Pornography is the embodiment of the male gaze. Staggering figures reveal that nearly 70% of young men in Ireland consume pornography weekly, compared to just 13% of young women. This stark contrast highlights not only the gendered consumption of porn but also the male-dominated lens through which pornography is produced. It’s clear that mainstream pornography is catering heavily to male desires, often at the expense of portraying female sexuality in a way that resonates with women. This article aims to explore the impact of the male gaze in pornography and advocate for change.
What is the Male Gaze?
The theory of the male gaze is described by British feminist film theorist, Laura Mulvey in her 1973 article, “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Mulvey explains that mainstream media objectifies women by portraying the female body through the lens of a heterosexual man, where each actor takes two contrasting roles – the active male followed by the passive female.
The heterosexual man generally controls the film fantasy, consistently putting himself in the position of the pleasure receiver, with the woman being his pleasure-giver. Women are nothing but supporting characters and their sexual desires, autonomy and individuality play no role in pornography. Consequently, a woman’s value is reliant on how well they appeal to men’s sexual desires. Through the male lens, pornography is simply a tool used to objectify and dehumanise women. It ignores women as human beings, with individual personalities, needs, and wants outside of men’s desires.
Mulvey gives an example of how a traditional Hollywood film works,
[T]he film opens with the woman as object of the combined gaze of the spectator and all the male protagonists in the film. She is isolated, glamorous, on display, sexualised. But as the narrative progresses she falls in love with the main male protagonist and becomes his property, losing her outward glamorous characteristics, her generalised sexuality, her show-girl connotations; her eroticism is subjected to the male star alone.
This idea applies to mainstream pornography. We see man-made images of women under a, “controlling surveillance or rendering them as pleasure-giving fetish objects,” Pornography scenes are usually structured for the male gaze, for example by showing that aggressive behaviours like spanking and gagging are mostly directed against women in mainstream pornography, which suggests a normalisation of sexual scripts depicting dominance over and objectification of women. These man-made images of the fetishised woman invite the male viewer to identify with the male protagonist, imitating the voyeurism of the camera. This causes men to view women as mere sexual objects and spectacles for their personal enjoyment.
The Impact of Pornography on Men’s Perception of Women
Unfortunately, this view of women through the lens of the male gaze is not confined to mainstream pornography. The objectification of women goes beyond the screen and with pornography depicting women in a limited, sexualised manner, it is no surprise that pornography informs men’s real-life behaviours towards women. When men consume pornography, they also consume its norms and values. Studies have shown that exposure to pornography is associated with stronger notions of women as sex objects. These media portrayals normalise the idea that women are eager to be desired and pursued, which fuels a culture of male entitlement and aggression. It fuels a culture of male violence against women, where catcalling, harassing, stalking and degrading are the norm.
Pornography also reinforces non-consensual dynamics. It is common to see scenes where women express hesitation or resistance, only to later “change their minds” and enthusiastically engage in sex. This depiction of consent as ambiguous is dangerous because it sends the message that women’s initial reluctance is not genuine. The lack of clear consent negotiation in these scenes is not accidental – it perpetuates the idea that women’s consent is not important, leading to real-world implications on safety in intimate relationships.
A study of 5,000 students in the U.S. found that two-thirds of women had been choked or strangled during sex, with most cases initiated by men, reflecting the depictions seen in pornography. Similarly, 49% of men admitted to choking someone during sex. In Australia, 57% of participants reported similar behaviours. Pornography was identified as the most significant influence for this increase in sexual strangulation practices, with 61% of participants stating that porn was where they learned about it. This shows a clear association between porn consumption and shifts in sexual behaviours, normalising acts like choking that are often depicted without discussion of consent or safety.
The Impact of Pornography on Women’s Self-Perception
Naturally, pornography through the male lens significantly impacts the way in which women perceive themselves. Studies have shown that the dehumanisation and objectification of women through pornography relate to increasing incidences of depression, anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, eating disorders, self-harm and suicidal ideation.
As a result of mainstream pornography, women constantly feel that they must fit into the role of the ‘ideal woman,’ with naturally glowing skin, perfect hair, an hourglass figure, etc. This immense amount of pressure comes from the idea that in order for a woman to be worthy, she must be desirable to men, and for this to happen, she must fit patriarchal standards of beauty. Of course, this is not true, however, it is no surprise that women develop self-esteem issues when they do not see themselves as worthy of being portrayed in a sexual context in the media.
On that basis, it comes as no surprise that women generally do not derive pleasure from mainstream pornography in the same way that men do. Female pornography director, Erika Lust says,
When I would watch porn I felt like I didn’t like or enjoy it, so I didn’t understand why my body connected with these sexual images.
Redefining Female Sexuality in Pornography
There is an evident need for female sexuality to be portrayed in ways which emphasise women’s pleasure. Pornography needs to show women enjoying sex, rather than simply performing for the pleasure of their male counterparts. In this way, women can start to derive pleasure from viewing pornography, in the same way, that men do.
Women in pornography also need to be allowed to portray sex realistically. As one woman says,
It is time for us to see real women portrayed in pornography, women that look like me and you, instead of the ‘ideal women’ who we are so used to, and frankly sick of seeing. That is not to say that there is anything wrong with these women, however, by showing one type of woman, the industry often fails to represent the multitude of women who do not fit into the ‘ideal woman’ mould. Believe it or not, these women do exist within our society! Therefore, it is important that the industry acknowledges that women of colour, plus-size women, women with body hair, etc do exist, and just like everyone else, they do have sex.
Seeing various types of women portrayed in porn, who are more than just passive objects of desire, can be empowering for many women. Not only does it mean that women no longer feel that they need to adhere to societal standards of beauty, but also that women actually enjoy watching porn in the same way that men do.
The male gaze has a firm grasp on the porn industry. The normalisation of aggression and non-consensual behaviour is widespread, influencing real-world sexual practices and relationships. As long as pornography continues to objectify women without considering their autonomy or consent, we will see ongoing harm to both genders.