The Gaze and Identity

Identity is composed of the forms; the pre-modern identity, the modern identity and the post modern identity. The pre-modern identity assumes that the personal identity is stable; it is defined by long standing roles and institutions ie marriage status, your Church,government. This is a 'secure identity. The modern identity is where society offers a wider range of roles; where you are able to 'choose' your identity, rather than just being born into it - people begin to question who they are, and what their identity really is. Examples of the modern identity began to form in the 19th and early 20th century, which introduced the concept of the 'flaneur' (gentleman stroller). Baudelaire depicts the expensive clothing, which indicates that the gentleman does not work, which shows that roles can be adapted from material and cosmetic change. The trickle down theory then forms from this as this fashion causes aspiration within the lower classes, which then causes for replicas and remakes; them trying to mirror this identity and social status.  The final identity is the post-modern; it accept a 'fragmented self', where identity is constructed. George Simmel writes about the 'separation of the subjective from objective life' in relation to the final identity, this is conclusive of how individual withdraw into themselves due to the speed and mutability of modernity. This identity is also relative to discourse analysis as identity is constructed of the discourses culturally available to us. Discourse can be things such as age, class, gender, race etc. 

Following the concept identity, we begin to look post-modern theory, and how our identity is constructed through our social experience. Bauman believes that '"identity" is revealed to us only as something to be invented rather than discovered, as a target of an effort, "and objective"'. Even the aspect of being wanted becomes a part of our identity, Hargreaves talks about how introspection is a disappearing act; more people are turning towards social media in order to fulfil their sense of belonging, or having someone want/need them. Goffman suggests the self is a series of façades; we 

can create a desired construct of ourselves that can be viewed on many different platforms. This control of how you may 'create' your identity in order to become desirable to yourself and others makes the identity more flexible - social platforms allow you to do this, as they create a physical barrier- a mask - that shields others from your identity. This idea of 'liquid love' is only an illusion within these virtual 'communities' - as the true identity is never revealed, it is only what the individual wants to reveal, what identity they want to portray. They control it. 

The Gaze

 The Gaze looks at how an audience views the people presented; how men look at women, how women look at themselves and also how women look at other women.According to Mulvey, the gaze is a construct where film and literature are dominated by a male's point of view. Her belief of a patriarchy supposes that men have 'active' roles and women have 'passive' roles, In film, audiences have to 'view' character from the perspective of the heterosexual male. So, in films, women were depicted with lack of control - the bearers of meaning - and presented with regards to the male's reaction to the events. This filmography reduces women to the status of objects, ie having the camera linger on the curves of the female. The female gaze is secondary.

This is evident in advertising, the sexualisation of the female body, even though it is irrelevant to what is being sold, for example, perfume adverts make the subject of the gaze desired. The gaze can also be directed towards the same gender; extending from the product example, women are able to compare body image or clothing - the gaze is not always sexual.

Advertising sells the object of the gaze as well as the product. The message is always thought to be the same; buy the product, get the girl or if you are a female, you buy the product to be like the girl, and then you can get your man. This aspect of the male gaze proposes women as a commoditity that is there for commercial gain. It also creates the mirror effect, where women view themselves as the model - the desirable - and the purchasing of the product is the only way to become more like the model.

"To gaze implies more than to look at - it signifies a psychological relationship of power, in which the gazer is superior to the object of the gaze"- Jonathan Schroeder (1998)

This advertisement is for a men's cologne. The bottle is not placed on the print advert, only the name and brand. The image is of a nude woman that the advertisers want to imply what you would create or 'receive' if you wore the cologne. The woman looks passive, more doting; her eyes follow you and so you are then posed as the object of her desire - something that may be considered mutual, which creates the idea of control, how the male may assert himself and have dominance. It follows the construct of a patriarchal society.

American Apparel are known for their risky advertisement, that push the boundaries of what is deemed acceptable. The woman looks as if she is lying on a bed, with her legs spread. The angle makes it so you are looking down at her, as if you were on top. This position is suggestive and holds sexual connotations to the text "Now Open". Her expression does not allude anything. It is more passive, and along with her position poses herself as submissive to the viewer. The male is almost encouraged to peruse subject, as the contrast of the female body against the white of the sheets make the female stand out.