Post 1 - Male Gaze And Patriarchy

       Male gaze is the concept of a man's entitlement towards looking at a woman, and discuss and exploit their bodies without any consequences. Berger describes this as, “men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” (Berger, 47), and, “The surveyor of woman in herself is male: the surveyed female. Thus she turns herself into an object – and most particularly an object of vision: a sight” (Berger, 47). Berger explains how in art and in popular culture, a woman becomes an object that is available to an audience, to be surveyed, judged, and objectified. This leads to the woman's power being taken away from her, giving the audience a sense of power over the woman as their possession.
       Nude art is a fine example of how the male gaze dominates how the form of art should be made. Tintoretto's, “Susannah and the Elders”, and Memling's, “Vanity”, show how a mirror was often used as a symbol of the vanity of a woman. However, by making the female artist stare into a mirror, one would not only prevent her gaze meeting the male gaze, but also condemn her into treating herself as a sight, as she would join the other spectators. The fact that the woman's gaze would never meet the viewer's gaze meant that the viewer could stare and imagine whatever they may wish to, without feeling guilty. Berger states, “This nakedness is not, however, an expressions of her own feelings; it is a sign of her submission to the owner's feelings or demands” (Berger, 47). He discusses how from the seventeenth century onwards, paintings of female nudes reflected submission to the owner of the painting and of the woman. He also notes that almost all post-Renaissance European sexual imagery if frontal, literally or metaphorically, because, “the sexual protagonist is the spectator-owner looking at it” (Berger, 56). This is seen in Von Aachen's, “Bacchus, Ceres, and Cupid”, where the woman's gaze meets that directly of the viewer, or the owner, rather than that of her lover. This method of art, of objectifying women and focussing on a male spectator is largely seen in European art, whereas other cultures show nakedness in a more aesthetic form, rather than one of the woman losing her power. Berger states, “the theme of work is sexual attraction, it is likely to show active sexual love as between two people, the woman as active as the man, the actions of each absorbing the other” (Berger, 53). While other traditions have managed to display both men and women equally, European art focused on pleasing the male gaze. Nude art displaying men objectifies men, however in a way where they don't lose their authority. Trutat's, “Reclining Bacchante”, perfectly portrays the power of male gaze over that of the female gaze. The power of the man staring, as opposed to the woman looking away, although aware that she is being looked at. This tradition of posing for a male spectator while in the nude has been conventionalized from a certain tradition of art, and widely accepted into popular culture. Berger states, “Those who are not judged beautiful, are not beautiful. Those who are, are given the prize” (Berger, 52), where he refers to Rubens' and Cranach's, “The Judgement of Paris”. This form of judgement of beauty has been passed down from art into society, and the very existence of beauty pageants today are a sign of that. Berger insists that women have always been depicted in a different way to men, because the ideal spectator if always assumed to be male, while the sight of a woman is solely configured to flatter him. While in our current time women empowerment has amassed and continues to amass power, it would be foolish to think that the focus has shifted from the male gaze, whether it be advertisements and films, where women are objectified, or cat calling, where men try to convince themselves and the victim they have some form of dominance over women.

The image above of Marilyn Monroe in the white dress standing above a subway grating blowing the dress up has been described as one of the iconic images of the 20th century.

November 2014 "Break the Internet" cover featuring Kim Kardashian, No Filter: An Afternoon with Kim Kardashian

        Male dominance is what patriarchy refers to, as it refers to the system of a society or government where men hold the power, and women are largely excluded. Bell Hooks explains it best as she states, “Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everyone and everything deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence” (Hooks, 18). It is important to note that the patriarchy system also enforces harm to a man, as recognized by Bell Hook's childhood. While Hooks was aggressive as a child, her brother was more soft spoken and liberal. Under the patriarchal system, one would expect her brother to be more dominating, and absorb all responsibilities, while one would expect Hooks to be more soft spoken and careful of expressing her views, monitored by what expression is allowed under the patriarchal system. Hooks writes about patriarchal households, and states, “The point of such violence is usually to reinforce a dominator model, in which the authority figure is deemed ruler over those without power and given the right to maintain that rule through practices of subjugation, subordination, and submission”. I personally relate to this structure, as I was born and raised in a family and country dominated by patriarchal beliefs. The position of a father as the bread earner does not justify narcissistic behavior, and does not promote good values.

The above video by Vogue #VogueEmpower, refers to the Patriarchal system that men in India are brought up under.

My country India currently still has a problem where the country and it's people are run by a patriarchal system, whether it may be arranged marriages where women are forced into families who suppress them, or whether it may be the stress of a man achieving success in his life as he must provide for a family in the future. India also faces a huge problem regarding the male gaze, where it is extremely common for men to stare at and tease women, but what stretches into constant harassment and rape cases, where the authorities almost always fail to convict the offenders.

Bibliography

1. Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books. 1972. Print.
2. Hooks, Bell. "Understanding Patriarchy." 2004. The Will to Change. New York: Atria Books, 2004. 17-33. Print. 
3. http://imaginenoborders.org/pdf/zines/UnderstandingPatriarchy.pdf

Observed: A Closer Look at Patriarchy and the Male Gaze

"Tex-Mex," Carl's Jr. Ad, 2015

Around 1972, John Berger, an English art critic, painter, and poet, published “Ways of Seeing” – an essay on art criticism and observation. While studying the European nude, around this time, Berger found that women who were painted as nude had become objects, rather than owners, of gaze. This phenomenon has been dubbed “the male gaze.” Laura Mulvey, in her essay “Visual Cinema and Narrative Pleasure,” articulates this phenomenon as seen through the film industry in the 20^th century. The ideas presented in both texts move to affirm the pervasiveness of the male gaze in media and popular culture. The male gaze is, in part, the result of a taught belief that a woman should “survey herself continually,” as “she comes to consider the surveyor and the surveyed within her as the two constituent yet always distinct elements of her identity as a woman” (Berger 46).  Simply said, a woman is led to believe, by uncritical assimilation, that her success in life as a woman is contingent on her ability to survey not only how she appears in relation to other women but also “how she appears to men” (Berger 46). A woman’s sense of self, then, is reliant on her ability to survey in this fashion, so her identity as a woman must include the acceptance of one chilling reality: she is a sight to be seen. Thus, the male gaze acts as a mechanism of ownership and objectification for men. Since the male gaze’s prevalence in society relies on patriarchy’s prevalence, as a masculine-driven phenomenon, any sort of dichotomy between the two concepts isn’t particularly valid; however, one could reasonably argue that both concepts feed off of each other in some way as to perpetuate a masculine agenda that is pervasive in society.

Bell Hooks, an American feminist, social activist, and author of the essay, “Understanding Patriarchy,” speaks of how patriarchy is “the foundation of our nation’s politics” and how patriarchy itself is “the political system that shapes and informs male identity and sense of self from birth until death” (17). For one to understand completely why the male gaze exists, one must acknowledge patriarchy as the ubiquitous force behind gender roles, expectations, and stereotypes. Patriarchy, simply, is “a political-social system that insists that men are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females” (Hooks 18). Given patriarchy’s ability to infiltrate and control almost every aspect of an individual’s life at one point or another, its power should not be taken lightly. Domestic violence, as well as both child and psychological abuse, are common techniques that allow the male-breadwinner a means of enforcement. The reminder to those under his wing that he is, in fact, the dominant figurehead and, as such, should be respected unconditionally.

When the male gaze, as well as patriarchy, are applied to other realms of observation, such as advertisements, women, then, are viewed as a commodity, which then aids the sale of the product featured beside the woman. Because patriarchy demands, what Hooks cites as “blind obedience” (23), it is relatively uncommon for many to speak out against clear representations of both concepts in action. Actually utilizing women as a tool, a commodity and sight, advertisements both for men and women often maintain the “practices of subjugation, subordination, and submission” (Hooks 24). An advertisement featuring women, such as the Carl’s Jr. ad posted above, uses the male gaze as a means of aiding their sale of hamburgers. Although the correlation is nonsensical, men who view this commercial, as well as women, find themselves objectifying both the hamburger as well as the women. The correlation is then a bit clearer. If a viewer sees and understands the nature of the hamburger, in that it can be bought, possessed, and eaten at whim, the connotation is then translated to the women. Objectifying both the woman and hamburger allows for a viewer to become more engaged with the commercial: buy a burger and get the girl, or vice-versa. 

Advertising not intended for hetero-male attention, advertising aimed at women, commonly engages the woman in what Berger calls the mirror effect. By the woman viewing herself through the very same lens men do, the woman is encouraged to view herself as a man would. The woman, then, becomes the recipient of a mutually shared male-attention: both the surveyor and surveyed. In the link to the left, we find patriarchy’s latest attempt to reinforce the principles of patriarchy and the male gaze. The program, “Mommy Wars” pits mother against mother, as they not only compete using different mothering tactics to find the most efficient mother but also elicit and present the various judgements women have when objectified by the male gaze and marginalized by patriarchy.

 

"Mommy Wars," Similac Ad, 2015

As a writer and college student, it’s pertinent to  understand the current value systems in place  when I’m either evaluated or judged in a sense associated with either the male gaze or patriarchy. After reading Berger and Hooks, I’ve come to understand just how pervasive these sort of values are, and I’ve also become aware of my own judgements and if and when they are associated with either concept.

Works 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. 

Male Gaze & Patriarchy

The male gaze is dependent upon the promise of power and survey of the body. The surveyor vs. the surveyed where the surveyor is the beneficiary of the relationship. The woman becomes a nude, an object, and therefore becomes available to the viewer, the man. The surveyor objectifies the surveyed and this allows the privilege of looking and owning the surveyed. When you objectify somebody you take away their power and humanity so you can control them, own them, and have power over them, And by identifying with him, through active participation in his power, the spectator can possess her too. The woman has been taught from an early age to survey herself because how she appears to others is how she appears to men. And how she appears determines how she will be treated, “men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women look at themselves being looked at. Thus turning herself into an object” (Berger, 47). Men have the power to look but women see themselves being seen because their power isn’t the same. John Berger argues that, “the woman responds with calculated charm to the man who she imagines looking at her and by doing this she is offering up her femininity as the surveyed” (Berger, 55). The mirror is used to symbolize the vanity f women and this is illustrated in the painting Vanity by Memling. The male gaze also introduces the judgement of beauty as a contest and the prize is to be made available to the man.

The male Gaze is pervasive in art and in popular culture because “the nude in European painting is usually represented as an admirable expression of the European humanist spirit” (Berger, 62). The woman’s body is a sign of obedience to the man’s demands but the “nude is a form of art and always conventionalized derived from tradition of art” (53). This means that the nude is seen by others but not recognized, simply placed on display. An example is the painting by Bronzino, Allegory of Time and Love, where Venus’ body is drawn to appeal only to the man’s sexuality. Removing the hair on the woman’s body takes away her sexual power because it represents her maturity, and sexual appetite because she is not there for her sexual pleasure but for the viewer, the man. Furthermore, the nude is not allowed to engage the male gaze, she can only gaze at herself through a mirror. And this gives the male spectator permission to look without feeling guilty.

The male gaze causes the woman to be fetishized as an object to be looked at, while the man is given the privilege to actively look at the woman. The mirror is a symbol that allows the viewer to say, she’s asking for it. Holding the mirror and removing the hair on the body gives women a model to imitate if they want to hold value. The painting is not gives the name of the women so man can look at it and apply vanity and narcissism to the nude, this gives the viewer an excuse to look without feeling guilty, making her appear like she’s asking for it. Man in the painting would not hold any sexual power so they don’t rival the sexuality that is in front of the painting, which is the person looking. Based on the class discussion, we can argue that the female gaze is not in balance with the male gaze because although Tyson Beckford is seemingly in the same role as a nude woman he is not objectified in the same way because his authority is still present, because he is male. He is still sexual even in his objectified state. The male gaze is not theoretical, it’s all around us. For example, harassment such as cat calling is focused on male gaze, it is about men feeling the power to own a woman’s body as a spectator owns a painting and this system is set up to translate in real life. Selfies are also in conversation with the nude woman because women are aware of being looked at.

According to bell hooks, “Patriarchy is 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 that dominance through various forms of violence” (hooks, 18). Women often take up a subordinate role in contrast to a man because their behavior has to follow a predetermined script depending on gender and this was done to “organize life.” The father would step in to restore the natural order of things because he was the ruler of the household. They become the teachers of patriarchal thinking by “promoting and condoning sexist violence” (hooks, 24). This stresses “polarization between the sexes” (hooks, 26).  Because it gives the notion that men are all powerful and women are made to be the victims, which is wrong. I too was raised in a patriarchal home, where my father is the head of the household and my mother is obedient. My sister and I had a 8pm curfew and had to dress appropriate but my brother had no restrictions. What is even more alarming is the face that citizens in this country fear challenging patriarchy even through it is to their benefit because throughout the years it has damaged men, “Imprisoned by a system that undermines their mental health” (hooks, 30). It is no longer about the biology of strength but perceived strength that has to be dictated and taught. The men’s problem is they refuse to share the public rein with women arguing that women have gone too far with their demands for equality. A great example would be Hillary Clinton running for President. Based on the class discussion, in certain cultures, a male child is often preferred and those populations can’t procreate because there are no women. Also modern marriage is based on a very patriarchal institution whether it’s religious or legal. Marriage follows this system of power and submission, rights, subservient, taking the man’s n ame and ownership. In bell hooks video, she argues that Critical thinking is the key to transforming your life and does thi by challenging the system and opposing the norms.   

America Is Still a Patriarchy

Woman as Object, Woman as Subjects 

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: British Broadcasting, 1973. Print.
Hooks, Bell. The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love. New York: Atria, 2004. Print.

Yahya, Wan W. "The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences: Annual Review." Male Gaze, Pornography and the Fetishised Female (2010): 26-36. Web.

Noman Sheikh ~ Male Gaze and Patriarchy

Gigi Hadid Made Her Victoria's Secret Runway Debut

Society suppresses the primitive sexual forces and animal instincts within each of us however art brings the phenomena of the male gaze into a reality. As John Berger defines it, the male gaze refers to the concept where the ideal spectator is male, and all visual arts are depicted for a masculine point of view. He states that gender presence in a painting are distinguishable: “A man’s presence is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies… the promised power may be moral, physical, temperamental, economic, social, sexual - but its object is always exterior to the man… By contrast, a woman’s presence expresses her own attitude to herself, and defines what can and cannot be done to her. Her presence is manifest in her gestures, voice, opinions, expressions, clothes, chosen surroundings, taste – indeed there is nothing she can do which does not contribute to her presence” (45-46).  Through the concept of a surveyor and surveyed, and thus the objectification of women, Berger states that men act and women appear as, “Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at” (47). This is exemplified by lingerie models, called Angels, at the world renowned Victoria Secret’s Fashion Show. To explain this, we must distinguish between naked and nude. Nakedness is a state of being unclothed, whereas nude is being naked for the purpose of being looked at. So, millions of viewers, both male and female viewers, religiously watch models in the nude establishing the new definitions of sexy and must-haves in the upcoming season. By calling the models Angels, Victoria Secret places them on a higher pedestal to be further objectified and aspire women to be just like them. The male viewers watch for the sole purpose of watching the models walk up and down in scantily clad “clothing,” whereas the women not only watch the models, they also watch the men to determine what they like. Furthermore, there is no fashion show like Victoria Secret’s for male models as males do not like to be objectified in the same manner as women are. As such they have somehow developed a way not to be in the same manner as women.

Portrait of a Young Lady and Child as Venus and Cupid

The painting to the left of the King’s mistress, Nell Gwynne, lies here in the nude staring at the paintings spectators. Although she is naked and asserts nudity by becoming objectified for the spectator and by doing so this painting becomes a sign of submission. As such all the different abstracts within the painting do not contribute to her presence rather the mistress is left at the demands of her master, the King. Thus objectifying the mistress through the Male Gaze as the King's property.

Figure of Ideal Woman

The drawing to the right is done by Dürer whom believed the “ideal” nude be constructed from parts from multiple women. For example, take one’s breasts and another’s legs to create an image for male pleasure. This articulates the drive for art to be derived for the male spectator- for his visual pleasure and a sense of sexual drive towards the woman in the drawing. By fantasizing the "ideal" woman by combining parts from multiple women shows the intensity of the male gaze.

BMW Used Car Advertisement

Aston Martin Used Car Advertisement

Premier automakers, BMW and Aston Martin, both have used the Male Gaze to allure customers for their preowned selection. By stating "You know you're not the first" insinuates that these girls have had sex before. They allure male customers through female sexuality by insinuating that their cars like these women are beautiful and probably have had sex before. As such it would not matter if you're not the first driver either.

This establishes the masculine dominance dynamic Bell Hooks depicts as a system of patriarchy. She defines it 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 that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence” (18). Going back to Berger, as women are not only objectified but also deemed weaker they cannot do anything to contribute to their presence whereas men is never objectified and is there only to show his dominance. This relates to the concept in ancient civilizations where men would hunt and bring back meats to the camp where women bore children and cooked. The physical masculinity was necessary at the time however in modern times, there is no need for such display. Bell Hooks introduces a concept of psychological patriarchy which, “is the dynamic between those qualities deemed ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ in which half of our human traits are exalted while the other half is devalued” (33). Moreover, this means the ubiquitous embedded system of patriarchy is actually neither male or female, it is rather the idea of masculinity, or dominance, and feminism, or submissiveness. Submissiveness is attributed to women as they are “deemed” weaker, as such the power of dominance is placed in the hands of men. This system is ubiquitous as it is deeply embedded in education and religious institutions, perfectly exemplified by the fact that God is assumed to be male. In fact, because patriarchy is a dynamic of dominance and submissiveness, both sexes can assume the role of the dominator. Single moms are a prime example as they play the role of the patriarchal father by asserting her dominance over their children. Bell Hooks gives us a flashback into her past where she was beaten to a pulp for being more masculine than her bother, the beating served as, “a reminder to me of my gendered place, it was a reminder to everyone watching/remembering, to all my siblings, male and female, and to our grown-woman mother that our patriarchal father was the ruler in our household” (21). This psychological display of dominance is what keeps the dynamic running by scaring off anyone that seeks to oppose the system. Hooks also speaks about a male who vocalized his anger towards the patriarchy system and how by doing so he became a social outcast. As he grew older, inability to gain acceptance overwhelmed him into conforming into the system where became popular. As such this exemplifies the inability of enough people standing up to the existing system as they are scarred by all the wounded grown children raised in patriarchal homes.

Raised in a middle eastern home, I have grown to acknowledge how embedded this dynamic reveals itself and its power. Furthermore, it gave me the ability to note it within the educational institution, where girls are pushed towards the arts and not towards the sciences like their male counterparts. Even today women do not have the same rights as men due to this underlying system of patriarchy. By not vocalizing my stance on the matter, I believe I am regretfully conforming to the system. In my professional life I do not discriminate between sexes, I try my best to give the job based on merit but I do realize women are not given the same opportunities as men in most cases.

Works 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.

Links

http://a-white1215-dc.blogspot.com/2013/10/ougd501-context-of-practice-2-study.html 

http://www.askpatty.com/page/bmws_shameful_greek_used_car_ad