Don't get me started on film studies, Westie! I wasted a year of my life doing that:
Lecturer: The Alien in the film Alien is a representation of the vagina - hence the discharge.
Cavey: Raises hand and is permitted to respond - Have you actually spoken to Ridley Scott about that because the last phone conversation that I had with him, he didn't mention vaginas.
Lecturer: Looks at me with disgust Well I can assure you that it is a representation of vaginas (she then mentions a french theorist to back up her argument)
Cavey: Not asking for permission Yeah well, it's Scott's film not the french philosopher's, or yours for that matter, and i'm gonna go with the whole 'The alien represents an alien angle' because -
Lecturer: Interrupts me mid flow Brazil, if you have not worked out yet that Alien is a postmodern feminist masterpiece I cannot help you. Just look at the lead role - the fate of all depending on a strong woman -
Cavey: Now interrupts That role was not written with a woman in mind, hence the masculine name, sweetcheeks. Weaver decided to audition anyway and she got the part.
Lecturer: Be quiet.
I was always taught that Alien was about as representative of the 'Male Gaze' as a film can get! I remember when I was about 16 having to analyse that and I was like "Yeah, but surely if they were gonna do that and perve on the main character, wouldn't they have picked someone better looking?" 
I didn't do very well on that course...