If I were to put the word ‘lively’ in bold, capitalize it, underline it, highlight it and circle it in red, it still wouldn’t convey the energy of the discussion at the Female Gaze Panel.
What is the female gaze? It’s the female vantage point, whether that be the point of view the story is told from, realistic female characters, or the perspective of the female viewer.
Moderated by the founder of TEDx Cumbernauld Women, Maureen Hascoet de Cuestas, the panel consisted of BBC Scotland producer and BAFTA winner, Sarah Harkins; writer, stand-up comedian and podcaster extraordinaire Deborah Frances-White, and comedy writer and script consultant Joanna Tilley.
We started out sedately enough with a question about which shows with a female gaze the panel had enjoyed in the last couple of years. Joanna plumped for Bridgerton, with its extensive cast of women, depiction of female pleasure and avoidance of reverse-objectification. Sarah chose I May Destroy You, which she described as a tough but astonishing watch, and Tracy Beaker, who is a brilliant CBBC character, adapted from the books by Jaqueline Wilson. Deborah changed it up by asking a thought-provoking question:
Can a show be considered to depict the female gaze if the show-runner is male?
Bridgerton, The Handmaid’s Tale, Big Little Lies — all had male showrunners. The only show Deborah could think of that she had enjoyed, that depicted the female gaze AND had a female showrunner, was Search Party. Even then, showrunner Sarah-Violet Bliss works in partnership with Charles Rogers.
Hmm. Deborah pointed out that there is a huge imbalance in commissioning, with the male / female split roughly 80% to 20% in favour of men. Men are allowed to write anything they like, including adapting novels written by women. If they’re lucky, women are allowed to tell their own story, but only if they’ve built up enough of a profile and become famous. Joanna pointed out that the situation is not so bad in the streaming services, with the split being more like 60% to 40%, and suggested that the problem was one of risk aversion. Sarah confirmed that historically commissioners had half-a-dozen trusted writers, and they tended to be men.
The topic was one that Deborah in particular felt very passionate about. “The problem is not that we’re not there,” she said. “The problem is not that we don’t want to tell stories. The problem is not that we’re not writing screenplays. The problem is not that we’re lacking in confidence. The problem is not that we’re not available… Something else is going on.”
Everyone agreed that audiences are hungry for stories from different view-points. Femininity doesn’t have to be soft; it can be really brutal and in your face. Give women meaty parts and the good, funny lines.
Deborah gave us an acid test for female characters: If you listen to the female lead, if you took her advice, would you kill the story? Too often there is only one female character and she plays the spoiler. Her role is to try and talk the male hero out of going off and doing the exciting thing he’s about to do. Or else she’s just a bit of fluff, there to show the softer side of the hero.
A Suffragette Moment?
Are we all conditioned, through watching so many stories with able white male protagonists, to think that they are the norm? Deborah was convinced things would not change for the better for women writers until power structures change. She reminded us that for decades the Suffragettes went through the proper channels to get the vote, and nothing happened. It wasn’t until they started to blow stuff up that they succeeded.
“The barrier is money,” said Sarah. “We know there are brilliant women out there. We know they are talented. We know they can write any genre. Could our suffragette moment be coming together and creating something new?”
Asked what advice they would give female writers, the panelists came up with three great tips (which are valid irrespective of gender):
Deborah: Make things for the joy of making them – be in the game!
Joanna: Think smaller. Something successful in short-form? A viral Tik-Tok video? That will give you credibility with producers.
Sarah: Be brave and take risks; look for people’s strengths rather than weaknesses. It’s important to remember there are a lot of good men out there who are fighting the good fight alongside women, supporting us and commissioning us. Networking is a good way to break down the power structure and the hierarchy.
I write stories for children. Novels for grown-ups. Screenplays for laughter and tears. I enjoy travel, both in this world and in those created by books and films. I am also passionate about Art and Photography.
