Catherine Walker
2/12/2015
2/12/2015
The ‘Male Gaze” is a pervasive representation of how women are marginalized as sexual objects in the arts and in popular culture overtime rather than possessors. Heterosexual males aim to put women on display in the media so that they can objectify them has become culturally and socially acceptable by both genders. Apparently this has manifested from the rise of living in a Patriarchal society. The erotic appetites of males have been conditioned to view women as sexual beings. Women on the other hand are expected to exhibit feminine behaviors by being submissive and agreeable.
Patriarchy has perpetuated gender inequality which stresses preference of male values over women. Therefore, men has continued dominating powerful positions both culturally and socially in government, the medical field and in the family dynamics. John Berger (1973) concluded that women were being transgressed against after he studied and followed male artist paintings of nude women models. They were put on display for the male painter and for male spectators to gaze at her nudity. While the model indirectly views a mirror image of herself comparatively just as the painter views her. This image demagoguery of women reassures men of their sexual power and at the same time denies any sexuality of women other than the male construction. Patriarchal values and ideologies deemed women as weak and lack the ability to lead with dominance in society. Berger stated, “a woman must continually watch herself. She has to survey everything she is and everything she does. How she appears to others and ultimately how she appears to men is of crucial importance since her success in life is dependent upon it. How a woman appears to a man tells how she will be treated.” Many nude female portraits as in the Venus of Urbinos Titan www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/venus-of-urbino.htm1487-1576 appeared as though the model was totally unaware of the voyeurism intent behind the artist who was painting her portrait. She stares at an audience which is adherently males and who she inadvertently has to satisfy.
Gender specification has been strongly reinforced in our culture and specifically through the media. Though the media has generally served the public as a positive entity, it has also perpetuated such pressures on women to dress accordingly, to keep up with appearances that forced them to look like runway models and to act properly at all times. This sought of pressure can be oppressive. Not only does this affect a woman’s ability to be herself, it has also encouraged many to seek ways of altering their looks and replace it with costly cosmetic surgeries which has resulted in death for some. There are numerous controversies as to whether young girls and their body images are affected by Barbie dolls,
Growing up in a patriarchal home my mom was the housekeeper while dad went out to work. She depended on him to make decisions for the family. Looking back at that time of my life has brought me to the realization that there has been certain blindness to various aspects of a patriarchal system which has affected us all, only because we are all products of it in one way or another. According to Bell Hooks (2004) most men are not aware with the term patriarchy. Unknowingly to many we are assigned gender roles as children and are reinforced by religious systems, school systems and family systems on how to carry those roles adequately. It has taught women to be weak and submissive unto male’s needs and wants to repress their innate ability to lead. On the other hand men are taught to repress their emotions and to prefer violence.
This portrait is called Vanity by Memlin in Ways of Seeing book by J. Berger.
The picture shows one of the panels of the Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation which is made up of three panels, all three of which are painted on both sides.
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This portrait is called La Grande Odalisque: It has been noted by some art historians that the elongation of the odalisque's back and pelvic area were not only drawn to satisfy Ingres' quest for an ideal form of the female body. Ingres was well-known for the way in which he reflected his subject's social condition through his paintings.
http://www.artble.com/artists/jean_auguste_dominique_ingres/paintings/la_grande_odalisque
painted by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingre
Patriarchy has perpetuated gender inequality which stresses preference of male values over women. Therefore, men has continued dominating powerful positions both culturally and socially in government, the medical field and in the family dynamics. John Berger (1973) concluded that women were being transgressed against after he studied and followed male artist paintings of nude women models. They were put on display for the male painter and for male spectators to gaze at her nudity. While the model indirectly views a mirror image of herself comparatively just as the painter views her. This image demagoguery of women reassures men of their sexual power and at the same time denies any sexuality of women other than the male construction. Patriarchal values and ideologies deemed women as weak and lack the ability to lead with dominance in society. Berger stated, “a woman must continually watch herself. She has to survey everything she is and everything she does. How she appears to others and ultimately how she appears to men is of crucial importance since her success in life is dependent upon it. How a woman appears to a man tells how she will be treated.” Many nude female portraits as in the Venus of Urbinos Titan www.visual-arts-cork.com/famous-paintings/venus-of-urbino.htm1487-1576 appeared as though the model was totally unaware of the voyeurism intent behind the artist who was painting her portrait. She stares at an audience which is adherently males and who she inadvertently has to satisfy.
Gender specification has been strongly reinforced in our culture and specifically through the media. Though the media has generally served the public as a positive entity, it has also perpetuated such pressures on women to dress accordingly, to keep up with appearances that forced them to look like runway models and to act properly at all times. This sought of pressure can be oppressive. Not only does this affect a woman’s ability to be herself, it has also encouraged many to seek ways of altering their looks and replace it with costly cosmetic surgeries which has resulted in death for some. There are numerous controversies as to whether young girls and their body images are affected by Barbie dolls,
http://oregonstate.edu/. the effects of a Barbie doll on young girls making career choices . It was the first fashion doll introduced in 1959 with an emphasis on sexuality, gender and appearance. Research has found that this doll’s physical form was designed and dressed to communicate equalization and objectification to girls. As a little girl I was conditioned to play with dolls. I was fascinated with Barbie dolls. She seemed to have the perfect body, life, house and friends. I spend hours playing with her and unknowingly my love for this doll was psychologically preparing me for early adulthood. Barbie wore outfits that only adult women would ware such as negligees, bikini’s, skimpy outfits that promoted sexual overtones. Not only was I interested in having a body image like a Barbie I wanted her hair, breast, house, and skin color to. Her legs are long and slender and she wore a flirtatious smile as if trying to attract a man. Eventually, a boyfriend was created for Barbie by the name of Ken who became her husband. Men find it fascinating to gaze at models with Barbie features.
Growing up in a patriarchal home my mom was the housekeeper while dad went out to work. She depended on him to make decisions for the family. Looking back at that time of my life has brought me to the realization that there has been certain blindness to various aspects of a patriarchal system which has affected us all, only because we are all products of it in one way or another. According to Bell Hooks (2004) most men are not aware with the term patriarchy. Unknowingly to many we are assigned gender roles as children and are reinforced by religious systems, school systems and family systems on how to carry those roles adequately. It has taught women to be weak and submissive unto male’s needs and wants to repress their innate ability to lead. On the other hand men are taught to repress their emotions and to prefer violence.
This portrait is called Vanity by Memlin in Ways of Seeing book by J. Berger.
The picture shows one of the panels of the Triptych of Earthly Vanity and Divine Salvation which is made up of three panels, all three of which are painted on both sides.
http://newsfeed.time.com/ This article discusses the positive and negative
effects on a young girl growing up with an adult image such as a Barbie doll .
effects on a young girl growing up with an adult image such as a Barbie doll .
This portrait is called La Grande Odalisque: It has been noted by some art historians that the elongation of the odalisque's back and pelvic area were not only drawn to satisfy Ingres' quest for an ideal form of the female body. Ingres was well-known for the way in which he reflected his subject's social condition through his paintings.
http://www.artble.com/artists/jean_auguste_dominique_ingres/paintings/la_grande_odalisque
painted by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingre
Ways of Seeing. Berger, John, The Viking Press. USA
Bell Hooks's article on Patriarchy. http://imaginenoborders.org/pdf/zines/UnderstandingPatriarchy.pdf
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