Ajibola Martins
09/27/17
Male Gaze and Patriarchy
The common term for “Male Gaze” is defined as the act of depicting the world and women in the visual art and in literature from a masculine and heterosexual perspective, which displays women as objects of a male pleasure. The “Male Gaze,” as described by John Berger, means that women see themselves as the item being worshiped to fulfill the contentment of men. According to the way of seeing it, Berger states, “You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, you put a mirror in her hand, and you called that vanity”(51). The glass given to the women shows a negative connotation because it shows her, in a way, how she needs to be seen as. Men paint in the way that meets his fantasy of how he pictures a woman to be. Also, Berger says, “The nakedness is not, however, an expression of her own feelings; it is a sign of submission to the owner’s feelings or demands”(52). A woman’s nakedness doesn’t necessary mean that she is appreciating herself, but the fact that she is trying to give pleasure to the one that has authority over her, which is the male. In today’s world, women dress to feel good and attracted to. Yes, they often get the attraction, however, the attraction is only directed towards their physical assets. Victoria secret shows and models, for example, is a representation of the Male Gaze. The use of very skimpy clothes and expensive lingerie makes it appealing to men, and perceives the message that it is acceptable and meant to lure men to fantasize over them. Another example is Calvin Klein’s Perfume for men, called Obsession. The model, Kate Moss, is shown to be entirely naked in a product made for men. What does that mean to the producer and men in general? With the picture, the product would be wildly bought by the targeted people, men, because the thing they fantasize the most about and picture a woman to be is directly on the product.
If a woman is not half naked on television, or in magazines, they are not seen as attractive. The nakedness of a woman is often used as a competition. Those who are not “judged beautiful, are not beautiful. Those who are, are given a prize”(Berger, 52). According to Berger, being beautiful and meeting the standards of a man is awarded. This shouldn't be the case due to the fact that one’s view of “beautiful” is different from others. For the others that don’t win a prize, they are forced to be seen as inadequate in the Male Gaze. That is another way of viewing Patriarchy, meaning the “Male Gaze” is closely associated with Patriarchy.
What is Patriarchy? Patriarchy is a system of society in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. In Hooks view, Patriarchy is a “political-social system that insists that men are inherently dominating, and superior to everyone and everything deemed weak, especially women”(18). Patriarchy has been around for a very long period of time. Although people still practice patriarchy in certain religion and culture, it isn’t widely practiced now as it was in the early 1900s. Men are taught the practice of Patriarchy at a young age, even at church. Patriarchy goes hand in hand with gender role. Men are brainwashed to “believe that their dominator of women”(27). They are raised to be tough and to not express their feelings as much, because it shows signs of weakness. For example, the only job a woman had was to bore children and take care of the home. They were unable to vote, educate themselves, or have a say in any political or social affairs. Men, on the other hand, had every opportunity one could think of. Patriarchy has changed over time. Women are now able to do what men do and even go as high as they please. My view on Patriarchy is that men do have and should have higher authority on women; However, it shouldn’t be to the point where the man would hold the woman back on what she wants to achieve. Going back to Adam and Eve, Adam was created first, and later given a woman to accompany him. For this, a woman’s job is to support her man, while making sure she is satisfied with her everyday life.
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