Male gaze theory

Laura Mulrey came up with a theory that the camera was seen as a man, so it was a successful movie if the women were being portrayed as sexual; wearing red and clear shots of their boobs and bum.
An example of this theory in a movie, would be in Transformers, where Megan Fox is seen quite sexual because its what the "camera" wants to see. She is dressed in a short skirt and a tight crop top, and for that whole scene its as though you are looking at her from a males perspective, zooming into the bits that boys want to see.

In the Britney Spears - Hit me baby one more time music video, she is portrayed as being vulnerable, always looking up to the camera, as though, again she is looking up to look all innocent and sweet, so the boys would fall in love with her and again she is in school uniform, which is what boys like yo see, showing the male gaze theory.

However the video Wrecking ball by Miley Cyrus goes against this theory as it shows her in power and her masculinity. Some of the shots are shot at a low angle, showing that she is in control and that she is actually the powerful one. The way she holds the sledge hammer, which is seen as quite a manly object, over her head as well as her wearing Doc Martins, shows signs of masculinity, which doesn't really attract the male interest. However there are scenes of a sexual nature, where she is at one point making out with a sledge hammer, as well as being naked on a wrecking ball, which shows slight empowerment. Although when she is laying on the ground, it is as though she has just been defeated and has nothing left to give, showing vulnerability.

The Diet coke advert shows this theory in reverse, giving the girls what they want to see, which in this case is a good looking man getting soaked and taking his top off, showing his body. At the begging of his advert the girls were empowering the man by getting him to open the can but by the end, it was actually the man empowering the girls by taking his top off and leaving them speechless.