Critical Views

• Who is associated with the phrase "women write in white ink"?

  Helene Cixous
• What does Helene Cixous suggest about women's voices in her statement "women write in white ink"?

  She suggests that their voices are often invisible
• What term did Laura Mulvey describe the way women are perceived ?

  Male gaze
• According to Laura Mulvey, how is a woman's desire characterized in relation to her image?

  It is subjugated to her image as bearer, not maker, of meaning
• What are the critical views presented by Helene Cixous, Jacques Lacan, and Laura Mulvey regarding women's representation and desire?

  • Helene Cixous: Women's voices are often invisible ("women write in white ink").
  • Jacques Lacan: Jouissance is a life force that "begins with a tickle and ends with a blaze of petrol."
  • Laura Mulvey: The "male gaze" subjugates women's desire to their image, making them bearers, not makers, of meaning.