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male gaze

American

[meyl geyz] / ˈmeɪl ˈgeɪz /

noun

Often the male gaze the assumption in visual and creative arts that the default or desired audience consists of heterosexual males, and inclusion of women in narrative or art should seek to please this audience with the objectification or sexualization of these depicted women.

Etymology

Origin of male gaze

Coined by Laura Mulvey (born 1941), British feminist film theorist in her essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema” (1975)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There have also been instances where feminists themselves have found an artwork offensive and protested against the male gaze.

From BBC • Jan. 9, 2026

They were etherealized through delicate pastels, and while Brundage created images to appeal to the male gaze, she also could portray women as purposeful agents rather than passive victims.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

It had no male gaze involved in it.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 12, 2024

The designer, whose work offered women respite from the limits of the male gaze, has never been all that interested in explaining herself.

From New York Times • Mar. 17, 2024

Just by existing publicly and visibly in the world, she is saying that she really doesn't care about the male gaze and that she's not subject to that tight form of control or policing.

From Salon • Jan. 9, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023