Mulvey's theory suggests that we as a cinema audience are subjected to viewing films through the eyes of a heterosexual male, including what the camera focuses on during the film (this is also known as the male gaze), the game of the audience and also including the maze of the characters featured within the film.In fewer words: it is the way the visual arts are constructed around the more masculine viewer.
Sigmund Freud reinforces this theory by way of his perception of scopophillia.
Scopophillia is the pleasure that is received whilst observing a certain thing of interest, i.e. in this case, the female form.
Freud suggests that fro infantry we have a natural instinct to gaze and fixate our gaze on objects and that we never completely grow out of this instinct even when we obtain more control of ourselves as the years go on. This is why Mulvey suggests that cinema is the perfect medium to fulfil this natural instinct as well as the fantasies that accompany this instinct.
There are specific technical elements that contribute to the cinematic male gaze. These include; Close ups, Focus, Fragmentation, Slow Motion, Lighting and Spotlight as well as an editing style which involves a shot reverse shot of the object of desire and whoever is observing this object.
It is still very evident that cinema is still very patriarchal as women are seen in either tight or little to no clothing, as well as the combination of women and objects such as cars which implies that women too are also seen as objects for men to own.
This can all be seen in the following example clip:
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