Research Article

Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory

Number: 4 June 24, 2026
EN TR

Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory

Abstract

This study examines how the representation of women in luxury hotel advertisements is constructed within the framework of Laura Mulvey’s male gaze theory. Advertisements, as products of visual culture, are approached not merely as aesthetic choices but as ideological texts that reproduce gender relations and regimes of looking. The sample of the study consists of advertising films belonging to a luxury hotel. Adopting a qualitative research approach, the study employs a theory-driven visual analysis method, analyzing indicators such as camera angles, modes of bodily representation, directions of gaze, passive/active role distribution, and the relationship between space and the body. The findings reveal that the female body is frequently positioned in advertisements as an object that is looked at, displayed, and offered as visual pleasure, while narrative power is constructed around the male subject. The study demonstrates that the male gaze theory developed by Laura Mulvey for cinema also possesses strong explanatory potential in non-cinematic visual fields such as tourism and advertising, thereby offering a critical contribution to feminist media studies and advertising literature.

Keywords

References

  1. Doane, M. A. (1982). Film and the masquerade: Theorising the female spectator. Screen, 23(3-4), 74-88. https:// doi.org/10.1093/screen/23.3-4.74
  2. Gill, R. (2007). Gender and the media. Cambridge: Polity Press.
  3. Goffman, E. (1979). Gender advertisements. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
  4. Hall, S. (1997). Representation: Cultural representations and signifying practices. London: Sage.
  5. Kaplan, E. A. (1983). Women and film: Both sides of the camera. London: Methuen.

Details

Primary Language

Turkish

Subjects

Communication Studies

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 24, 2026

Submission Date

January 10, 2026

Acceptance Date

February 18, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 4

APA
Özer, B. (2026). Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory. Eurasian Journal of Media Communication and Culture Studies, 4. https://doi.org/10.69999/emedia.1860646
AMA
1.Özer B. Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory. EMEDIA. 2026;(4). doi:10.69999/emedia.1860646
Chicago
Özer, Beril. 2026. “Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements Within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory”. Eurasian Journal of Media Communication and Culture Studies, nos. 4. https://doi.org/10.69999/emedia.1860646.
EndNote
Özer B (June 1, 2026) Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory. Eurasian Journal of Media Communication and Culture Studies 4
IEEE
[1]B. Özer, “Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory”, EMEDIA, no. 4, June 2026, doi: 10.69999/emedia.1860646.
ISNAD
Özer, Beril. “Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements Within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory”. Eurasian Journal of Media Communication and Culture Studies. 4 (June 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.69999/emedia.1860646.
JAMA
1.Özer B. Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory. EMEDIA. 2026. doi:10.69999/emedia.1860646.
MLA
Özer, Beril. “Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements Within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory”. Eurasian Journal of Media Communication and Culture Studies, no. 4, June 2026, doi:10.69999/emedia.1860646.
Vancouver
1.Beril Özer. Female Representation in Hotel Advertisements within the Framework of Laura Mulvey’s Male Gaze Theory. EMEDIA. 2026 Jun. 1;(4). doi:10.69999/emedia.1860646