The Female Gaze Analysis

What exactly is the Female Gaze? The Female Gaze can easily be defined by three statements. Firstly, women have control of the viewpoint (in other words “Do the looking”). Secondly, the women control and enjoy their bodies and sexuality. Thirdly, the female body emphasizes maternal function, strength, and power. However, while discussing Real Women Have Curves (for the selected scene) I would only like to use the first two. Throughout the movie, only women possessed the gaze. However, in this particular scene, Anna’s possession was very prevalent. This can be derived by the focus that the camera had on both her and Jimmy instead of just her. Also, when she looked in the mirror, you could tell she had control over what was seen because the view wasn’t focused on her breasts or any other sexual part of her. It was just her. She was what mattered at that moment.

Since Anna grew up in a Latino home, her mother based self-worth on being appealing to men. However, Anna just wanted to appeal herself. So when her mother finds her exploring her new body, and realized that she lost her virginity, things spiral out of control really fast. However, Anna’s words will always have amazing strength. “There’s more to me than what’s between my legs!” By that she means she doesn’t need a husband to feel empowered, her virginity to still be virtuous, or her mother’s approval on who she should or shouldn’t be. She changes the entire dynamic on women-men relationships.

In taking control of the gaze, she does two things. Firstly, she removes most of the power that comes with “male privilege.” This negation, if it was felt strongly enough throughout the world may cause an international power shift from men to women. If the message behind this movie was strong enough, women could be in the same position men are now. They could lead the majority of countries in this world, and own almost every