The Female Gaze in Real Women Have Curves - Movie Review Example

The female gaze is a theoretical statement which was seemingly devised to counter the popular male gaze. The theory of the male gaze was attributed as a means through which men were portrayed as being superior to women in film, with the woman being made an object of satisfying the male. As such, the female gaze can be defined as the counter-theory intended to bring some equity between the two sexes. It defines in a large way the perspective through which women perceive life, and seeks to elevate the woman from the position she is allocated by the male gaze, as the following text highlights by evaluating the film Real Women Have Curves.

In the film, Anna goes against her family’s will of taking up employment immediately she clears high school and opts to pursue further education. Her family’s intent was to put her into employment so that she could support them. However, she disapproves of this and pursues university education at the Columbia University (Cardoso n.p.). The portrayals of Anna seek to suggest that women have the right to their choices in life and that by ignoring the societal construction of their weakness, they can achieve as much as they dream of.

One point in the film which supports the female gaze concept is that Anna’s mother thinks that it is unattractive and unacceptable of a woman to have excess weight. This is seen in that she is constantly complaining about Anna’s weight saying she will never find a suitor. Anna, however, despises this statement which suggests of her mother’s possession by the male gaze. She appreciates herself and does nothing to reduce her weight so as to “please men” (Berardinelli 327).

Additionally, Anna is free to speak up her mind and does not care as long as it means the best for her while not disrupting anyone else. In the film, this is seen in that she openly shoots down her mother’s suggestion that she should not further her education since education is useless. In its place, her mother offers to teach her to be a good housekeeper, being a good mother, and raising children. Anna again says that she is never going to be a housewife and that education is the best way of achieving her dreams (328).

Estela Garcia, her sister, owned a clothes factory. After her high school studies, Anna went to work there and was able to depict some attributions of the female gaze. The evident change she inflicted at the company was inspiring the women to stand up for their rights. This is evident in the scene where she had to reduce her clothing when the inside of the clothes factory became too hot to withstand. She takes off her clothes to remain with her undergarments only. This saw the other workers at the factory follow suit.

Although this angered her mother, she stood for her action, saying it was the right thing to do for surviving in the hot environment.             Finally, Anna is also seen trying to convince her sister Estela to get advance payment to settle her workers’ salaries from one of her clients. Lack of funds had endangered the company since the workers had not been paid. In trying to help her sister, Anna poured this suggestion. Although her sister turned it down, it portrayed that women can speak up their minds, as well as offer solutions to big problems in society.

Collectively, all these examples showed Anna and some of the minor characters going against the stereotyped minds of society which look down upon the female. In this film, the role of the woman is elevated as compared to films which portray her subject under the man.