Fixing Up the Structure

    Entry 16: 3/8/22

    I am going to jump into what this blog post is about, the structure! The male gaze is a tough concept. With so many intricate paths to go down with this topic, a structure to guide us through the documentary is essential. We have the one Isa came up with a bit ago but it was not as clear as we needed it to be. So, here is a refined structure that will help Isa and I a lot in the near future.

STRUCTURE

INTRO - ORIGIN OF MALE GAZE

• Art shows personal vision/experiences/thoughts
• Creating through careful, meticulous choices that creates a very specific version of reality
• Unconscious viewers are so consumed by content that tend to deem the information presented as the complete truth (don’t question information)

EFFECTS ON SOCIETY

• Gender norms are created and constantly enforced (social, romantic, sexual roles)
• Women are portrayed in a specific way
• Shots, character traits, costuming, etc. and the messages it sends
• People (especially those that have not experienced the actual truth/are uneducated) treat others based off of this information (base their behavior based on what they see)

EFFECTS ON SELF

• Women feel as if they have to act a certain way, if they defy the metanarrative, they risk being unwanted/”weird”/etc and do not gain benefits associated with being accepted (ex: social/romantic security)
• Often deviate from their “true selves,” causes both inner and outside conflict
• Present themselves differently to fit what is expected of a woman (change style, emphasize/omit certain personality traits, etc.)
• Performative femininity, even when alone (ultra focused on not just self-image, but others’ perception of themselves
• Change social behavior
• Internal misogyny (view women as less)
• Put down other women (view women as competition), all stems from jealousy and wanted to be accepted (sl*t-shaming)
• Sexuality/gender: “Am I even attracted to men?” “Am I even a woman?
• Led astray, often leads to untraceable dissatisfaction/failure 

SELF-DISCOVERY LEADS TO ACCEPTANCE/GROWTH/SUCCESS

• It all starts with awareness (realizing it is an issue in the first place)
• Maybe how interviewees found out about male gaze, or maybe how they're realizing importance 
• Starting the conversation
• Male gaze awareness on social media (YouTube, TikTok, etc.) - a lot but more is needed
• Importance of awareness: So hard to detect, so integrated into society that not many question it
• Realizing it is an issue, coming back to oneself and no longer allowing media to have an influence 
• Analyze, observe, and consume critically (male gaze is in media but its effects are everywhere)
• DO WHAT YOU WANT! BE HAPPY. Fight the narrative
• Fight for proper representation, start the conversation.

    Pretty exciting right? The structure is always a struggle to refine and clear beforehand so having this will keep our minds set on the message we want to showcase. This is going to help so much with out interview questions and later with editing so we do not go off into a topic that does not fit what we are trying to say. The AICE Media project itself is only a small sample of the actual documentary but Isa and I want to be able to submit this to film festivals and honestly create a full documentary so this structure is going to come in clutch.

    Anyways, now that the structure is up and posted, I am going to close off this blog post because I am going to go take a nap. Toodles!