Charli XCX - Boys - Contradicting Male Gaze

The 'Male Gaze' theory suggests that in media texts, the audience is put into the perspective of a heterosexual man, focusing on the woman's body and taking her identity away, leaving her as an object to be sexualised. Often, a female character is only used to make a male character feel or do something - she has no individual importance.

When I came across this music video, directed by and sang by Charli XCX, it is the complete opposite of male gaze - in many contemporary advertisements, men are sexualised as frequently as women, causing Mulvey's theory to often be referenced simply as "Gaze" theory. It could be argued that this video is filmed with a "Female Gaze" in mind, as a response to the "Male Gaze". More and more, both 'binary' genders are being sexualised in the media - in film, advertising and music.

Charli XCX wanted to flip the male gaze on its head - however, rather than leave the men being without character and who's only purpose is to provide entertainment onscreen, Charli gave particular tasks to each of the men and included clips that featured their personality excellently in the final music video.

 The tasks featured are all relatively innocent, either things girls would often be asked to do in videos or simple things like cuddling puppies or reading a book. 

The music video style is quite similar to the print publication "Boys By Girls", featuring fashion and portraiture. Though men are the subject of the images, they're sexualisation is kept to a minimum as they're photographed to capture their personality rather than simply their prettiness. Again, with this innocent approach, an alternative theme of masculinity is achieved - boys and men are shown as gentle, emotional, pretty rather than handsome or butch etc.

The consequential impact of this presents an alternative interpretation of masculinity. Living in an era where the biggest killer of men is suicide, having this 'softer' approach of masculinity could help deconstruct the stigma surrounding the male gender. Men should be encouraged to express themselves, share their feelings, to cry, even. Having a generation of boys growing up with a role models that are able to appear both gentle and strong, emotional and brave, could certainly decrease the harsh statistic previously mentioned. With media representing everything in this day and age, it is our job to make sure we encourage this alternative interpretation of masculinity, and praise those who are brave enough to challenge the current stereotype of a 'strong man'. 

Another alternative interpretation of masculinity can be seen in Logic's '1-800-273-8255' music video. The title of the song is America's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and the narrative of the video follows a boy who is hurting with mental illness.  The character hasn't come out, we may assume, as he seems uncomfortable with himself, let alone having others know. Nonetheless, he is bullied by his peers for his sexuality, his dad finds his magazines and his boyfriend's dad finds our character and his boyfriend in bed together. It all accumulates to a tipping point, and we see our character battle with the idea of ending his own life. 

The representation in this music video is so important, a minority of a minority (being black and gay), with the expression of mental illness included, means this is one of the first videos of its kind. Watching the video for the first time hit me hardest, as I had no idea what to expect - however, it flows beautifully, and I can't articulate just how important it is to view this music video.

Our main character is male, sensitive, loving, emotional, strong, athletic, and one day, happy. Though he faces many conflicts, they make him a better man, a 'stronger' man. 

With luck, this video will normalise some of these traits, and the existence of the LGBTQ+ community within today's society.