The Substance (2024)-Male Gaze

The film offers a paradoxical portrait of women's objectification, focusing on the character of Elisabeth, a middle-aged actress ostracized by the entertainment industry for not fitting into youthful ideals. This study aims to analyze how The Substance visualizes the male gaze by comparing Elizabeth's aging body with Sue's body perfection by depicting the entertainment industry's obsession with youth and female disposability.

This study uses qualitative content analysis and scene-based close reading to analyze specific scenes and highlight how these films reproduce and critique hegemonic norms. This study is critical because it exposes how the male gaze continues to shape women's roles and agency in contemporary cinema, even in self-aware feminist horror. The study's findings suggest that The Substance satirizes and supports the commodification of the female body, specifically through the horror of aging, body modification, and identity removal.