How to Build a Better Monster

The male gaze and the creation of art

Today in my 20th Century Art class, the instructor gave a fascinating lecture on gender coding and the objectification of women in 20th century French art.

We discussed the recurring juxtaposition of women with images from nature (esp. with fruit and flowers) and examined the concept of the “male gaze,” which was briefly addressed in a film course I took last year. Furthermore, we examined how the female subjects (or more appropriately, objects) of these paintings were often depicted in sexual positions, beckoning to the viewer (who was obviously intended to be a man) with a “come hither” expression on their faces. Considering the sexual saturation and blatant female objectification in these works, it came as no surprise to the class when we learned that the source of these images often came from prostitutes acting as models, or from sketches made while the artists made “observations” in the brothels. Courbet’s Woman With a Parrot was my favorite example; the image of the prone woman was borrowed directly from a “French postcard,” one of the first examples of photographed pornography.

By the end of the lecture, I was trying to draw connections to my study of how women are portrayed in horror film. Previous to my readings, I thought that women in horror films merely served some sexual purpose; it seems to me that death and sex are inextricably linked, but I limited female characters’ involvement to just fulfilling some sexual role. Now I’m seeing that there are deeper psychological issues at work in horror cinema, and the monstrous-feminine figure is the manifestation of so many issues within the psyche.

However, the majority of horror films are products of “the male gaze,” since most directors are men. And from what I’ve read in Creed’s book, it seems that men directed all of the horror films she chooses to analyze. Therefore, I’m questioning how this portrayal of the monstrous-feminine stands, and how it could be different if “the female gaze” created it.

Off the top of my head, I can name very few female directors, and I cannot think of any female directors of horror films. I’m wondering if this is just an area of cinema that does not appeal to women. If that’s the case, I wonder why stories of monstrous female figures don’t seem worthy of their attention.

Also, horror fiction, like film, seems dominated by male writers. So what’s the deal? Is there something to be said of gender in relation to horror? Is the horror genre a “male” concern because so much of it recalls castration anxiety and “issues” with mother? Even if you abhor Stephen King’s work, it’s almost impossible to deny that these psychological issues are all over it.

I guess I really don’t have much to offer much in terms of explanation, but I think these are interesting questions to consider. Anyone have input to share?

Posted by Kate Cielinski at September 27, 2004 4:53 PM