The Wallflower In A Man's World

"The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says: "It's a girl.” ― Shirley Chisholm

The male gaze is the sexual objectification of women. It is the way a man stares at a woman and the idea that one needs approval of them to feel confident in their own skin. From the very early stages of the art world, most of the artist were male painters hence why most images were depicted for the male eye. Women have usually been seen as objects and property of their fathers and husbands and were never allowed to voice their opinions in regards to what occurred in their life. 

In John Berger’s “Ways of Seeing” he writes, “She has to survey everything she is and everything she does because how she appears to others, and ultimately how she appears to men, is of crucial importance for what is normally thought of as success in her life. Her own sense of being in herself is supplanted by a sense of being appreciated as herself by another. (Berger, 47)” To come across such text, it makes one question the ideals our societies have been build upon of. What authority does a man have over the female body and why does it matter? Although this is a question that can be traced down to the earliest stages of civilization, in the nineteenth century we witnessed it even more when the need for visual depiction of woman became the trend. The moment that men were allowed and encouraged to stare and make comments as vulgarly as they wanted in regards to the female body, it became acceptable/pop culture. It can even be interpreted in today's society when we see women as CEO’s, business owners,or well known politicians. A classical thing you’d hear society murmur is, “Who did she have to sleep with to get that position? I’m sure her physique helped her.” It is almost as though society has never grown up from the idea that a woman worth is not defined by a mans approval. That they too get moved up on the social latter without the help of a man or interest in needing to appeal to him. As John Berger wrote himself, “You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, you put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting Vanity, thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for your own pleasure. (Berger, 51)” Women were constantly subjected to the idea that they were born to “look pretty” and that was what their purpose on this earth. A notion that was embedded into a woman's head that they have every obligation follow what a man tells them to do and obey. This is what popularized the “male gaze” even more. It was women’s submission (and not having any other choice) to be apart of a pretty image for the pleasure of man. Nudity soon became a trend. The objectification of women in the art world had come to a peak during the nineteenth century and still seen today. As Berger writes, “To be naked is to be oneself. to be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself. A naked body has to be seen as an object in order to become a nude. (Berger, 54)” The male gaze is simply one more notion explaining the domination men unfortunately believe to have over women. 

In popular culture one woman that really stood out to me when reading "Ways of Seeing" was Sophia Vergara. In 2014 Ms. Vergara attended the Emmy's and stood on a platform and exploited her image when the president of the Academy spoke on topics of diversity and always "making a pretty picture." By doing so, Vergara gave permission to men to stare at her as an object and say, “You’re up there looking beautiful because I made you that way, I made you great.” Though its quite shameful for such an icon to be apart of something so degrading, it was an excellent opportunity for our society to see the Hollywood shows and movies we are constantly watching and marketing to our friends. It was the visual representation of the objectification of women and sexism at it’s finest in the 21st Century. 

The Luncheon on the Grass by Édouard Manet depicting the male gaze. Female is looking towards the audience as if asking for attention (in the nude) since the men she is with will not give it to her. She is more of an object rather than a human being.

Actress Cate Blanchett questions the camera man at an award show (while on live TV) of the way he is objectifying her body; he starts from her toes to the top of her head (the typical male gaze on screen).

Sophia Vergara Gets Put On A Pedestal at Emmy's 2014

Patriarchy is the notion that men have or hold the most power and women do not. It is a concept that bell hooks speaks of  when she explains that it is, "The single most life-threatening social disease assaulting the male body and spirit in our nation. (hooks, 17)" Patriarchy will continue until both sexes work together rather than see one another as competition. In bell hooks article, “Understanding Patriarchy” she introduces us to her life as a child and the firm beliefs that women were made to be fragile creatures and men the dominant role. We see this when hooks talks about loving to play marbles but was beaten by her father for doing so. During her time and much like today, women aren't allowed to do certain things that men can without being called derogatory terms. A woman cannot wear a skirt or shorts without being told that she is asking to be raped or stared at. Hooks writes, “His daughter, aggressive and competitive, was a better player than his son. His son was passive; the boy did not really seem to care who won and was willing to give other marbles on demand. Dad decided that this play had to end, that both my brother and I needed to learn a lesson about appropriate gender roles. (hooks, 20)” I can relate to hooks story because growing up I was typically the girl to hang out with boys and get her dress and shoes dirty from throwing herself on the ground and running around the park. Yet, like hooks I was taught by my parents that my behavior was unacceptable and if I took the time to follow my Catholic faith even more I would understand. As hook writes herself, “At church they had learned that God created man to rule the world and everything in it and that it was the work of women to help men perform these tasks, to obey, and to always assume a subordinate role in relation to a powerful man. (hooks, 18)” Young girls can’t sit on the floor and squat to play a game with the boys because its unladylike, a woman can’t embrace her sexuality without being shamed for it, and she can’t feel confident in her own skin (fix herself up) without people assuming shes doing it to impress a man. The actresses and actors in Hollywood support these roles by the people they choose to portray in movies and television shows. However, for those who take the lead in accepting roles that women don't normally put themselves into they are faced with much criticism for taking a stand. It is interesting to note that in today's society a woman who prefers to take a role that a man whether that be to be a boss, heroine; etc they're shunned more than the female who chooses to be apart of the "sleazy" scenes in the film industry. 

In these snapshots we see Megan Fox being un-amused for being questioned about her heroin role in  the 2014 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Although, no matter how much we continue to raise awareness on these issues, nothing will change until we work together to make a difference. We need to live in a society where men are able to express their emotions and embrace their femininity without the fear of being rejected by society. Women deserve the opportunity to be looked upon and and talked to with a sense of respect and seen as equal to men. As hooks writes, "We need to highlight the role women play in perpetuating and sustaining patriarchal culture so that we will recognize patriarchy as a system women and en support equally, even if men receive more rewards from the system. (hooks, 24)"  


Bibliography: 

1. Berger, John. "Chapters 2 and 3." Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting, 1973. Print.
2. "John Berger / Ways of Seeing , Episode 1 (1972)." YouTube. YouTube, 12 Oct. 2012. Web. 18 Feb. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDE4VX_9Kk>.
3. Hooks, Bell. "Understanding Patriarchy." The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. Washington Square, 2004. 208. Print.