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ABSTRACT
Much of the existing literature on Outlander emphasises its prioritisation of a female gaze. This is important to discussions of shifting representations of gender and sex in contemporary television. In this paper, however, I consider how the lush tactility of ‘The Wedding’ episode’s sex scenes forms a potentially feminist sensuous aesthetic. Techniques like high contrast lighting, caressing gestures, extended shot duration, heavy use of extreme close-ups, slow panning camera-work, and a rich, warm colour palette, encourage a fleshy spectatorial encounter with the image. The purpose of this paper is to theorise this carnal dimension of engaging with Outlander.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.
Notes
1. Prior to this, Claire has seen parts of Jamie’s body (his arms and torso), but only in her capacity as a nurse when he is injured. This moment is the first in which she sees him completely naked, and in a sexual context.
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Athena Bellas
Dr. Athena Bellas has been lecturing in the Arts Faculty at the University of Melbourne for the last five years. Her book, Fairy Tales on the Teen Screen: Rituals of Girlhood, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2017. Her research interests include girlhood in contemporary screen media, fandom, feminist screen theory, and screen aesthetics. She can be followed on Twitter @AthenaBellas, LinkedIn @AthenaBellas and on Facebook @TeenScreenFeminism