Undressing the Gaze

Beyond heterosexual women: gaze across sexualities and identities

Though much research focuses on heterosexual women, the gaze model extends into how all sexualities and gender identities are conditioned by patriarchal visual regimes. One analysis of media and film suggests the male gaze presumes a heterosexual male spectator and thereby erases or distorts queer subjectivity. The result: queer people may feel forced into poses or appearances legible for the normative gaze, limiting authentic expression of desire and identity.