Our lecture on The Gaze & Media didn't really touch upon how this concept fits into animation, but it definitely applies.
One of the twelve principles of animation is exaggeration, of movement or appearance. Often this can be used for comic effect or communication, with bold gestures and distorted expressions portraying extreme emotions. However, exaggeration can also be seen in how female (and to a lesser extent some male) characters are portrayed. Many have unrealistic body shapes, which are overtly sexual and objectifying, even in family friendly films. A prime example is Jessica Rabbit.
Reminiscent of Manet's Olympia and Titian's Venus of Urbino, Jessica both invites and challenges the gaze that falls upon her, being neither entirely defiant or passive. Animated 'to the very edge of decency' (in the words of Empire magazine) she is the ultimate femme fatale, aware of the power (if this is the right word) her appearance grants her as the eyes of men, women and cartoon characters are uncontrollably drawn to her.
Similarly, in Ruth Lingford's The Pleasures of War, a woman uses her appearance and sexuality to wreak revenge on the warlord who destroyed her city (based on the Biblical story of Judith and Holofernes). Playing to the preconception of the harmless woman, the female character passes easily through armed guards to infiltrate the warlord's tent before seducing and beheading him. It could be argued that such a depiction (especially by a female animator) of a single woman succeeding where an army of men failed is empowering. However, in my opinion this animation does not escape the prevalent objectification of women; during the graphic sexual encounter she is clearly drawn, allowing the viewer to gaze uninterrupted upon her. Her victim, on the other hand, is reduced to sketchy lines which merely suggest his presence. Yet this could be intentional, to reflect the way in which the warlord views her; as a sexual object rather than any kind of threat.
Reminiscent of Manet's Olympia and Titian's Venus of Urbino, Jessica both invites and challenges the gaze that falls upon her, being neither entirely defiant or passive. Animated 'to the very edge of decency' (in the words of Empire magazine) she is the ultimate femme fatale, aware of the power (if this is the right word) her appearance grants her as the eyes of men, women and cartoon characters are uncontrollably drawn to her.
Similarly, in Ruth Lingford's The Pleasures of War, a woman uses her appearance and sexuality to wreak revenge on the warlord who destroyed her city (based on the Biblical story of Judith and Holofernes). Playing to the preconception of the harmless woman, the female character passes easily through armed guards to infiltrate the warlord's tent before seducing and beheading him. It could be argued that such a depiction (especially by a female animator) of a single woman succeeding where an army of men failed is empowering. However, in my opinion this animation does not escape the prevalent objectification of women; during the graphic sexual encounter she is clearly drawn, allowing the viewer to gaze uninterrupted upon her. Her victim, on the other hand, is reduced to sketchy lines which merely suggest his presence. Yet this could be intentional, to reflect the way in which the warlord views her; as a sexual object rather than any kind of threat.
Perhaps even more questionable in its representation of women is Michele Cournoyer's The Hat which shows the abuse of a young girl by a man in a hat, and her subsequent sexual experiences and career as a stripper. The fluid animation style allows what we see to constantly shift and transform into a new and equally harrowing scenario; the titular hat providing an anchor, becoming in turn her breasts, her lips, a dress and eventually a penis. The animation is intensely uncomfortable to watch and it's message is ambiguous. The ever-present man in the hat suggests the terrible impact he has had upon the girls life and her inability to escape his influence, yet the girl's body is often shown without her face allowing the viewer to more easily share in her objectification.
Once again though, this may be a representation of how the male characters (particularly the man in the hat) view this woman. The crude, raw lines used in the animation suggest anger and frustration, while one scene in which the girl's body is consumed by eyes and hands which then rush to her groin makes a pertinent comment on how women can be shown to have only one purpose.
Within these two animations the animators have used graphic imagery to subvert the depiction of women as passive objects of the male gaze, and provoke the viewer into questioning the everyday sexualisation of women. Why can't the Judith character murder her victim without seducing him? Is sexuality a woman's only weapon? Does it grant her power or strength?
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