Reading Response 6

This text was very complicated for me to read and digest. I struggled quite a bit to understand the examples and everything Mulvey tries to uncover in her work. Nonetheless, I found a particular piece of the text fascinating; "Woman then stands in patriarchal culture as a signifier for the male other, bound by a symbolic order in which man can live out his fantasies and obsessions through linguistic command by imposing them on the silent image of woman still tied to her place as bearer of meaning, not maker of meaning." In this quote, Mulvey explains that the image of women (or feminity) in cinema and movies is simply a source for man and the male-driven world we live in to exercise their desires and use their male-gaze. She is saying that women in cinema are "bearers of meaning" but "not maker[s] of meaning." which I find offensive but real and true. In cinema, music, and other media sources, we are still objectified, sexualized, and seen as an accessory for men. Women are depicted as something to be cheated on and with, beaten, killed, and many other disrespectful things. Even though nowadays, equality, rights, and women empowerment are being spoken of more and more, we still see this trend within the entertainment industry. In my case, coming from Venezuela, which is a Latin American country, we listen to a lot of reggaeton, which usually puts women in the situation Mulvey describes. Unfortunately, the idea that the author describes and touches not only happens in film and music but can also be seen in politics and society as a whole. It is our job to make a change. It is our job to make women the makers of meaning, not only the bearers of meaning.