not slept on because nobodyâs using the terms but slept on because most people donât know where the terms are from or their actual definition⌠they both are VERY GOOD pieces of writing, the termsâ actual meanings are incredibly useful to have words for, and it makes me sad seeing the terms so commonly misused that most people wouldnât know the actual definition of either. (and ofc iâll note that older literature is imperfect and the work building off of these are important to read too but these pieces are specifically where the terms originate)
visual pleasure and narrative cinema (1975) by laura mulvey
while a lot of people misuse it as meaning internalized misogyny, male gaze originates from this piece by laura mulvey and describes the ways in which men create, cast, and consume media (mostly film but you can apply to most art) in a manner that largely objectifies and sexualizes female characters / subjects. itâs a little dense in some parts but i especially recommend this one to anyone who enjoys media critique, especially film (ahem, letterboxd users reading this, please go read this one!!!)
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compulsory heterosexuality and lesbian existence (1980) by adrienne rich
compulsory heterosexuality is a term coined by adrienne rich in 1980 and refers to how in our patriarchal society, itâs been socially constructed that all women are presumed to be straight and are thus socialized to pursue a heteronormative life (the resulting conscriptions are at the detriment of all women, regardless of sexuality + it fuels homophobia by painting queerness as unnatural). itâs contemporarily misused to to describe the heteronormative / homophobic pressure to like men that lesbians might feel. in a moment in which a loooot of young women attracted to men are entertaining the toxic âmarry a rich man donât work!â ideology, i think itâs so important that we acknowledge how the issue of heteronormative patriarchal expectations is damaging to all women when it comes to navigating / envisioning our lives! (those of you who have heard the term misused, are driven crazy by the tradwife tikok trend, or have heard about the â4b movementâ in the news might find this piece particularly interesting)
