CT Studies

Paul Brandreth
CTS
Graphic Design Level 05
Submit a proposal for the 2,000 word essay element of the portfolio brief.

The proposal should include-

. A proposed essay title or topic
. The main issues addressed by your argument (in bullet points)
. Any visual material that you will look at (include hyperlinks if possible)
. What theoretical approach / methodology will you use? e.g. marxism, the gaze, psychoanalysis etc
. Which specific theorists / writers will you refer to?
. At least 5 books / articles / resources already located (referenced using Harvard)

The Gaze

Above are two advertisements used for the essay

“One might simplify this by saying: men act and women appear. Men look at women. women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relations of women to themselves.” Quoted by Berger(1972: 47) The following essay is based around the quote from from John Bergers book, ways of seeing and to find out the different gazes used within male/ female advertisements. To make this fair I have decided to use the two Versace advertisements above, one aimed to sell for the male audience and the other advert advertised for the female audience. By using the same company Versace, it makes it fair because they are both aimed at the same market and use the same advertising language.
The first image above of Madonna advertising for Versace uses a direct gaze where woman looks out of the frame as if she is looking straight at the audience. This gaze gives the viewer the thought that she is directly looking at them and draws in their attention. The delivery and use of the gaze advertises for a female audience to be this woman and be in her position but also aimed at the male audience using certain ways such as scopophilia and fetishistic to grab the males attention.

However in the second image there are two gazes happening. First being the direct gaze from the male, and secondly the intra-dietetic gaze for the woman.. The male positioning and contact with the audience gives a strong powerful, in-control male status. Referring to the opening quote of the essay Berger’s statement of “Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” applies to this image as although the male uses the direct gaze, the other gaze which is just as powerful to the audience is the intra-dietetic gaze from the woman seductively looks upon the male and also creates a