short and provocative dress, men will not look at that and find it arousing and attractive, as it is only a doll. It’s the way it has been used to trigger questions to contradict her theory. Constantly throughout this film they is a fuse that keeps running out and when it runs out it will melt all the dolls and eventually the real personality will have to come out rather than their plastic front they put on to fit into society.

  The second main feature which was really appealing was the use and connotations of the bear that destroys the diegetic town in which the video is set in. The bear could represent the childhood of a child that has had a bad upringing and the first doll could be his ‘prostitute mother’that has made it hard for his upbringing. The bear can see this as his mother only wants to make it a hard upbringing so she can go around sleeping with random men for money, which is why he starts an uprising. However the bear could also be seen as women as a gender who feel like they need liberalisation and equality. Specifically they can be seen as the suffragettes as they were very terror causing and violent women to make them feel empowered.  Therefore the bear ruining the diegetic town can be seen as the way to make the women feel empowered and show that they are not just objects but they can make impact in the world for women. Which contradicts her theory as women are meant to be seen not heard; but as the bear connotations go against them seeing them in a powerful and strong light that can be seen and heard to make a stand for all women liberalisation and equality. Also the bear at the end when the bear goes t sleep or die has intertextual reference that the suffragettes ease off with the terror and destructive acts when they finally get some sort of equality with the vote for women. As in previous years in UK history they has always been a social control, tyranny and power over women as they are always seen as inferior, due to the patriarchal society. In the song it says "the revolution will take its toll" and "we have to unify and watch us flag us in", this connotes that women are taking a stand which contradicts Mulvey's theory as they are doing more than just being seen and not heard. Another piece of the song that backs women up is the "fat cats had a heart attack" which could mean that a male dominated world is not always the best way; that business and capitalism have flopped without women's influence.

In conclusion this video both conforms and contradicts the theory but predominantly contradicts as the most powerful features in the video are male characters with very little female gratification and attention. However the female chracters and figures are not seen in an attractive way, they simply are just there with very little meaning.