The Male Gaze

          The "Male Gaze" is the objectification  of women made by the heterosexual male. This representation of women has proven to be quite common and popular among our culture and in the arts. Throughout, history women are put on display for the spectators to visualize and objectify; nonetheless not allowing the women to have any control. It has been displayed that men are allowed to display their promiscuous behavior while the women must suppress any desire she may have.  Women are taught to be aware of their appearance at all times. John Berger makes a statement in his article agreeing by stating " A woman must continually watch herself. She is almost continually accompanied by her own image of herself" (Berger 46). Berger's statement allows us to agree on the complexities on the image of a women.

              This behavior is also due to the manifestation of "Patriarchy". Patriarchy is defined by bell hooks as "a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence" ( hooks 18). bell hooks is describing "patriarchy" as a system that is dominated by males and this is done through conditioning and forced upon from a young age. This is implicated on children when they are beginning to learn gender roles. These gender roles determine how we "should act" and how we "should be". bell hooks stated in her article that she learned about "patriarchy" at a very young age. Her father had noticed the sensitivity of her brother and the toughness of his daughter. When bell hooks was a child she was playing with a set of marbles with her brother, yet hooks displayed aggressiveness her gentle brother did not. To her dismay her father was not happy. One day her father only allowed her brother to play with the marbles and hooks was told "that it was a boys game". At the mere age of 4 or 5 one has yet to distinguish the difference between what is socially acceptable. hooks insisted on her right to play, her father disapproved and began to beat her with the board. This act is disgusting and was done towards children. This is a system that is not spoken freely among the public. As bell hook states " This rule of silence is upheld when the culture refuses everyone easy access even to the word "patriarchy". Most children do not learn what to call this system of institutionalized gender roles, so rarely do we name it in everyday speech. This silence promotes denial. And how can we organize to challenge and change a system that cannot be named?" (hooks 25) hooks develops the main issue to be that the only way to stop this is if we actually realize that it is an issue. 

      These structures have been taught to me throughout my entire life growing up. But, I will never reach comfort with them and will never abide by these rules that have been created for me to "follow".  Art and media has significantly changed for me since understanding and coming to terms with "patriarchy" and these structures that have been suggested for us to follow. Before, reading these articles I was aware of these structures that occur in our society but it never occurred to me how dominant they still remain today. What I have learned so far is to not abide by these gender roles that society wants to inflict on us. It's not who we are anymore. It's about time we get a chance to show who we can actually be.   My role in these structures is one of nonconforming and of a free spirit who chooses to pursue and exceed the boundaries and limits society has created for me. 

The picture on the left is that from"Rear Window" a film by Alfred Hitchcock. In the image we have an actress and an actor but we are also looking at is the typical male gaze. Although, actor James Steward is on a wheelchair he still seems to overpower actress Grace Kelly and exceed dominance in this image. She is put on display for the audience to see her as he gazes towards her. He is in her possession, she is put on display for everyone. 

The American Apparel ad display above is the definition of sex-crazed society. The man is holding the women's legs spread apart. This by definition is a symbol of sex itself. American Apparel does not display the face of the women. This sexualizes and objectifies her body even more.

The ad to the left is discussing a lo-carb bar, yet all we see are a women's boobs. It has no reflection on what the bar does or even says much about the ad. The women's face is not even displayed on the ad. She is cropped perfectly to only show her chest area. This is by far a disgrace. How do we keep Australia beautiful with a lo-carb bar? By satisfying the needs of man with women they deem to be perfect. This ad is as absurd as Romney's binders full of women.

 The link below is extra information on the male gaze:
https://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/2007/08/26/faq-what-is-the-%E2%80%9Cmale-gaze%E2%80%9D/

Bibliography:
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting, 1973. Print.
Hooks, Bell. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. New York: Washington Square, 2004. 17-33. Print.