Madeleine Davies

Film Rescore Audiovisual Project

Madeleine Davies scores this critique of patriarchy and male gaze.

• Video transcript

  The title reads ‘Male Gaze Scoring Version’ 

  We see a feminine-appearing person put oncream on their face in front of mirror.  

  A masculine-sounding person narrateshow women should clean their skin and take a shower in the background. 

  We see a feminine-appearing person taking a shower. After the shower, the person is again applyingcream on their skin. The person then sits down and plucks their eyebrow. We see closeups of their legs and other skincare products. 

  The masculine-sounding person now talks about how some women use lubricating creams for their skin. They then move on to the importance of washing hair effectively.  
   
  We now see another feminine-appearing person brushing their hair with a brush. We see the person in the shower, applying shampoo on their hair. A feminine-sounding person sardonically sings, ‘a clean woman’ in the background as this person sits in front of the mirror brushing their hair. We hear drumroll as to suggest the person is now appropriately ready to be presented to society.  

  The masculine-sounding person continues to talk about the downsides of dying one’s hair and natural hair beauty is possible if women take care of it. It is juxtaposed with a feminine-sounding person singing, ‘if you need to look expensive, all you need to do is smile’. 

  We see ‘The End’ credit as the narrator announces that the advertisement is sponsored by Gilette.  

  We see the same ad starting again with the title ‘Feminist Scoring Version’ 

  We see the same sequence as above playing out with an eerie score in the background. We hear multiple female-sounding voices break into a chorus which turns solemn.  

  We hear a female-sounding person narrate: I am never on my own. There is a man living inside my head telling me what he would or wouldn’t like. Telling me to shave even though it irritates my skin. Telling me that I’m enjoying the satisfaction of the burns. I am never on my own. There is a man living inside my head, holding up a constant mirror, telling me how I don’t look like the girl on the screen and how I should spend every penny I earn returning me to a childlike state.  

  I ask his advice for everything. Should I talk? Should I laugh? Should I stay silent? 

  He never fails to answer in the affirmative. Because he was the one who planted those questions in my head.  

  I am never on my own. There is a man living inside my head.  

  We see ‘The End’ credit