Getting Rid of Male Gaze Gradually: Exploring the Development of Feminism from ELLE Magazine

Abstract

In order to focus on women's fashion and lifestyle, a Frenchwoman named Helene Lazareff started ELLE magazine in 1945. After 50 years, ELLE has evolved from a fashion publication to a global fashion brand. Most notably, the ELLE brand process incorporates gender equality as a major theme. In this publication, women from varied backgrounds continue to express how they have defined men and their own social standing throughout history, as well as how they see femininity and masculinity now. Through a comparative analysis of images on magazine covers from the 20th and 21st centuries and theoretical knowledge of the male gaze, this paper finds that the development of the female gaze contributed to the rise in male models, that changes in clothing styles and brands reflected the emergence of women's sense of self, and that a variety of poses allowed women to present themselves bravely. Combined with such arguments, the paper concludes that feminism is developing rapidly, reflected on the covers of ELLE magazines, as women are gradually getting rid of the male gaze. Besides, based on the additional risks that come with advancing times, there are still many obstacles in the path of feminism challenging current feminists and females, which need them to make more efforts to overcome.