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.

What she looked like, not what men see.
To further this point, they also gave Anna complete control over her sexuality. This is seen when she first buys the condom. Normally it’s a man’s responsibility to be safe, not the woman’s. However, Anna takes control over her sexual interactions. She makes Jimmy use the condom (whether or not he was going to himself) which demonstrates an amazing level of female power.
Also on the subject of her controlling her sexuality, she leaves him after they had sex and were going off to college. She realizes that her relationship with Jimmy is almost over. So once she was done enjoying her time with Jimmy, she cut it off, which shows a lot of courage. She realized she didn’t have to be in a relationship to be happy. All she needed was her self-respect, not the respect of anyone else.
Finally, the morning after situation was very intense.

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

corporation.
However, that would have to be an extremely popular movie to change the entire world’s society. Therefore, we must assume that, at most, Anna’s experiences shall open the eyes of many people who believe women are inferior. If this movie and others like it continue to appear, then many things may soon be equal to women as they are to men. The more realistic outcome is that women will earn evermore equal wages, receive better treatment across the globe, and eventually have equal rights to men.
In conclusion, Anna’s possession of the gaze and her enjoyment of her body (and sexuality) has opened the door for many conversations. Income equality, equal rights, and increased independence for women may be around the corner. This can all be won by having movies with characters like Anna. Women who possess control over her relationship, how they’re looked at, and how they interact sexually may pave the way to a brighter future in the feminist movement.