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Reverse Male gaze: A New Term


I have long been fascinated by Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory, first introduced in her 1975 essay Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. This fascination encouraged me to write my first article, which I presented at Madras Christian College. Building on that experience, I was fortunate to receive another opportunity this month to present a paper at Quaid-E-Millath Government College for Women, where the central theme was gender and cinema. For the conference, I submitted my paper titled “Beyond the Screen: Has the Male Gaze Lost Its Power in Modern Tamil Cinema and Society?”


Presenting at a new institution was both enriching and enjoyable. As my professor, Dr. Samuel Rufus, often reminds us, academic work can also become memorable journeys, and this day truly proved it. Alongside my friends—Harish, Prakalya, Nivedha, Amy Christina, Amy Davinia, and Sivasankari—I turned the occasion into a lively one-day trip. Since it was planned in advance, we made the most of both the academic and social sides of the event. After our presentations, we visited Spencer Plaza, where I bought a jean and a shirt, and later we ended the day on a delightful note with pani puri and samosas, making the experience even more special.


During my research for this presentation, I noticed a gap in Mulvey’s theory that led me to propose a new idea, which I termed the “reverse male gaze.” This concept points to situations where women themselves sexualise or impose rigid body standards on other women, often resulting in subtle judgments or open criticism of those who don’t conform. While cinema does mirror such body ideals, it rarely exposes the everyday microaggressions and struggles faced by women who fall outside them. To illustrate this, I referred to the Tamil adult comedy-action film 90ml, in which a scene portrays young women unhappily discussing their breast sizes, highlighting their insecurities about not matching so-called “normal” standards.

I owe this work to the support of my friends Ranjitha, Varsha, Belinda, Sivasankari, and Sowmiya, who helped me understand women’s perspectives more deeply. I am also deeply thankful to my professor, Dr. Samuel Rufus, who recognized my potential and encouraged me to coin a new theoretical term. His mentorship and constant encouragement gave me the confidence to shape and present this paper.

  

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