From the opening scene of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window (1954), the concept of the masculinization of spectators can be applied through the conventions of how the scene is directed. The camera angles use the man’s point of view as a reference point and through that perception the audience steps into the shoes of this man. By the way the scene is oriented and through some of the dialogue, there becomes this sense of objectification present. For one, this can be seen through the point of view of the man looking at his female neighbor dancing, but this gaze towards that woman seems to be of sexual desire. Another example can be seen through other female neighbors of the man, where they are treated as this concept of being an “other”, and in this specific case, they’re stereotypical wives. From this gaze of the man that the audience is stepping into, this “abusive version of masculine heterosexuality” can be applied as the man can be seen essentially objectifying his female neighbors, not just through sexual perception, but also in the sense of ignoring their individuality and perceiving them for a stereotypical societal role that they’re supposed to play. And by stepping into the perception of this man’s gaze through the camera, the audience unknowingly commits the same act.
