I will be analysing the representation of Lady Gaga in the advert for her “Fame” perfume. More specifically, I will evaluate whether or not she fits into Gauntlett and McRobbie's view of female representation or not and whether she is subject to Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory and/or Freud's Madonna/Whore complex.
Gauntlett and McRobbie's view suggests that some women are represented in a reversal of the traditional 'male gaze', represented as confident, self-aware, and assertive, and that this is not a negative thing. In fact, it provides productive tension. I think that Lady Gaga does fit in to Gauntlett and McRobbie's view of female representation. For example, she is connoted to be superior to the men on her in a variety of ways. First of all, she is larger than all of the men in the image combined. This connotes that the men are not only smaller than her physically, but also in other aspects too, such as in morality and mindedness. Her superior size also connotes that she is somewhat unattainable or God-like in comparison to the men. Secondly, her body language and facial expression connote a sense of superiority as well. For instance, she is staring up and into the distance with a blank facial expression. This connotes that the men are not worthy of her nor her attention. Her blank expression connotes that she is impassive to whatever the men do. Moreover, her up-turned head connotes snobbery towards the men, as though they are insignificant and ill-superior to her. Finally, her body language is very casual, as though she is lounging. This connotes that she is unfazed and feels relaxed this way, in spite of the men clambering over her body. This variety of connotations of superiority, confidence, and assertiveness fits into Gauntlett and McRobbie's view of female representation.
Laura Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' theory suggests that the male gaze asks the man to project his fantasies onto the female figure, who is styled accordingly. In their traditional role, women are styled to maximise visual and erotic impact and to play to male desire. I think that Lady Gaga is primarily not subject to the male gaze, but it is questionable. First of all, her face and mask connote no attempt to pander to male desire. She isn't looking at camera, connoting that she doesn't care to give the male audience her attention and doesn't need or want to play to their desires. Her mask furthers this point. By hiding her face from the camera, she connotes disdain towards the viewer. However, she is essentially naked, with the exception of her feet. This could be viewed two ways. On one hand, you could argue that she is subject to the male gaze. She leaves little to the imagination and only covers the legal necessities. By having her arm over head, she connotes that she's presenting herself. On the other hand, you could view it as teasing. Gaga still leaves some of herself to the imagination and her disdainful posture and facial expression connote that she has no interest in being subjected to the male gaze or pandering to male desires. She's covered herself with other men as well, connoting that she's teasing the men viewing the ad, in a “you won't experience this” way. Her disdainful bodily expressions and connotations of 'teasing' make me think that Lady Gaga is not subject to the male gaze, however, her minimal coverage makes that questionable.
Sigmund Freud's 'Madonna/Whore complex' is a psychological complex said to develop in the male when he sees all women not as individuals, but as either saintly 'Madonna's': a good and pure saint, or prostitute-like 'Whores': evil sexual temptresses. I believe that Lady Gaga fits into the 'whore' category of Freud's theory. First of all, she's acting as a sexual temptress. She's essentially naked in a lounging position with men climbing around her body. The traditional belief of sexual activity or being 'sexy' is that it's a dirty and shameful act. However, Lady Gaga shows no shame and is clearly unfazed by having lots of men climbing around her. In order to fit into the Madonna category and be 'saintly', she'd have to be covered up and not covered in men. Another connotation that conforms to the 'whore' category is the connotation of 'evil'. By using a black background, Gaga connotes evil, mystery, and strength. These are attributes that someone with the Madonna/Whore complex would not like to see in a 'Madonna'. Moreover, by being so disdainful to the men and the camera, she shows no interest in commitment with anyone, further conforming to the 'whore' category of Freud's theory. Overall, her shamelessness and disdain to the audience connotes that she fits into the 'whore' category of Freud's Madonna/Whore complex.
In conclusion, Lady Gaga uses a variety of connotations to fit into the various theories differently. Examples of the connotations are her superior size in comparison to the men, her disdainful body and facial expression, minimal censorship, and a black background. I believe she does fit into Gauntlett and McRobbie's view of female representation because she does show a reversal of the male gaze. I don't think she fits into Mulvey's 'Male Gaze' because of her connotations of disdain and her 'teasing' of the male audience. Finally, I think she fits into the 'whore' category of Freud's Madonna/Whore complex because of her shamelessness and disdain.
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Since our opening sequence will feature a female as one of the main characters, we may want to take these theories into consideration. Conventionally in the romance genre, women do not fit in to Gauntlett and McRobbie's view of female representation. Since we want our opening sequence to be a conventional romance and show this clearly, we will likely not use Gauntlett and McRobbie's view of female representation. Women can be subjected to the 'Male Gaze' in romance films, but that is not what we want to go with. Our film is closer to a romance/drama feel-good film rather than a film with any such sexualisation on any degree. We also have a target audience of females. We will likely not apply Freud's Madonna/Whore complex because we want our female characters to be individuals and appeal to a female audience.
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