Woman entangled in patriarchy and phallocentrism
Laura Kaplan is right to say that
Voyeurism and fetishism are mechanisms the dominant cinema uses to construct the male spectator in accordance with the needs of his unconscious(120). These two mechanisms are main ways that phallocentrism and the male gaze are maintained throughout the film Girl on a Motorcycle. From beginning to end the protagonist is objectified, fetishized and kept under explicit control by a variety of men (i.e. her father and lover). This film is not liberating for women. The form and content of the film is sexist and belittling to women. For example, Rebecca is constantly framed by the camera in eroticized ways, like breast shots. She even rides to see her lover with nothing on but a leather motorcycle jumpsuit. Men control the plot and narrative and although she is the main character, Rebecca acts in accordance to degree of control that her lover has over her. Even minor male characters, such as other restaurant patrons, stare at her and demean her by what Kaplan calls the "male gaze" (forcing a look upon someone in order to control them by imposing sexual desires upon the unwilling). Man's unconscious and the power that it has to have a phallus in society are clearly demonstrated in this film by the way men stare and grope Rebecca throughout the film, disempowering her by portraying her as weak and passive. One quote from the film sums it up the immense phallocentrism of the film: "You're right. I am a stupid bitch. Now take me to him my black pimp."