A-Level Media Theory Practice Test 2026 - Free Practice Questions and Study Guide

The idea being tested is the male gaze in cinema: audiences are invited to view characters through a male heterosexual perspective that frequently objectifies women as visual objects of desire. Laura Mulvey argues that film’s structure—through camera angles, framing, and narrative focus—puts viewers in the position of the male observer, making women the spectacle to be looked at and evaluated, rather than fully realized agents. This lens explains why female characters are often presented in ways that emphasize their bodies or erotic appeal, serving male fantasy and the voyeuristic pleasure of the presumed male spectator.

Other theorists in the field critique different aspects of representation. Van Zoonen, for example, analyzes gender in media in terms of public and private spheres and how stereotypes are constructed within those contexts. Gauntlett explores how media helps people construct identities, while Bell Hooks examines representation with attention to race, class, and intersectionality. But the specific concept of viewing through a male heterosexual gaze and objectification of women comes from Mulvey’s theory.