Women and Film

While reading the handout on Women and film, I found a few things worthy of discussion:

• Fetishism
• Voyeurism and exhibitionism
• "The Gaze"

Fetishism is when "men try to discover the penis in the woman in order to grant themselves erotic satisfaction [e.g. long hair, a shoe, or earrings stand in for the penis]"(p.14). After reading this, I have been trying to think of films where this is blatantly happening (or where it is not). I think this was happening in Orlando when Orlando was going after the foreign princess. Orlando was not in love with his current girlfriend and looked for the penis elsewhere, thus falling for the princess. Looking back at Coco and Igor, I find this not to be the case. Coco had incredibly short hair and was almost more masculine in appearance. Maybe that is why they had the affair? Because Coco already resembled a man and thus a penis?

Voyeurism is when someone gets erotically high while watching someone from afar and exhibitionism is when someone gets pleasure from showing a person their sexual parts. I feel as if voyeurism is demonstrated in many films. How often can you a recall a film where a man is watching a woman through her window undress for the shower or bathtub? Do viewers feel a sense of voyeurism as they watch a woman take her clothes off being soaking in a bubble bath?

"The gaze"...I understand from the reading that it is men objectifying women. However, don't women do that to? If I see a good looking man on screen, I will find it immensely hard to look away and will most likely have a crush on him and watch other movies he is in. I'm not really sure how this only applies to women and film.

On another note, I keep thinking about women and sexuality in film. For some reason the film OLD SCHOOL keeps coming to my mind when in the beginning of the film, the main character comes home to find his wife actively participating in an orgy. Yes, the audience finds it funny, but is it because she's an attractive blonde? Or is it because her husband is upset by the act instead of happy that he has a very sexual wife? I wonder how things would be different if a wife walked in on her husband participating in an orgy.