The Male Gaze

“Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.” –John Berger  

(John Berger on the female nude)

To understand the male gaze, is to understand power of the male gender. The gaze defines a women’s place, as she becomes an object for the male viewer. In John Berger’s Ways of Seeing, he states, “in relation to the woman, the man becomes the agent of God" (Berger, 48.) In theory this interlinks with the subject of patriarchy as it portrays the social construct that our world revolves around the power of men, specifically white men. In art and media, women are captured as an image that appeals to others, ultimately for the male audience to objectify. Berger identifies that this theory of the male gaze dates back to nude European paintings in the Renaissance period. The first nude paintings demonstrated the story of Adam of Eve, where Eve is portrayed to be easily seducible and naturally rebellious and as a consequence Eve is punished by being made subservient to the man. 

bell hooks, author of "Understanding Patriarchy" defines patriarchy as a "political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females" (hooks, 18.) This form of ideology comes from a long history of patriarchal thinking that stems from the belief that God created man to rule the world and everything in it as Berger demonstrated in illustrations of European art. Male dominance in society still plays a vital role in social, economic, and political inequality between genders. This type of understanding not only isolates women but also people who are non-gender confirming. Media today uses male dominance as a strategy to use female bodies an object to sell to the male audience.

The image above is one of several advertisements by Suit Supply that targets a male audience by over sexualizing females. Suit Supply started a "shameless" campaign that includes a variety of ads that display provocative images of well-dressed men with women that are either naked or barely clothed. This sort of advertisement, which is deemed normal for many in our society, represents the male gaze. The advertisement is aimed to convince men that if they buy a suit by this company then they are guaranteed for them to encounter a sexually attractive woman. In many cases, advertisements sell their product by putting a naked female body on it or next to it, turning the female into an object, specifically a sexual object. The following advertisement implies Berger's argument where he states, "the 'ideal' spectator is always assumed to be male and the image of the woman is designed to flatter him" (Berger, 64.) In this image you see an attractive thin woman who becomes the representation of all attractive women in society. The consequence of women being an object of vision creates a social pressure for females to become a image that appeals to men's ideals. 

In this advertisement by American Apparel, two women are posing in very sexual positions while wearing American Apparel clothing. The two images above also demonstrate the "ideal" women as sexual beings. You see women in art and media hairless and barely clothed for the viewer's interest. And, although, it is acceptable for women to be barely clothed in the media, it is not acceptable for women to be barely clothed in public. It is this patriarchy that led females like myself to become feminists to challenge the system of institutionalized gender roles. Females continue to be judged by their male counterparts, which create a social pressure for women to challenge each other to fit into a specific category that does not necessarily exist.

In a society dominated by patriarchal beliefs, I was constantly told to be “lady-like” and to dress accordingly to my gender. At fifteen I was not allowed to be out late because of the constant worry of assault, while my brother, was given permission to do what pleased him. It is very hard for someone to remove themselves from forced gender roles when it’s been taught through generations for many years. The Verizon commercial “Inspire the Mind” is one way to dismantle the patriarchal system to encourage girls to discover their own path despite the pressure of being a female. I believe if we begin to understand the ways in which a patriarchal society oppresses people, we can then begin to make a difference by not conforming to the unjust social structure.

Work Cited:

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books. 1972. 

Print.

Hooks, Bell. "Understanding Patriarchy." 2004. The Will to Change. New York: Atria Books, 2004. 17-33. Print.